| Title | : | Cursed (Alex Verus, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1937007596 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781937007591 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 293 |
| Publication | : | First published May 29, 2012 |
Since his second sight made him infamous for defeating powerful dark mages, Alex has been keeping his head down. But now he's discovered the resurgence of a forbidden ritual. Someone is harvesting the life-force of magical creatures—destroying them in the process. And draining humans is next on the agenda. Hired to investigate, Alex realizes that not everyone on the Council wants him delving any deeper. Struggling to distinguish ally from enemy, he finds himself the target of those who would risk their own sanity for power...
Cursed (Alex Verus, #2) Reviews
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FROM THE POLICE BLOTTER
Subject: Benedict Jacka
Alias: Alex Versus
Location: Cursed
Date: Published 2012, ongoing issues.
Charges:
--Multiple counts of misdemeanor littering explano-dumps.
--One felony charge of plot deus ex machina.
--Multiple felonies committed against women characters, including Class 1 felony of all females equaling damsel-in-distress category, and additional multiple Class 1 felonies of Classic Female Stereotypes.
Consider charging in supernatural courts for crimes against love.
Warning: Has priors for for multiple trope violations. Repeat offenses in the book include Light/Dark mage councils, "mystery-man-power-behind-the-bad-guy" plot line, and "magic store" setting.
Incident report: See officer's summary.
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Here's the deal. I read fantasy because I want a world that isn't like my own. As a nurse and a human being that participates in society, I'm immersed enough in current-world angst and drama. I read urban fantasy because I like the idea of mystery and magic behind the everyday, and I'd like a new twist on familiar stories.
Alex Jacka is far, far too every day for me to enjoy. He is the sexism that I grew up with. He is the male gaze that evaluates women by their 'fuckability' (Sara Gran, you are awesome-sauce). He is the establishment that say women need to be rescued by men. He is the world where men have conversations, make decisions, analyze the future and act upon it. He is the world where women are limited to role of emotional impetus--as helpmeet, as love interest, as protectorate in need of rescuing.
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The bones of the story? A dreary copy-cat Dresden-'verse set in modern London, only without the detailed setting or local idioms that come through in more sophisticated series (hello, Aaronovich).
It begins with the hero Alex, doing a favor for a major player on the Light Mage Council by hunting down a lethal magic creature. They find it dead. It seques into a windy explanation of how Alex makes his living with his magic shop, and the inane customers and their requests. Is he trying to be disdainful of his readers, or just trying to create inside jokes? It was set off in dialogue snippets and didn't flow well, either emotionally or in the storyline. Wasted space.
Alex introduces us to Luna, his sort-of apprentice who carries a family curse that protects her so fiercely, everyone around her that she comes into certain physical range will have terrible luck, perhaps even lethal. Luna has found a special man and wants to bring him round the shop to meet Alex. Alex meets with spider Arachne to discuss Luna, her boyfriend, and to examine the implications of the magic creature being drained of magic. The next day, Luna's boyfriend takes ownership of a disastrous magical object and in general, acts like a jerk. Alex warns Luna of the danger, and she flounces off. Alex would be worried, except he just met Meredith, a beautiful woman on the run. It turns out she is an enchantress capable of manipulating emotion in others. Not too much later, bad guys kidnap some ladies to accomplish Evil Ends (see Dresden #12). You can about guess where it goes from there.
That's about as far as I was able to go reading closely before my self-defense mechanism set in and I was forced to skim. A relatively ordinary, but vaguely interesting plot, several transparent double-agents and an alliance with supposed-enemies (used in the last book) means nothing about this book was surprising except Jacka's audacity.
As a side note, for those that are interested in romantic development, Jacka's view on the topic seems very cynical; romantic entanglements all seem to be based on dysfunction and/or outright deception. Normally not something that I would care overmuch about, it was troubling here because it dovetailed too well with his anti-female characterization.
