A Sleight of Shadows is the sequel to a book the was originally a standalone, An Unkindness of Magicians. This book takes place shortly after the events of the first book.

I loved the first book and didn’t think it needed a sequel. How often do we get fully realized, average sized, standalone fantasy books? The first book was one of the first adult fantasy books I read that I really loved.

This sequel is perfectly fine. I can see people really loving it but to me, it just felt forced. The problems that happened felt like they were just there for the sake of a sequel. The intrigue and mystery from the first book wasn’t there for me. Granted, it’s been years since I read the first book so a lot of this could just be my taste in reading has changed

This book is getting a three star instead of anything lower because I do think it is well written. I love Kat Howard’s writing style. I just wish this would have been a new story instead of a sequel that wasn’t needed. I would actually be more interested in a prequel novel to this world.

I enjoyed an Unkindness of Magicians and A Sleight of Shadows was a great continuation of the story. It was a quick read with some great new characters. I hope that there is a third book in the series which explores what happens with the new characters and and the aftermath of of the events in A Slight of Shadows.

A satisfying follow up to Unkindness of Magicians. Howard delves a bit further into magic (including describing what magic actually does and looks like). At times, I found the descriptions to be a bit ephemeral and hard to wrap my head around, but it still worked. A few shocking twists along the way and an emotionally resonant ending. Howard's writing is always beautiful, and I genuinely cared about all of the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

This book took way too long to be published, but I’m happy to say it was worth the wait.

If you haven’t read the first book, An Unkindness of Magicians, please do so first as this book picks up from where it ended. We follow Sydney as she navigates a magical world without magic. At the same time, the House of Shadows is re-emerging—the House that Sydney sacrificed her magic to destroy. Other Houses are also seeing consequences. With the help of her friends, Sydney tries to figure out how the House of Shadows is rebuilding itself and how to stop it.

I love Kay Howard’s writing style—the way it’s so elegant yet simple at the same time. From the first page, I was hooked. Kat Howard expands upon this world a little more and answers questions that were previously left open for interpretation. We also get to see the Houses and their personalities, something that wasn’t as developed in the first book.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this second installment and I’m sad that this is the last of the series!

Would I recommend this book? Yes!!!

I received an advance reader copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I was very pleased with Kat Howard's sequel to "An Unkindness of Magicians," which was exceptional. "A Sleight of Shadows" held my attention and was a page turner, I finished it in about 2.5 days! Really well written, good character development and excellent plot devices to bring a new story together without any of the regular challenges facing sequels. Highly recommend this novel!!

3.75/5 stars! This is the second book in Kat Howard's "Unseen World." This book picks up shortly after the events of the first story. This is an urban fantasy novel with magic, witches, and sacrifices. This book was a quick read and I found myself missing a few points. But that's my fault for not reading the first entry at the beginning. I'll definitely be going back to read it. I enjoyed Sydney and felt for her struggles.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

A Sleight of Shadows, witches, loss, struggle, strength and friendship it has it all.

Struggling with the loss of her magic after fighting the corrupt Shadow house, Sydney has to face her fears because it’s coming back. Not only does she have to reface that house she has to face whoever is helping it reconstruct itself.

As hard as it is the decisions that have to be made will be they have to be done in order to set the worlds balance back in place.

This was a great quick read, i have to go read the first one now

I had enjoyed An Unkindness of Magicians before and was glad it continued in this book. A Sleight of Shadows does a great job in continuing the story and having the same great characters. It had what I was looking for and enjoyed getting to know the characters again. I enjoyed how Kat Howard wrote this and look forward to reading more.

"Mia liked feeling like she knew secrets. It was a powerful feeling—not just because she knew something other people didn’t, but because she had earned that knowledge. She wanted more. She wanted to be so powerful that she made the air pay attention, too. Like this woman at the front of the classroom, who looked like a typical thin, blond, rich, white lady from the Upper East Side, and who absolutely crackled with magic."