A very fun read. Music, mystery, intrigue and sexy aristocrats. You'll either love or hate this book, I think. It has a quirky style that I enjoy, but (judging from other reviews) just grates for some.

The author interview here on Goodreads is a fair preview of the weird-ity you might expect. If it makes you smile, then this book might be for you. https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3526759-an-interview-with-magnus ( )

Just trying to fill time before third installment of discovery of....and this did not do it for me. It was a cross between Even Cowgirls get the Blues and hitchhiker guide with like a dose of academia. There was also a book I can't remember quite that reminds me of this...something about a book and an end and Y. Anywho...I did not finish this boom and hate to rate if I don't but I read very nearly to the end and I wouldn't recommend it past page 100. This is a great example of excellent world building and then not being able to follow through with the rest of the story. Now that I think about this novel in terms of Master and M...I might revisit and finish. ( )

Fantasy, adventure, music, political intrigue, a protagonist named Sarah, and Prague as the setting? I couldn’t read this book fast enough! Sarah is, by far, one of my favorite protagonists I’ve ever been introduced to, tied for the top spot with Celaena of Throne of Glass fame and Amy Haskel of Diana Peterfreund’s Ivy League series. She fears little and is unabashedly who she wants to be. Sarah doesn’t apologize for being herself, even when her brazen personality can offend even the most liberal contemporary, and that is what I love most about her.

Prague is my top travel wishlist destination and the more I read about it, in both fiction and nonfiction works, the more my desire to see the city of dark magic deepens. Sarah experiences the city in all its splendors, and it’s not so splendid features as well. Beethoven is her guide as she readies a music exhibit for the Lobkowicz Palace museum after the former curator, her mentor, is found dead outside the palace from an apparent suicide attempt. Before long, Sarah discovers there is so much more to the story when she retraces her mentor’s, and Beethoven’s, steps throughout the city upon discovering a time shifting drug one evening with the dashing prince Max.

A great deal happens in this book and there are about ten different stories being intertwined together but that made me enjoy it more. I cannot stand stories where it is all about the main character and written as if the rest of the world doesn’t exist. While City of Dark Magic may take it a little too far in the opposite direction, it meant that I never found a boring moment the entire time I was reading. Really, I cannot emphasize how much I love this book and all the magnificently entertaining intertwining stories. ( )

Good book. ( )

Prague is a great backdrop for a fantasy novel. Sarah Weston is recruited to help catalog the original works of Beethoven for the Lobkowicz family musuem when her thesis advisor dies under mysterious circumstances. Like many of today's musical geniuses, it is implied that Beethoven was a drug addict, which Sarah discovers while mentally time-traveling under the influence herself. Throw in a little espionage, a lot of sex and murder, cover-ups, and you have the makings of this novel. From the writing, I was able to discern that this book was written by two women, using a nom de plume. This should have been better. ( )

For all that I’m not a huge fan of Beethoven and/or classical music, this book was a very entertaining read. It may have been a touch “light,” but I refuse to let that detract from my enjoyment of the dense historical content, the bevy of strange characters, and the innate mysteries of Prague. ( )

Putting it down at about 110 pages. Sarah's a fun protagonist, but there's nothing about this story - some mystery, some sex, some strange happenings - that interests me.

I can't finish this. Only 20% in and I'm not only confused, I'm bored and mildly baffled at Sarah's character. I'm not a prude, but the sheer amount of sexual tension/acts in the first part of this book really threw me off. I'm just done. ( )

Written under a pseudonym by Meg Howrey and Christina Lynch, I think "rom-com paranormal suspense" is probably an accurate description for this one. I loved the Prague setting and the musical theme focused around Beethoven. Instead of the usual time travel where the character travels through time (kind of like Alice falling down the rabbit hole), the authors decide instead to enable our lead character to experience different segments of history while staying localized - more like a drug-induced hallucination. There is an awful lot going on in this story and as impressed as I am that the two authors were able blend their writing styles to maintain the same voice throughout the novel, I got the feeling that they had to scramble a bit near the end to try and tie off all the various plot points. The addition of a smart-talking dwarf who seems to be a lot older than one would presume adds an interesting cache to this urban fantasy story, but inclusion of an arch villain in the form of a former CIA agent, now US Senator adds a weird political power/cold war espionage angle that makes this just seems rather at odds with the story. That, and I am trying to understand what message the female authors mean to convey by making the strong female lead engage in unnecessary casual sex.

