A thrilling new Victorian-era urban fantasy for fans of Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, and the Sherlock Holmes movies featuring Robert Downey, Jr. The Crown and Key Society face their most terrifying villain yet: Gaios, a deranged demigod with the power to destroy Britain.
To avenge a centuries-old betrayal, Gaios is hell-bent on summoning the elemental forces of the earth to level London and bury Britain. The Crown and Key Society, a secret league consisting of a magician, an alchemist, and a monster-hunter, is the realm’s only hope—and to stop Gaios, they must gather their full strength and come together as a team, or the world will fall apart.
But Simon Archer, the Crown and Key’s leader and the last living magician-scribe, has lost his powers. As Gaios searches for the Stone of Scone, which will give him destructive dominion over the land, monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane, alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther, gadget geek Penny Carter, and Charlotte the werewolf scramble to reconnect Simon to his magic before the world as they know it is left forever in ruins.
Praise for The Conquering Dark
“Yet another fantastic addition to the amazing Crown & Key series . . . I didn’t want the book to end.”—Word Gurgle
“The previous novels, The Shadow Revolution and The Undying Legion, set a high standard that The Conquering Dark not only meets, but surpasses. . . . If you are looking for an exciting fantasy series with memorable characters, look to the Crown & Key trilogy. You won’t be disappointed.”—The Mutt Cafe
“The Conquering Dark is the final book of the Crown & Key trilogy, and it was a wonderful ride! . . . I cannot stress enough how good this series was. It was such a fun read!”—Bibliophage
“The Conquering Dark is the perfect conclusion to the Crown & Key trilogy, although I’m hoping we’ll see more of these characters in future books. Clay and Susan Griffith have crafted an action-packed, steampunk-laced dark fantasy filled with likable and memorable characters. I can’t rave about the Crown & Key series enough!”—Fresh Fiction
“With lovable characters that will leave a lasting impression on you, this series truly is stand out and I can’t recommend it enough.”—My Guilty Obsession
Praise for Clay and Susan Griffith’s The Shadow Revolution
“Team Griffith creates a number of really compelling characters whose exploits will keep readers glued to the pages! Terrific!”—RT Book Reviews
“A fast-paced, action-filled dark fantasy that is just sheer fun to read . . . The Shadow Revolution kicks off the Crown & Key series in spectacular fashion!”—Fresh Fiction
“Werewolves, mad science, and plenty of smiting. Pass the popcorn.”—Emma Jane Holloway, author of The Baskerville Affair series
"A thrilling read! Clay and Susan Griffith have crafted a gritty, action-packed Victorian-era fantasy world full of dark creatures, mystery, and magic—a must read for steampunk fans!”—Shawntelle Madison, author of the Coveted series
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I love how Simon realizes he was too used to using his abilities. And how he has to change his fighting style and thoughts now that he can't lean on the Aether. He still has moments when he tries to use the power of his runes in the midst of battle, and then realizes that he is magicless. It makes him think on his actions a lot more, instead of just leaping into the fight and powerhousing his way through it.
Penny is also a huge part of things again, and I loved the inventions she came up with as well as how she was able to dismantle the machines the bad guys made. The romance was slightly stronger in this than the previous books. But it was still peripheral. Their love was shown through actions more than words or anything else. Simon and Kate finally stop dancing around each other, and Charlotte chimes in teasing Kate about marrying Simon. Even though he hasn't asked her to marry him.
There was still lots of action and adventure, many fight scenes and gore. It was just as engrossing as the previous two books, and I'm a bit sad that this is the last book in the trilogy. I felt a bit bad for Nick, Imogene grew so much as a character, and while everything was wrapped up by the end of the book, I will be hoping for another book or short story about them all at some point in the future.
If you liked the Sherlock Holmes movies, enjoy action and adventure with your fantasy, and worlds that are highly developed with fully fleshed out believable characters, you need to read this series.
