Monday, August 20, 2018

SciFi/Fantasy Book Review: Witchmark by C.L. Polk




Witchmark is the first in a fantasy duology by CL Polk, featuring an alternate fantasy world in which is recovering from its version of a world war.  It's a world of open and hidden magic that forms the basis for a plot that is a combination of a mystery, an LGBTQ romance, and a conspiracy thriller.  How well does it mold these elements?  It's a bit of a mixed bag - the mystery and thriller elements are done perfectly well - if being done in a way that is fairly predictable - while the romance didn't quite work for me.  Still, overall it's a solid start to this new 2 book series and I will be coming back for the sequel most likely.

More after the Jump:

----------------------------------------------Plot Summary-------------------------------------------------
Miles Singer is a returned war veteran, and now acts as a doctor who works at one of Aeland's impoverished veterans hospitals, where he treats veterans who seem to be suffering extreme psychological trauma.  But one day a two men arrive on the hospital's doorstep, with one dying in front of Miles from apparent poisoning....and calling Miles, before he dies, by his real name: "Chris."  This terrifies Miles, and for good reason.

For Miles is not just an ordinary veteran, but the second son of one of the elite families of Aeland, whose magic is used to ensure the country has good weather and prosperity.  If Miles' magical talent for healing was discovered by the ordinary authorities, he'd be sent to an asylum as a witch.  But if his real identity was discovered by his old family, he'd be bound to his elder sister to serve as a magical battery for her power.  Miles wants simply to help those coming home damaged in the war and to live his own independent life.

But he may no longer have that choice, because the man who brought the dying man to his door, a man named Tristan with magic of his own, insists that Miles help investigate the death of the poisoned man.  And that investigation will lead him back to the attention of his own family, and to the possibility of a greater conspiracy than even he'd known existed, one that threatens the very existence of the world.

And then there's Tristan, a man of great power and a heritage Miles has always been warned about.  And yet, Miles can't help but feel more and more attracted to him.
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Witchmark has a very interesting setting that the book does an excellent job setting up.  At first it seems like an alternate version of post WW1 London/England, with our hero trying to treat war veterans suffering from post traumatic stress while suffering from a much much milder case of it himself.  As magic is introduced, and we learn about the two types of magicians - the upper class storm-callers and their secondaries, and the witches who are imprisoned when found - the other magical creatures who exist and what they do with the souls of the dead - and more.  It's a really well done and interesting bit of world building, especially as the role of a the foreign and defeated enemy comes into play.

The characters are more of a mixed bag - Miles is a pretty well meaning but very smart protagonist - cynical for good damn reason, while still caring about the people he loves and the populace in general.  Tristan is interesting as a magic-wielder of a very different nature, who at the same time is far more involved in the matters of the country than he ever expected to be.  And there is Grace, Miles' sister, who is incredibly naive to the immoral acts committed by her father and their circle of power and the harm her actions will have on people like Miles even with her best of intentions.  Her naivete was kind of a little unbelievable, which was kind of annoying, but it works to make the thriller plot effective.

I found the romance subplot of this book rather less effective.  Miles and Tristan's relationship is too often one of them (usually Tristan, at least at first) dragging the other to the next place in their investigation, and I never really felt there was much chemistry between them.  Again, this is a personal feeling, and maybe it'll work for other readers, but it didn't quite work for me here (this isn't a spoiler btw, the book foreshadows the relationship incredibly hard).

There's also one character who is hinted at having greater importance than she winds up having in this book and I suspect will return to bigger effect in the sequel, but the book just drops this plot point right after it comes up and never picks it up again.  Still the ending leaves the book in a really interesting place that I'd like to see more of, so I will be interested in the book's sequel when it comes out.  A book worth checking out, this.


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