The Undying Legion

This is the second book in the Crown and Key series by Griffith. I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first book in the series. Although I continue to enjoy the characters and witty dialogue, I didn’t find the mystery as interesting in this book.

Malcolm comes across the horrible aftermath of a ritual killing at a church and ends up asking for Simon and Kate’s help in tracking down the killers and solving the mystery behind these crimes. As the trio investigates they find out that some obscure ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs are being used to invoke a magic that is old and potentially world-ending.

I didn’t enjoy this book quite as much as the first book in the series. There is still a lot of action and the dialogue between show more the characters is snappy and witty. For some reason though I just didn’t find the plot to be all that engaging. It took me a long time to get through this book; I just didn’t care about the outcome that much and wasn’t all that intrigued by the mystery.

I did enjoy the fact that we see a lot more of Charlotte in this book; she has some interesting character growth and is a lot of fun. We also see a lot more of Penny and her crazy inventions as well; she was a lot of fun too.

Of course Simon and Kate are both in the story a lot and I enjoyed their chemistry together. I would have liked to see more of Simon’s magic and understand better how it works. I enjoyed Kate’s crazy alchemical potions and contraptions. The two have a sort of budding romance together and are fun to read about.

The plot was a bit all over the place. The main goal for Kate, Simon, and Malcolm is to hunt down whoever is committing these horrible ritual murders. However the plot is distracted by issues dealing with Imogen and her recovery as well as Charlotte’s struggle to control her were-side. All the side stories diluted down the plot quite a bit and at times made it feel like the story was moving very slowly.

Overall this was an okay read, but I enjoyed the first book more. There is a lot of mystery, some alternate history, and steampunk elements in this book. I continue to really enjoy the characters but thought the plot lagged quite a bit. I enjoyed The Vampire Empire series quite a bit more than this one; that one just had more of an epic fantasy feel to it with a more complex and interesting plot. show less

Just as fun and entertaining as the first book! Going back to earlier this summer, here were some of the words I used in my review of The Shadow Revolution, book one of Clay and Susan Griffith’s new Crown & Key trilogy: feisty, ass-kicking, fast-paced, pulpish and adventurous, the perfect beach read. Now I’m pleased to report its sequel proved just as satisfying, especially since we know what we’re getting into and are more acquainted with our main characters.

The Undying Legion is the second installment of the trilogy, but instead of hitting the “middle book slump” this book really takes off and hits the ground running. Simon Archer, Kate Anstruther, and Malcom MacFarlane are back on the hunt for monsters and other things that show more go bump in the night, and true to form, we kick off this story with a grisly discovery. While on one of his nighttime patrols, Malcolm comes across the mutilated body of a woman in a London church. Based on evidence at the scene – signs of black magic, cryptic words carved in stone, mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim’s exposed heart – Malcolm, Simon and Kate determine this to be a ritual murder.

However, this just turns out to be the first of many more gruesome ritualized killings around the city. We follow our heroes as they join forces with a quirky gadgeteer and a young werewolf to solve these mysteries, creating an unlikely alliance to battle demons, Egyptian mummies, necromancers and hordes of zombies. Let’s just say The Undying Legion sure lives up to its title.

I ended up enjoying this book even more than its predecessor, mainly due to the improvements in a couple of areas I felt were lacking in The Shadow Revolution. While I love the fast-paced action and page-turning enthusiasm of “popcorn” reads such as this, let’s face it, these kinds of stories don’t often leave much room for fully-fleshed character development or robust world-building. This was the key weakness of the first book. Still, I understood the reason for the trade-off, and had hoped to see the authors go beyond the surface-level details in this sequel to expand upon the characters and the world.

This was the real test for me, and happily, The Undying Legion passed with flying colors. It’s often expected of a sequel to build upon its preceding volumes, and this one carried that responsibility well, giving us a more intimate look into the lives of Simon, Kate and Malcolm, as well as rendering their world into a fully realized setting. I felt like I was given a lot more reasons to care about the characters, especially as their relationships strengthened and grew more complex. Likewise, I could appreciate the clever and snappy dialogue from before, but knowing the history behind all the relationships now, many of the interactions started taking on a deeper significance. Supporting characters aren’t left out either, and I was very happy that Penny Carter the adorable inventress as well as Charlotte the child werewolf both got bigger roles.