Overall, a good premise for an adventure suspense story that is probably best suited to readers looking for a bit of light fluff urban fantasy reading and doesn't mind the occasional gratuitous sex scenes thrown in. ( )

I was really torn on this book, because I truly wanted to like it. You read the description and it has just the right kind of weirdness that should have been up my alley. There's a lot to love here, a mixture of Beethoven, alchemy, mystery, and such a vivid setting.

I had a hard time getting into it at first, because the prose has a breezy, almost chatty voice to it that felt shallow. Characters felt quirky as opposed to well-drawn, and the whole book had a bit of a "aren't we clever" tone to it. In fact, I would argue that the most realized character of the book was Prague itself, and the rest of the cast merely felt like caricatures.

Sarah isn't believable as a sleuth either, as I think others have pointed out here. She tends to stumble upon things by luck, which is a shame because as a scholar she should have been well-equipped to do serious investigation. Of course, the mystery itself is solved about half way through the book, and the rest is a jumbled mess of sub-plots that with the exception of the obvious villain are never resolved in order to make way for a sequel.

The other issue I have with this book is that it doesn't fulfill on it's promise. The hook at the beginning of the book is not just the adventure, but the character. They go to great lengths to set up all of Sarah's quirks very quickly including her lack of belief in romance/love, and how she "follows her nose" for frequent sex. Later in the book, other characters talk as if she has undergone some other change here, but there isn't anything in the actual story that supports those claims. Ultimately, she's back to where she was afterwards, seemingly unchanged or affected by the experience, or at least not believably so.

There's been a lot of complaining about the sex in this book, which I'm fine with in principle, but felt out of place in many cases to the point of being jarring. This last point in particular I have been trying to wrap my head around, because I needed to confirm with myself that I would feel the same way about ithad Sarah been a male character. After considering for several days I conclude that I would feel the same. The issue isn't who's having the sex, it's the fact that it seems to be there for it's own sake. If this were a romance novel, it would be fine, but there isn't any romance in this book. If this were erotica, that would also be ok, but the book isn't that either.


The book does have it's funny moments, and I do believe it's intended to be a funny book, particularly through the use of Sarah's inner monologue and Nico's quick wit. There are some great lines, but they often don't seem to fit the severity of the scene, or vice versa.

Ultimately, I think the challenge with this book is that it can't decide what kind of story it is trying to tell, and ends up being a smattering of everything. Add in the "aren't we clever" tone to the writing, and it becomes a disappointing read. Which is a shame, because the premise of the book has a lot to love. ( )

I'm still not quite sure what to make of this book. Parts of it were very interesting, like the historical aspects of Prague and what a crazy city it seems to have always been. However, there were way too many things going on so that most of the characters were fairly undeveloped and the plot lines were shallow. I love mysteries and historical fiction, and occasionally enjoy the paranormal in a book, but it's almost like this book couldn't decide what it wanted to be. ( )

As per my policy - I don't rate book I didn't finish.

First, I like the premise of the book - mystery at a castle in Prague involving Beethoven, a strange drug, and a mysterious prince. However, that is all that I liked about the book.

The lead character is an idiot. Between getting horny from a statue, to having sex with a coworker she knows nothing about a few hours after she meets him. Also, I don't like stories where non-consensual sex is used. It wasn't rape, exactly, but Sarah has sex with a different man than she was expecting. Its too close to rape for me. I should have stopped reading this book at this point, but the mystery of Prague kept me reading. Which brings me to the secondary characters - the authors were trying to go for people who weren't stereotypes (Eg the short Japanese-American gun expert), but unfortunately, that is exactly what they became - a stereotype. Add in a weird girl - a child prodigy who acts like an adult and only had the butler as a constant guardian add in an evil senator... it just makes for a story that doesn't really work.

Its a story that has a lot of elements, but none of them were subtle, nor well integrated into the plot. And last, I have been to Prague. Its not an easy city to navigate- there should have been at least one scene devoted to Sarah getting lost.

Preposterous, silly, enjoyable high-brow historical magical mystery farce.

Not a fantasy: not serious enough. Not a mystery: not convincing enough. Not magical realism: too un-profound. More like a long fable told by a super-intelligent, really drunk raconteur.

Check your disbelief at the gate, buckle in, and enjoy. ( )

Sarah, a Ph.D. student in music and teacher to a blind girl named Pollina, gets a mysterious note giving her the chance of a lifetime: come to Prague, and catalog a family's holdings related to Beethoven. Soon after she gets this note, she learns that her mentor died while in that same place, apparently suicide. Now she can't say no, and Sarah soon finds herself embroiled in intrigue and mystery.