Please tell me, younger readers, that you are alert to this and think it reprehensible? Is it actually satisfying to read something that is such a pale-watered-down version of quality, that participates in adding nothing new to the literary conversation except it's own commercialization? This isn't just a flabby, re-treaded story; it's a lifeless story that propagates everything that is wrong with the genre. It is a MUF indeed, the evil male doppelganger to the F(l)UF that focuses only on female clothes and her next love interest.
Spare yourself; there's much better out there. If you want Dresden-esque, try the very well written
The Markhat Files. London detective MUF--
Ben Aaronovitch. Women as People in UF, try
Ilona Andrews or
Wool Omnibus.
For more on the conversation about women and urban fantasy (from Carrie Vaughn, author and another former Occidental-ian--what can I say, analysis was beat into us):
http://carriev.wordpress.com/2009/01/...
Cross posted at
http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0... -
Re-read 2/21/22:
These days, fond memories and revisiting old friends seems to be the only way to fill my heart. Granted, a sure dose of blood and viscera and dark wishes tied to nasty curses is a close second, but best of all is a fine combination of both!
Original Review:
This series is rapidly becoming my latest favorite mind-candy, doing wonders to cleanse my palate between heavy tomes of fiction and generally getting me rearing to go. It's entertaining, solidly written, thoroughly character-grounded, and the magic system, while slightly unoriginal, is very fun. Seeing the future is rather beast.
I could probably read all of these in a single sitting, as long as I had all the proper plumbing hooked up. Saline solution, waste ejecta, etc., I'd almost be willing to be a test subject for one of those chairs from Idiocracy. What can I say? It's just one of those hugely addictive series.
I should have known better before picking them up, but oh well...
:) -
The second book in a series must be a difficult book to write especially when the first is really, really good. Luckily
Benedict Jacka was up to the task and has produced another excellent read.
Alex Verus, our hero and trusty mage, continues to avoid assassination and gets involved in a variety of dangerous situations which he usually escapes by the skin of his teeth. I love the moments when his precognition clicks in just in time for him to dodge a bullet or save his apprentice from an attack.
The author has created an excellent character in Alex Verus. His ability to see multiple futures is fascinating and the way he uses his skills even more so. He is quiet, calm and usually in control and I love the fact that that he does not do stupid things. He is quite prepared to walk away from a bad situation - run away in fact if needs be! He stands up for all his friends, mundane and magical, and certainly tries to stay on the good side of the magic divide.
All good and very promising for the next book. -
“Congrats, you’ve just had your first assassination attempt.”
It is just another day in the life of Alex Verus, diviner extraordinaire.
Cursed picks up a few months after Fated. Alex has picked up a semi apprentice in Luna and some notoriety in the magic community after the events at the museum. He has also picked up a few enemies on both the Light and Dark side of Magery.“As I walked, I started making a list of everyone in the mage world whom I’d opposed, fought with, or otherwise irritated. After I ran out of fingers to count on I decided to limit the number to people I’d pissed off relatively recently.”
Alex is pulled into yet another debacle when a magical creature being hunted is found dead with no obvious cause. When Arachne is worried about what it could mean to all magical creatures Alex listens and takes it seriously. Arachne is after all a very old, giant spider who magics magical clothing so I’m pretty she knows what she is talking about.
This was another fun tale with a slightly more straightforward plot than the first book. I got a little frustrated with Alex just a few times because he just didn’t seem like he could decide what he was doing with Luna and I really had some hope that eventually there might be a romance there. While I don’t think that love will blossom between them, I do like the friendship/mentor dynamic between them. I think they are really good for each other in that she is innocence and he…well he is not. Also, I think that the new potential love interest for Luna might be more fitting.
Alex makes the book though. I really enjoy his inner monologues and how he interacts with the world around him.“I don’t sell spells, and I don’t sell tricks. I don’t carry illusions or marked cards or weighted coins. I cannot sell you an endless purse or help you win the lottery. I can’t make that girl you’ve got your eye on fall in love with you, and I wouldn’t do it even if I could. I don’t have a psychic hotline to your dead relatives, I don’t know if you’re going to be successful in your career, and I don’t know when you’re going to get married. I can’t get you into Hogwarts or any other kind of magic school, and if you even mention those stupid sparkly vampires I will do something unpleasant to you.”
