City of Time and Magic

Score: 5/5 Bookmarks

A huge thank you to St Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me review copies of City of Time and Magic by Paula Brackston. This is the fourth installment in the Found Things series, and I absolutely adore the main character Xanthe, and this whole series. The last book ended on a cliff-hanger so I couldn't wait for this one to come out!

The premise of the series is that Xanthe is a time spinner, and certain objects from the past sing out to her, encouraging her to travel back to a particular time and place. But there are others out there who'd love to use her power for their own gains, and she has to be doubly careful because she's still learning how it all works herself, and time travel doesn't always go smoothly.

In this fourth book, Xanthe goes back and meets another of the author's amazing heroines, Elizabeth Hawksmith from The Witch's Daughter! Brackston has such a way of painting a visual picture that I always feel completely emersed in another place and time when I'm reading her books. They are a beautiful mix of both cozy and exciting and blend historical fiction, mystery, and fantasy (or maybe magical realism) so seamlessly. Once I start one of her books I am never able to put it down until the very last page.

I switched between the ebook and the audiobook, which is narrated by Marisa Calin and comes in at 10 hours and 44 minutes. Calin performs the story so beautifully. As well as narrating the other books in the Found Things series you might recognize her voice from the Maggie D'arcy series by Sarah Stewart Taylor (among others).

This is the perfect book (and series) for this time of year, so you'll definitely want to pick it up if you haven't already. You can pick up a physical copy here, or download the audiobook right now via the button below.

Synopsis:

City of Time and Magic sees Xanthe face her greatest challenges yet. She must choose from three treasures that sing to her; a beautiful writing slope, a mourning brooch of heartbreaking detail, and a gorgeous gem-set hat pin. All call her, but the wrong one could take her on a mission other than that which she must address first, and the stakes could not be higher. While her earlier mission to Regency England had been a success, the journey home resulted in Liam being taken from her, spirited away to another time and place. Xanthe must follow the treasure that will take her to him if he is not to be lost forever.

Xanthe is certain that Mistress Flyte has Liam and is determined to find them both. But when she discovers Lydia Flyte has been tracking the actions of the Visionary Society, a group of ruthless and unscrupulous Spinners who have been selling their talents to a club of wealthy clients, Xanthe realizes her work as a Spinner must come before her personal wishes. The Visionary Society is highly dangerous and directly opposed to the creed of the Spinners. Their actions could have disastrous consequences as they alter the authentic order of things and change the future. Xanthe knows she must take on the Society. It will require the skills of all her friends, old and new, to attempt such a thing, and not all of them will survive the confrontation that follows.