Review: The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
Series: Crown & Key, Book 2
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Historical Urban Fantasy/Steampunk
ISBN: 9780345540485
Release Date: June 30, 2015
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

With a flood of dark magic about to engulf Victorian London, can a handful of heroes vanquish a legion of the undead?

When monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane comes across the gruesome aftermath of a ritual murder in a London church, he enlists the help of magician-scribe Simon Archer and alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther. Studying the macabre scene, they struggle to understand obscure clues in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim’s heart—as well as bizarre mystical allusions to the romantic poetry of William Blake. One thing is clear: Some very potent black magic is at work.

But this human sacrifice is only the first in a series of ritualized slayings. Desperate to save lives while there is still time, Simon, Kate, and Malcolm—along with gadget geek Penny Carter and Charlotte, an adolescent werewolf—track down a necromancer who is reanimating the deceased. As the team battles an unrelenting army of undead, a powerful Egyptian mummy, and serpentine demons, the necromancer proves an elusive quarry. And when the true purpose of the ritual is revealed, the gifted allies must confront a destructive force that is positively apocalyptic.

The Undying Legion is monstrously entertaining…with extra emphasis on the monsters. The second Crown & Key story is an intriguing puzzle; each piece is its own supernatural entity, but it all comes together to create one cohesive, delightful story.

I admit, I had my reservations about The Undying Legion, as the first Crown & Key book was hit and miss for me. I’m glad to say that the continued adventures of Simon, Kate, and Malcolm is just as exciting as The Shadow Revolution, but far less choppy. Authors Susan and Clay Griffith delve deeper into both their characters and the world they have created, making you care about the heroes and their motley crew of endearing secondary characters. The mystery this time around contains just as many threads but the web is a logical one. When Malcolm busts into a church and sees the aftermath of a ritual murder, he calls upon Simon and Kate to help him decipher the clues left at the scene. But every answer only leads to more questions. Soon our heroes are on a quest to uncover a necromancer who’s raising the dead, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Racing alongside Simon, Kate, and Malcolm as they try to solve the mystery and prevent more murders is what makes The Undying Legion so much fun, so I’ll avoid any more plot details for fear of spoiling it.

There’s a little bit of every kind of magic in The Undying Legion, but it all works together well. Malcolm, Kate, and Simon don’t just react to what’s going on around them, they become personally invested in it for a multitude of reasons, which gives the story depth. Though the characters still don’t truly fit their Victorian-era setting, it wasn’t too hard for me to suspend disbelief and simply enjoy. The action and character building was well balanced, and I loved learning more about each character. The ending of The Undying Legion left me eager to dive into the final Crown & Key story, The Conquering Dark. I can’t wait to see what happens to Kate, Simon, and Malcolm as they face their biggest challenge yet!


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Review: The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
Series: Crown & Key, Book 1
Publisher: Del Rey
Genre: Historical Urban Fantasy/Steampunk
ISBN: 9780345539502
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N

They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.

As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.

After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined.

The Shadow Revolution is imaginative and exciting, a story with tons of action and endless possibilities. Clay and Susan Griffith’s first installment of the Crown & Key trilogy has a lot to recommend it, though often the ideas are better than the execution. Werewolves, sadistic villains, and human-automata hybridization experiments are a lot to tackle in one book, and when you add in the introduction of a handful of strong personalities, the result is an intriguing, if somewhat choppy story. Simon, Kate, Malcom, Nick, and Penny are all interesting characters, none of whom quite get the attention they deserve because there is so much going on. I hope the second and third Crown & Key books delve more into their characters, for there’s a lot to unpack. Simon is a scribe, a powerful magician with a rare ability. He’s also a weary playboy who keeps his true nature hidden, until a werewolf attacks and he’s thrown in the path of Kate Anstruther and Malcolm MacFarlane. Malcom is a sometimes-brooding werewolf hunter with neat weapons and a backstory we don’t really get into (I assume that will change in future stories). Kate, in turn, is an alchemist and an unusual female (for the era) who’s not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anyone. The three form an alliance to defeat the werewolf threat, only to discover that werewolves are the least of their problems. Supernatural creatures unlike any the world has seen threaten London, and it’s up to our heroes and their allies to uncover the conspiracy and save the day.

The action doesn’t stop in The Shadow Revolution, which makes it a fast-paced read. As I mentioned before, the frantic pace doesn’t leave too much time for depth or character development, but that doesn’t mean the story isn’t enjoyable. Mr. and Ms. Griffith aren’t afraid to make things dark and gory, and the overall tone of the book draws you in. The Victorian-era London setting adds to the ambiance, though the characters don’t really act like they’re in the nineteenth century.

The Shadow Revolution has its ups and downs, but I do think the series has a lot of potential. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for Simon, Kate, and Malcolm in the next Crown & Key book, The Undying Legion.


FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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