The pacing in this book was also far less chaotic, allowing more opportunities to develop the story and explore its overall arc. The Undying Legion presents a new adventure, but rest assured, the questions raised in the first book about Kate and Simon’s connection and the mysterious key won’t be forgotten. Throughout it all, the plot maintained its rigorous momentum, so effectively that even now it’s a wonder to me how this book managed to accomplish all that it did in a little over 300 pages.

Final verdict? I once said this series is like the equivalent of an explosive summer action blockbuster if movies like that existed back in the Victorian era, and I stand by that. The Undying Legion doesn’t add much to the first book in terms of its light, pulpy tones and monster-hunting themes, but it’s still a deeper experience for all that because of how much more we’re invested at this point. I’m looking forward to check out what I believe will be Kate, Simon and Malcolm’s biggest adventure yet in the series conclusion, The Conquering Dark. show less

The second book in the Crown & Key trilogy and just as fast-past and action-filled as the first one. No middle-book-syndrome here. This book picks up not too long after the first one, and like the first one, it doesn't stop until the last page. What I really appreciate is this book did take some time to further develop the characters and the world. Plus, it was done in such a way that it nicely meshed with the story arc instead of just being stuck in a chapter. Overall, this book provides a fun read packed with action, characters I love (even the secondary characters are fantastic and interesting), and a fresh creative spin on the paranormal-steampunk genre. I can't wait to read the third one!

This picks up right after the first book and has Malcolm stumbling onto a ritual killing in a church while he is still hunting down werewolves. Simon and Kate check out the murder and notice the symbols at the site and start tracking down their meaning. Thing move quite quickly in the book and you find out more of the monsters that escaped the Bastille. Also in the book Charlotte, who is getting better at controlling her wolf thanks to Kate’s alchemy work. The book is a fun quick read and sets up the plot to hopefully come to a satisfying conclusion next month.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley

A supernatural steampunk mystery. This is the second book in a trilogy and you must read Shadow Revolution first. The same witty characters are back, and the team battles cults, the undead, and some ancient gods in this one. The fight scenes and gadgets are still boss while the female MCs invent more useful weapons and are just as active in the action as their male counterparts. A certain werewolf also makes an appearance. Book two does take a bit longer to set up (you learn more about back stories), but the pace becomes faster the farther you read. Overall, enjoyable and fun. I look forward the final book in this series! Recommended.

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I like this second installment of the Crown and Key series better than the first, probably because we get more in-depth mythology and, as this is my second visit with the characters, I’m getting more and more invested in them.

Some mysteries from the past are, if not revealed, then at least coming back to haunt our band of warriors. Ash and Gaios, two of the original founders of the Order of the Oak, are still in the world and wreaking havoc; Simon, Kate, Malcolm, Penny, and Charlotte are trying to stop the ritual deaths meant to resurrect a god; and escapees from a magical prison are trying to kill them all.

I think the relationship between Simon and Kate is moving forward; they act as if their pairing is a done deal, even in public, show more and their relationship is acknowledged by their friends. The relationship between Malcolm and Penny is moving slower, though. However, the friendship between Malcolm and Charlotte is the real heart-wrencher in this book. Like a perverse cat, Charlotte is taken by the one person in the group who can’t stand her, but Malcolm is learning to fight through is prejudices against werewolves and see Charlotte as a person and an ally.

We also get one mystery completely solved — what Simon’s key does. But I’m not going to reveal that here. ;)

However, there are still a lot of unsolved mysteries that I’m hoping will be solved in the final book. Where is Kate’s father? What was his connection with the Order of the Oak and Simon’s mother. What is Hogarth? Will Imogen heal? What was the purpose of the key? And when does the “crown” part of the series’ name come in?

Overall, I think this was a good installment in the trilogy, and it set up some good things for the final book.

Copy provided by author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Review courtesy of onebooktwo.com | one book, two reviews. show less