In City of Lost Dreams, Sarah Watson finds herself traveling to Vienna to meet with a specialist, hoping to find a cure for her friend Pollina, a young piano virtuoso. Pollina is slowly dying and Sarah and friends are frantic to find a cure.
But Vienna is just as mysterious as Prague was in City of Dark Magic, and Sarah is soon entangled in a mystery surrounding a missing doctor, two brothers desperate to keep their family home, and murder. Throw in Nico, a four-hundred year old dwarf and Sarah's love, Max, and it's a madcap adventure set in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Flyte's first novel concentrated a lot on Sarah and Max's irresistible sexual chemistry; this novel is more about Pollina and her otherworldly ability to write music and sense the magic surrounding her. We get to know the characters and what drives them. Nico especially is one character that develops into a favorite, and Sarah discovers some important talents she never knew she possessed.
I would recommend these novels to anyone who wants to read a fantastical adventure that combines history, alchemy, and music, but isn't science fiction. There's also a great love story that keeps evolving and has you cheering for Sarah and Max. I can't wait to read another adventure by Magnus Flyte.
Rating: 8/10 for a sequel that is even better than the first novel. Vienna as a character makes this one a hard to put down read!
Available in paperback and e-book.
