Alice Law has dreamed of attending Cambridge and working alongside the greatest magician in the world, Professor Jacob Grimes. She sacrificed much to become one of the brightest in the field of Magick, and her sacrifices have paid off, as here she is, living her dream where most never get this far.
That is – until the Professor dies in an accident that could very well be Alice’s fault.
Grimes is now in Hell, and Alice feels she has no choice but to go in after him… it’s just unfortunate that her nemesis, Peter Murdock, has the same plan.
In a word. Heavy.
I was so looking forward to this book with visions of a descent into hell that is well written and engaging with the essence of magic (which I LOVE), and honestly, maybe a Harry Potter vibe, and well….
Can I say I loved the synopsis? The storyline – not so much…. the book felt over-detailed… and not a lot happened. Cool idea, and great references, but when I read a book, most of the time it is for the enjoyment, the adventure, the falling in love with a book, and this one felt way too much like work and no reward for my efforts.
I really hope someone can tell me differently and that they love this book ( and why) – for me …. too much work to keep me engaged.
Rated: 2.5 out of 5
Read Author Before: I have not…. and maybe that’s a thing
Read Author Again: Not if the books are this heavy
Book Club Worthy: I wish it were, but I can’t imagine my book club getting through this book to discuss it.
Book Journey 
thank you. Now I won’t have fomo 😀
LOL
I really liked Yellowface and very much wanted to read Babel, but the size of the book has been keeping me away.
I’ll probably stay away.
I have not read Yellowface. Admittedly this experience turned me a bit off of the author because man…… it felt like a deep dive into a whole lot of nothing much…. but if you liked Yellowface I may need to give it a try 🙂
Yellowface is different from her deeper fantasy books.
I have Babel, but like so many books, it’s languishing on my selves. I’m going to see if I like that one before trying anything else. I did hear an interview, about a month ago, on NPR with the author regarding this book and she made it sound interesting.
I wanted to love it 🙂 Let me know if you dig into this author and what you think. I can probably be coerced to trying again 🙂
really liked that honest review and no, then i wouldn’t be interested in reading it. i prefer happy ever after.
dang, your book club is reading The Intruder? It’s on my list coming up shortly. i’ll be interested in the concensus.
oops, sorry now i see that’s an audiobook you are listening to. still–mine is upcoming.