Friday 56 and Book Beginnings: The Undying Legion (Crown & Key #2) by Clay & Susan Griffith

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice

These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

Please join us over at RoseCityReader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

Synopsis:

     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.

Book Beginning:

     Malcolm MacFarlane let the frigid London night swallow him. A cold rain had begun to fall. His thick, wool coat had soaked up so much water that it felt like he carried an addition load of ammunition on his broad shoulders.

Thoughts:

Malcolm had a similar entrance to the first book. You don't see it right away, but he's still just as surly as ever.

56% on Tablet:
 Simon said wearily, "Kate, there has been a slight change. I need to journey to my home at Warden Abbey in Bedfordshire. Would you accompany me?"
     Kate looked confused by yet another shift in the agenda.
"When are you planning on leaving?"
     Simon checked his watch. "Now."
"Are you mad?" Kate slammed her coffee cup onto the saucer. "Look at yourself! Warden Abbey is at the very least a hard day away, perhaps two. Not to mention that Nephthys may be watching the roads."