Review: The Glass God by Kate Griffin (Magicals Anonymous #2)

The Glass God (Magicals Anonymous #2)
Kate Griffin
Published: July 9, 2013 (Orbit)
Purchase at: Book Depository or Amazon
Review Source: Provided by publisher in exchange for honest review

Reviewed by: Mary

Rating (out of 5): 5 stars

Sharon is just a normal shaman running a support group for paranormals who have difficulty coping with everyday city life. She works for the Midnight Mayor, a position that comes with magical powers that are supposed to help with his job, but someone seems to have gotten the better of Matthew Swift. When he goes missing, Sharon gets appointed his deputy and put in charge of finding him, a task that somehow involves an umbrella.

Despite all of her protests that she is completely unqualified for the job, she is stuck.  The only way to get out of this is to actually find the Midnight Mayor. Sharon starts following up leads and using her shaman skills to give her an edge. Turns out, she can do more than just mediate community groups.

While the premise sounds pretty serious, the tone stays light and funny due to the great supporting cast and Sharon’s own quirks. Sharon’s IT manager, Rhys, is a druid with some serious stress-induced allergies. She has an Alderman for a minion, a goblin for a mentor, and a game show host for a spirit guide. Add in the characters from her support group and you’ve got a team that is both well rounded and rough-edged. When you are dealing with the London underbelly, rough edges come in handy, and of course some tea, plenty of tea.

Sharon herself is an extremely likeable character. How can you not like a girl who genuinely sees the good in everyone and thinks that any flaws are just stress induced? I personally can’t imagine meeting dirty, self-mutilating, sewer dwellers, and offering them tea and listening to their problems, but that is exactly what Sharon does. She manages to pull off true concern with sincerity. Even when trudging through sewers, battling a variety of forces, and trying to keep the dead in their graves, her first priority is community outreach.

The Glass God is a great find for anyone who is a fan of Kim Harrison’s Hallows series or Rachelle Mead’s Dark Swan books. Though much lighter than those two series, this is some fast paced urban fiction. The Magicals Anonymous group is a ragtag team of perfectly normal paranormals who have a knack for solving crime.  I am really looking forward to future installments in this series.  A great book to read while you enjoy a cuppa tea and watch the telly!

Sexual content: None, just some polite British banter and awkward encounters