Read Only Wednesday - The Neon Court (Matthew Swift #3) #urbanfantasy

Read Only Wednesday is where I feature a title I've either just read, am reading, or added to my TBR pile. This week it's The Neon Court (Matthew Swift book 3) by Kate Griffin. 

Blurb:
A daimyo of the Neon Court is dead and all fingers point towards their ancient enemy - The Tribe. And when magicians go to war, everyone loses.

But Matthew Swift has his own concerns. He has been summoned abruptly, body and soul, to a burning tower and to the dead body of Oda, warrior of The Order and known associate of Swift. There's a hole in her heart and the symbol of the Midnight Mayor drawn in her own blood. Except, she is still walking and talking and has a nasty habit of saying 'we' when she means 'I.'

Now, Swift faces the longest night of his life. Lady Neon herself is coming to London and the Tribe is ready to fight. Strange things stalk this night: a rumored 'chosen one,' a monster that burns out the eyes of its enemies, and a walking dead woman. Swift must stop a war, protect his city, and save his friend - if she'll stop trying to kill him long enough for him to try.

Series: Matthew Swift (Book 3)
Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
Publisher: Orbit; 1 Reprint edition (November 1, 2011)
Kindle: $6.99

This was the first Kate Griffin book I read, having seen it touted as similar to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (yes, I read them out of sequence). So really I'm re-reading it, but this time as part of the entire series (A Madness of Angels, The Midnight Mayor, The Neon Court, The Minority Council). It's interesting reading it as part of the proper order, since it originally left me quite confused until I got about halfway into the book. If you're interested in reading it, I strongly suggest reading the other books first unless you want to spend a great deal of your reading time trying to figure out twice as much of the plot as normal.

What I like about these series is a new twist on the whole idea of magicians. Instead of elements like earth, wind and fire, urban magicians use electricity, rubbish, telephone lines and mobile phones. However, the depth of detail and prose can slow the stories down and make them heavy going if you're not into the lengthy and lyrical.