He is a mage mentored in the Dark practices but choose to leave that path and now walks somewhere between light and dark. He isn’t necessarily a good person, he will kill you and probably not feel very remorseful about it but he does have a moral code of sorts and tries to stick to it, some people just really push his to want to go totally to the dark side. I can relate.
I might have enjoyed the first plot a smidge more but I’m getting a good feel for Alex & Co. and I like them. They aren’t all goodie two shoes and that makes them interesting. The introduction of a few new magical creatures *cough* Dragon *cough* also added to the magic and fun of this world. I think that as the series goes on there is a ton of potential and I can’t wait to see if this tenuous sometimes alliance with a few Dark mages might just grow into something more.
Very engaging story with cool creatures, great good/bad guys and a guy who can see the future but sometimes gets slapped in the face with the present. Fun all around. -
Well, that was ... unpleasant. No, not reading the book, but what happened to Alex here. *lol*
After successfully surviving the events of the previous book, Alex Verus is bravely living from one day to the next, opening his shop and not getting violent no matter how many stupid people come to buy stuff that doesn't exist.
He's also training Luna with Arachne's help.
One day, Luna introduces Alex to a young man, who can only be described as criminally stupid. For some reason, it seems to be contagious or Luna simply shows her true colours now. Long story short, Alex is soon one apprentice short and then has to do his new job all by his lonesome.
What is that new job, you ask? Well, he was supposed to go after a creature but when he catches up to it, it's already dead and having been killed in a non-discernible way.
So our favourite mage/diviner is digging a bit deeper, finding out that someone is killing magical creatures. For something not even dark mages do (anymore).
But what does all of that have to do with that mysterious young woman whose magic apparently means men lose their last brian functions when looking at her? Or with the numerous assassination attempts towards Alex?
I loved being back with this quirky dude and his even quirkier friends. And when I say friends, I mean Arachne and Starbreeze, NOT Luna. God, but that bitch enraged me. No, I don't care that she was kinda taught a lesson - it doesn't solve the underlying problem with her character (not as in the author not having created a realistic one, but as in I want to rip her throat out with my bare hands).
However, I also enjoyed that we didn't just get a new adventure - the repercussions of the events from book 1 were felt and consequences abounded. Very satisfying.
All in all, an action-laden, fast-paced, engaging adventure that is part mystery (almost like a crime story) and part race-against-the-clock. Yes, someone had to be rescued.
Nothing too profound but rounding off things nicely were the comments on this world's history/mythology (with regards to magical creatures, where most of the survivors are now and why) as well as the situational humour, which was definitely great ().
I really like Alex, even if he does allow a number of people to take advantage of him. And yes, one can already assume the direction the series is going to take. Thus, I can't wait to read more. :) -
When I read the first book of the series 2 or 3 years ago, I was new to urban fantasy, just setting out on my journey into the genre. I thought the first book was quite good. Then I discovered other urban fantasy series that I liked more. Since then I've read countless urban fantasies. Recently I felt the urge to try this series again. And this second book I loved! Now I've read the Harry Dresden series, I can see the similarities and the differences. And there are enough differences for this not to be a Dresden rip off. I am really enjoying the magic of this London and the characters, Alex and Luna are filling out. I also loved Arachne. The implications and possibilities of Alex's magic are opening out, as is Luna's curse. Looking forward to book 3.
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This review can also be found at
Carole's Random Life in Books.
I liked this book even better than the first installment. I think that the biggest difference was that I was already familiar with the characters and the rules of the world instead when I started this one. It was really easy to slip back into Alex's world and I was really curious about how everything would work out. This was a book that I wanted to listen to for hours at a time so I finished it up pretty quickly.
This book picks up shortly after the events of the first book. Alex has received some attention but he is back in his shop just getting through each day as it comes. One of Luna's friends stops in the shop and picks up a dangerous item despite Alex's warnings. There also seems to be some strange deaths of magical creatures that are raising a lot of questions. To top things off, someone seems to be trying to kill Alex.
