Guest Review by Julie: The Undying Legion by Clan and Susan Griffith

Series:	Crown & Key #2
Pub. Date:	June 30, 2015
Publisher:	Del Rey
Length:	336 pages

Cast of characters:

Malcolm MacFarlane-a monster hunter

Simon Archer-magician/scribe

Kate Ansthruther-exemplary alchemist 

Penny Carter-gadget queen galore

Charlotte-tweenie werewolf 

Then toss in some Egyptian gods, nasty blood rituals, a crazy necromancer, zombies, and a fantasy/steampunk London, only to discover a story that seems to combine some of my favorite movies- A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Sherlock Holmes comes to mind-into a fast-paced, suspenseful, and convoluted storyline I was fascinated with from start to finish! 

So basically, Malcolm stumbles upon a human sacrifice at a church and asks for Simon and Kate's assistance. Trying to decipher what turns out to be hieroglyphics- and interesting poetry-they all conclude someone's doing black magic but they don't know why. Then they find the necromancer -his name escapes me because he isn't who he was supposed to be-and then the zombies get involved..there's no good way to summarize this book because there is so much going on! 

Somehow, I failed to catch that this was the second book in a trilogy, but I plugged along, fairly well, enjoying a mish-mash of genres (I couldn't decide if I was reading sci-fi, urban fantasy, steampunk, or historical fiction, before finally deciding it was all the above). From the opening pages, THE UNDYING LEGION is literally jam-packed with blockbuster worthy actions scenes! What frustrated me, however, was that with so much action happening, there appeared to be little room for character development. 

Did I like the book? For the most part, I truly did, with the exception of the character development-and I would recommend it. The Undying Legion was literally like a combination of my favorite steampunk action flicks in story form with a little extra oomph added in. The mythology mystery appealed to the history side of me, while the action captured my attention as I tried to figure out what was going on. Maybe I missed out on the character development by not reading book one first-who knows? I do know I was intrigued enough by this book to pick up the third entry to see how this story finally wraps up!

Reviewed by Julie H. for Bambi Unbridled

Julie is a transplanted military brat that now calls the Midwest home with her own romantic hero, daughter and two furbabies. While she toils the day away in a medical office, she would really rather be reading! Julie loves historical romance, steampunk, romantic suspense, military romance (duh!), paranormal and urban fantasy.  She loves a kickass take-charge heroine, lots of action, and the all-important HEA. Julie can get down with an alpha male, but she does not discount a nerdy hero with a sexy brain.

Julie and Bambi met at the RT Convention where they found themselves standing in many lines, sharing their similar reading interests, and fangirling over attending authors.