Review: The Undying Legion by Clay & Susan Griffith

Title: The Undying Legion
Author: Clay & Susan Griffith
Series: Crown & Key #2
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Steam Punk/Magic
Publisher: Del Rey
Publication Date: June 30th 2015
Pages: Kindle Edition, 336 pages
Source: Purchased
Purchase: Amazon US | Kobo | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | iBooks

Synopsis:

     With a flood of dark magic about to engulf Victorian London, can a handful of heroes vanquish a legion of the undead?

      When monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane comes across the gruesome aftermath of a ritual murder in a London church, he enlists the help of magician-scribe Simon Archer and alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther. Studying the macabre scene, they struggle to understand obscure clues in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim’s heart—as well as bizarre mystical allusions to the romantic poetry of William Blake. One thing is clear: Some very potent black magic is at work.

      But this human sacrifice is only the first in a series of ritualized slayings. Desperate to save lives while there is still time, Simon, Kate, and Malcolm—along with gadget geek Penny Carter and Charlotte, an adolescent werewolf—track down a necromancer who is reanimating the deceased. As the team battles an unrelenting army of undead, a powerful Egyptian mummy, and serpentine demons, the necromancer proves an elusive quarry. And when the true purpose of the ritual is revealed, the gifted allies must confront a destructive force that is positively apocalyptic.

Review:

      This book picks up not to long after the events of the previous book. The team is some-what broken up, recovering and healing form the events from the first book. 

    I will admit that I was slightly nervous about reading this book because I loved the first one so much. And while, for me, this book took a little longer to engage me than the previous book, this book still had me on edge through most of it. The plot of this book was much slower than the first. It was more of a mystery driven plot rather than an action driven one. There was still lots of action but it there wasn't as much. 

    Charlotte is back, and trying not to be the monster she was made into, while Malcolm doesn't trust her for most of the book. Seeing her as only a Werewolf, and not the little girl that was turned against her will. Imogene is in the stages of healing and recovering from the unspeakable experiment she was put through. 

    The humor in this book was great, lot of sarcastic and dry humor. And I actually really liked how to flirtation/romance developed between Simon and Kate. And I think there was a couple of hints of a possible romance blossoming between Malcolm and Penny.

Between the Egyptian mythology used and the necromancy, you will be in for a wild ride of a story.