I am really growing to like this group of characters. Alex is very loyal and is determined to protect those that he considers his friends. As far as that goes, Alex is pretty quick to try to protect anyone who he thinks needs it. I love how he is able to use his abilities and I think that it really keeps the story interesting. Luna is a fun character but she makes some terrible decisions in this book. There are some other really colorful characters that help to move the story along as well.
I thought that this book was pretty exciting. There was a lot going on and I was never quite sure what would happen next. It was fun to watch Alex try to juggle so many things while looking into the future to see potential outcomes. There were a few twists that I didn't see coming and a few moments that had me a bit worried before everything drew to a close.
Gildart Jackson continues to do an amazing job with this series. It was so easy to listen to this book for hours at a time. His pacing is perfect for the story and I think he adds a lot of excitement and emotion to the reading. He does a great job with all of the character voices as well. I do believe that I probably liked this book just a little more because I made the decision to listen to it.
I would recommend this series to others. This is the second book in the Alex Verus series which really does need to be read in order. I found this to be a very exciting and intense story that was very hard to put down. I cannot wait to start the next book!
Initial Thoughts
I liked this one even more than the first installment. It was fun watching Alex try to figure everything out in time to save the day. I think that some of the decisions that he made in this book really show who he is as a person. I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrator did a fantastic job.
Book source: Audible purchase -
As I said in another review today...SCORE!. This week I've finished 3 books that I rate 5 stars! I had trouble making time to get to this one, but burned through it once I got to it. This is a good to great book in a great series with a great character. Alex Verus in definitely my #2 UF character (Harry Dresden being #1 by quite a margin).
There's a thread here called "Books to Read While Waiting for the Next Dresden Book"...I found these recommended there. Seeing Jim Butcher's recommendation of them helped and I've really enjoyed the first 2 with the next (the last one in print so far) on my shelf waiting.
So, where are we? Alex is still the same retiring, non-offensive, low powered mage about town we came to know and love in
Fated. Of course now he has a sort of...rep. The Battle Mages that can knock down buildings (if they want to be restrained) are a little slow about crossing this "low power diviner". Strange that.
As the book opens Alex has been contracted by a Council Mage to help in tracking down a human killing creature. After all Alex can see paths into the future, a handy thing when a slavering, toothed and clawed beast might be planning an ambush to rip your entrails out and make use of them as food, decoration, garters or whatever.
From here Alex and his apprentice get involved in things that are actually dangerous.
Sound good? It is. Great story telling, great characters and lots of twists. There's humor here and that's something a lot of UF authors go for but only a few pull off. Yep a good book and highly recommended.
I just may have another series I'll be waiting to snatch up as soon as they're published...cool, but I hate waiting.
Update note: I think the series has held up. I've read all that are in print and look forward to the next which is due out soon. I can recommend these. -
Forgot to review this, but I read all three of these books in a row a few months back and LOVED them. Def check it out if you're an urban fantasy fan. No romance to speak of, but really fun writing!!
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3.5 stars again. It was very much a continuation of the first story, therefore it had a lot of the same strengths and the same negatives. Alex is easy to connect to, his voice is clear and personable and the explanation of his powers makes sense. But I was again disappointed in the female characters. Luna had so much promise in the first book, but she was very young and weak in this one. I can see in a certain way where it makes sense for the story, but it leaves the (surprisingly cool) giant spider as the only strong female character in the book, the others again are all weak and/or victims. There hasn't been a reason suggested why women wouldn't be as powerful magically as men, so why aren't the ranks of powerful mages mentioned at least including the occasional woman? It just feels like a huge blind spot that maybe the author doesn't even realize he has. I'm not usually sensitive to these things but it keeps hitting me over the head in this series. But overall it was another fun book.
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English version below
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Auch der zweite Teil der Alex Verus-Serie hat mir wieder gut gefallen.