First of all, if you think you want to read the book don't read the publisher summary that was in my library catalog - it gives waaaay too much away. Secondly, if you enjoy adventures and thrillers a la Dan Brown that add a twist of music and history and alchemy, this is a fast-paced over-the-top story with all of those elements. Personally, it didn't work for me. Part of the trouble, I admit, is that I'd just come from reading some books where the writing itself was paramount, poetic - and this is serviceable, a lot of dialog, moves the action along, which I turned out not to be in the mood for. I never really got to know the characters or care about their motivations, and Sarah's attitude towards sex (you know what, I'm horny, I'm just gonna screw the next guy who makes a pass at me in the bathroom...) really grated on me. The intricate plot is what kept me reading, to see how all the pieces fit together, and ultimately I was disappointed because the mystery that was introduced wasn't actually resolved, but hopefully will be in the sequel. ( )

I didn't expect to like this book even though the synopsis intrigued me enough to open it. I mean the phrases time-warping, tantric sex and Prague is a threshold were enough to convince me. Add Beethoven, spies, a music scholar who only wanted to work with her mentor, drugs, history, murders and mysteries and City of Dark Magic ended up as a book I would count as an amazing surprise. I would definitely read the sequel.

Disorientated by an authorial voice that is distinctly female. So who is Mr Magnus Flyte? Two women, it turns out. So this chick-lit impression was not unreasonable. But it's quite good chick-lit. A bit silly sometimes, often suspend-judgement-here, but really quite an entertaining adventure. Lara Croft meets Beethoven. ( )

At least a 3.5 so I rounded up -- Fun book. I was afraid when I picked it up that I had been dupped by the cover but the silliness settled down with a fun mystery with generous servings of historical fiction and classical music. It deserves more than a 3 I'm just not sure if it matches up with most of my 4s. ( )

When I began reading this book, I was merely motivated by the fact that I wanted a fast paced read with a bit of naughtiness to it, and that is precisely what I got in this book. Are some of the situations implausible? Yes. Does it seem too far-fetched at times? Yes. Is it also extremely interesting, sucks you in, and keeps you glued to the story? Abso-freaking-lutely!

The characters may seem almost caricature-y, and at times one dimensional, but they're also fun and easy to follow as characters. They're not "hollow" characters, they're just not explored fully, at least not in this first book, entirely. Mostly, we concentrate on our protagonist Sarah, who is a young college student who finds herself in Prague, studying music and documenting music for an archive, however, finding that her mentor has committed suicide upon her arrival. From this point on, she finds herself part of a big web of dark magic, myth, mystery, old-school royalty, alchemists, and the musical life of Beethoven. The ending really threw me for a loop, but I didn't mind it. For me, the read was a good ride! ( )

I liked the story and the setting. My only complaint is that Magnus clearly gave his female characters some very male personality traits. Also there is some completely gratuitous and very graphic sex scenes that were totally unnecessary.

3.5 Stars

Fast-paced, full of intriguing characters with a storyline that will keep readers turning the pages, City of Dark Magic is a thriller that is sure to appeal to fans of a broad range of genres.

When Sarah Weston, a post-graduate music student specializing in Beethoven, is given the opportunity to work in Prague cataloging the great composer's manuscripts, it is an offer she simply can't refuse. Not only will it give her the chance to further delve into Beethoven's life, but it will also allow her to look into the strange circumstances around the apparent suicide of her mentor. But there is more to Prague than meets the eye, and Sarah soon finds herself involved in things that are perhaps best left alone.

One of the greatest strengths of this novel is its quirky set of secondary characters, including Beethoven himself, who makes several appearances throughout the story. Most intriguing, however, are the 400-year old dwarf, Nicholas Perasuto, and the villain, U.S. Senator Charlotte Yates, who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. As the novel's principal setting, Prague and certain darker aspects of its history are featured prominently. The descriptions of the setting are particularly well-done and help to bring Prague itself to life. While the novel's secondary characters and setting stand out, the two main characters, Sarah Weston and Max Anderson, are rather flat in comparison and it is difficult for the reader to be inspired by either them or their budding relationship. Nevertheless, the plot itself unfolds nicely and in a way that keeps the reader engaged, making City of Dark Magic an overall fun and entertaining novel.

