Bookish Thoughts: The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith

A bold moon hung over the dark London cityscape. ~ Opening of The Shadow Revolution

The Shadow Revolution (Crown & Key, #1) by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith 

Del Rey, 2015

Fantasy (Steampunk); 320 pgs

Source: NetGalley

From Goodreads:  

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.

I am likely not the first one to say this book would make a great movie. Admittedly, it was hard not to picture some of the cast from the Sherlock Holmes movies (the ones with Robert Downing Jr.). There was hardly a turn in the  book that was not filled with some sort of fight or action, with occasional gore. The dialogue is quite witty, especially between Kate Anstruther and Simon Archer.

This novel is perfectly set in a steampunk Victorian London setting with magicians, alchemists, hunters and werewolves. The authors captured the atmosphere of the time period well.

Simon, Nick and Malcolm prove they are good in a fight as well as in using their brains. I have a feeling there are hidden depths to all three men that will come out in later books. I never really felt like I had a good handle on Nick. And from what Nick said towards the end of the book, I imagine there is a lot more to Simon than the reader knows as well.

Fighting alongside the strong and very capable men, Kate, an alchemist, proves she can hold her own. She doesn't hesitate to jump in when the action starts, even not quite knowing what the situation at hand is. As great a character as Kate is, however, I adore Penny Carter as well and hope to see more of her in the next two books. She doesn't appear until later in the books, but she's a force to be reckoned with.

The Shadow Revolution was an entertaining novel, a story made for the big screen. Still, I am left with a lot of questions and hope to find answers to them in the upcoming novels.

To learn more about Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith and their work, please visit the authors' website. They can also be found on Goodreads and Twitter.

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