A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin (2009)
Indulgent perfection
Book cover blurb
For Matthew Swift, today is not like any other day. It is the day on which he returns to life.
Two years after his untimely death, Matthew Swift finds himself breathing once again, lying in bed in his London home.
Except that it's no longer his bed, or his home. And the last time this sorcerer was seen alive, an unknown assailant had gouged a hole so deep in his chest that his death was irrefutable...despite his body never being found.
He doesn't have long to mull over his resurrection though, or the changes that have been wrought upon him. His only concern now is vengeance. Vengeance upon his monstrous killer and vengeance upon the one who brought him back.
My Review
I'd decided this book would be getting a five-star rating before I was even a third of the way through it. It's genuinely one of the best reads I've had. It instantly made it into my favourites list, and there are not many books I put in there.
The story and characterisation were great but what really won me over was the actual writing. It was overly elaborate, went into far too much depth, was deluged in colour and texture. And a lot of the explanations and descriptions were way too long and overdone, and I adored every single word of it. In my opinion, this is how a great book should be written, with flair, panache and self-indulgence! A story isn't just about getting from the beginning to the end, it should be about stopping to smell all the flowers along the way.
This really is a phenomenal book.
Rest assured, I'll definitely be reading the entire series of Matthew Swift books. Because I bought the rest of them before I’d even finished reading this one.
My copy of this novel
Orbit hardback edition.
Published in 2009458 pages
ISBN 9780316041256