Note: An e-copy of this novel was provided to me by Penguin Books via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. ( )

This book appeared in the mailbox one day and I don't know where it came from. There was no identifying information. I must have requested it from somewhere or entered a drawing and won(?). Because it was free, I decided to read it. Sorry I wasted my time and eyesight. I found the story implausible and the sex gratuitous. It felt like it was written by a commitee with nothing better to do. ( )

This is not the usual type of book for me, but something must have intrigued me. There were a few times when I wondered if I wanted to continue reading the book, but I am glad that I finished it, and even read the sequel, and enjoyed both!! ( )

Sarah Weston is an expert on Ludwig Von Beethoven, sure, but she is still really surprised when she is invited to Prague to work on an exhibition of Beethoven artifacts owned by the House of Lobkowicz. It turns out that the position was originally held by Sarah's mentor and PhD adviser, but he supposedly committed suicide a few days prior. Upon arriving in Prague Sarah makes friends with, among others, the current Price Lobkowicz and a little person named Nico. However, she is unsure whom she can trust as there is clearly a conspiracy going on that dates back not just to the KGB in the 1970s, but also to Beethoven himself.

Another novel that felt like it was trying too hard to do too much (though this one did not feel too long). There wasn't anything particularly wrong with it, but I didn't feel very thrilled by the mysteries and conspiracies. I also couldn't really connect with the characters, which was surprising since there is a great deal of accurate historical fiction involved. My hopes might have been too high - I love magic and adore Prague - but I just felt vaguely disappointed. I would argue that there is not actually any magic in the book at all. Also, while there is not technically a "cliff-hanger", almost all of the plot lines are left open going into the next book. Which I might not read. ( )

In spite of a couple of sex scenes, this mostly reads like a YA novel. I'm probably interested enough to read the sequel, but I won't be rushing out to buy it. Mostly, it was just an ok story with ok writing and only-sort-of developed characters. ( )

This book had, for me, an uneven mix of good and bad. At times it seemed like I was reading the work of a bunch of peurile guys sitting around fantasizing about elements to add for a fun story: brilliant and beautiful heroine who loves sex, handsome and rich hero, cardboard evil woman (one for each of the books), an abundance of flatulence jokes, anonymous sex, instant sex, solitary sex, athletic sex, a bit of murder, a bit of mayhem, a travelogue, and in the second book, Vienna), hallucinogenic toenails, alchemy, and the obligatory dwarf.

[Much to my surprise, the bunch of peurile guys I imagined to be using the pseudonym Magnus Flyte actually turned out to be two female writers working in collaboration: novelist Meg Howrey and screenwriter Christina Lynch.]

In this sort of college version of Dan Brown (history/mystery/art/evil/blasts from the past), we follow the escapades of Sarah Weston, 26 when we first meet her, who is a graduate student of neuromusicology. She has been invited to Prague to be a part of a team of academics curating a museum collection at the Lobkowicz Palace, where she will work on authenticating the papers of Beethoven, whose work is her specialty. Sarah believes she has been selected on the recommendation of her mentor, Dr. Absalom Sherbatsky, who preceded her there but died mysteriously in a seeming suicide. He had always championed Sarah because of her seemingly heightened power of sense, which, however, is not as great as that of her precocious, blind 11-year-old piano student Pollina.

Pollina is distraught that Sarah is going to Prague. She warns her: "Prague is a threshold ... between the life of good and...the other. Prague is a place where the fabric of time is thin.”

How does Pollina know this? It’s all part of the “spooky action at a distance” (as Einstein called quantum entanglement, or QE). Sarah doesn’t refer to QE directly, although she’s all over the ideas of dark matter and dark energy and the “relativity” of time.

In Prague, Sarah joins forces with the heir to the castle - Max, and his friend the dwarf Nico, to discover why Dr. Sherbatsky died, why others are being murdered, and why even Sarah’s life is in danger for trying to get to the bottom of everything. In addition, she helps Max in his quest for the Golden Fleece, depicted in this series as a book that might contain “the mystical theory of everything, or spells of ultimate power, or maybe just a load of crap.” In order to find out, Sarah needs to take the hallucinogenic toenails….

Evaluation: This book incorporates an eclectic blend of art, music, and history, and has both positive and negative aspects. I’ve mentioned some of the negative; but I would be remiss not to point out that there are some very nice epistemological discussions of science versus magic, some great travel info (if a bit too much), and wonderful reflections on the power of music, “the language that transversed time.” So true.

If you would appreciate a "zany" sort of "mad-cap" mystery with lots of travel and art information, this book will definitely fit the bill. ( )