Alex muss die Fehler seines dämlichen und aufmüpfigen Lehrmädchens Luna ausbügeln, sich gegen eine Zauberin abgrenzen und einige seiner Freunde beschützen.
Was mir auch hier wieder gefallen hat, dass die Übergänge zwischen den Weißmagiern und den Schwarzmagiern außerordenlich fließend zu sein scheinen.
Für mich eine Serie zum Weiterlesen.
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I really did like the second part of the Alex Verus series.
Alex must iron out the mistakes of his dimwitted and rebellious apprentice Luna, distance himself from a sorceress and protect some of his friends.
What I also liked here is that the transitions between the white magicians and the black magicians seem to be extraordinarily fluid.
A series to keep reading for me. -
3.5
Cursed is an improvement to
Fated even if it is a bit similar. It takes place five months after the events in the first book. Alex is stronger and better than before. At one point he even acknowledges how dangerous he is unlike in the first book.
The plot: someone is killing magical creatures using an old and forbidden ritual called harvesting and Alex is hired to investigate.
While I really liked Luna in Fated, most of the plot in this book is based on her not being very smart (this is me trying not to write that most of the plot was based on her stupidity). It is understandable, but it still doesn't change the fact that she was selfish, ungrateful and stupid. Her curse makes her a very sad character so I would have given her a break if she hadn't endangered someone else. I think she got off too easy in the end.
As in the first book, Alex is very lucky. You don't get too worried about him because there is always something that will save him whether it is Starbreeze, another mage or some random magical item or creature. Some readers don't like it that easy. Cursed takes this to a new level with the solution that is kind of out of the blue.
One of the main reasons why I liked this more than Fated even with that solution is not Alex, although he is better now, nor Luna, but Cinder. At one point of the story, Alex has to team up with him (it's Fated all over again). He is still a tough, seemingly unfeeling fire mage, except when it comes to Deleo. He is the one who points out Alex's real nature."I'm not exactly the fighting type."
Even if you don't get to see Cinder a lot, a few of his actions here show a whole new layer of his character. It isn't connected to Alex Verus or anything, but still.
"Bullshit," Cinder said. "You act it. Fool some people. Fooled me once. You're a predator. You just hide it."
I raised an eyebrow at Cinder. "Pretty weak for a predator."
"Yeah?" Cinder said. "Last ten years. How many people tried to kill you? Don't mean a skirmish. A proper try."
I shrugged. "Haven't kept count."
Cinder nodded. "How many still alive?"
As for the way the things get resolved, there is a deus ex machina solution again. One of the annoying things is that a tough female character like Rachel/Deleo got only a few lines of text while two, not one, damsels in distress took way too much space. Another is that the plot, if not the specifics, is very similar to Fated (different mage sides wanting to get their hands on something they shouldn't have). However, certain actions makes this book better than the first. For some readers that won't be enough though.
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4 Stars
Cursed picks up where the first book left off and continued the fun started in book one.
Fresh off his success against the dark mages from the first book, Alex is grudgingly becoming more involved with the Council. As part of a mission, he comes across what appears to be a ritual designed to drain the life from magical creatures. Once again, he is reluctantly drawn into a struggle between mages looking for power at any cost.
Cursed followed the same general format as the first book. The plot was fairly straightforward and the events in the book happened over the course of a few days. I was pleased to see the worldbuilding expand slightly, though I think there is still a lot of untapped potential there. I hope that in future books we get to see more aspects of mage society and get introduced to other characters.
I thought Cursed was a bit of an improvement over the first book, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the series goes next. -
Excellent second volume in the series. Well-plotted and original, and hold up both as a stand-alone story and in advancing the established characters' respective development. I enjoyed seeing more and more of the story-world come into view, and look forward to the next volume.
I would also note that, although there is a good deal of violence, it is handled in a not-too-explicit manner that I appreciated. Excessive gore would have been a distraction. There was a focus on word choice rather then point-by-point detail which I found exceptionally well done.
Ratings:-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ -
I did enjoy this one, though not as much as the first and not enough to rush out and buy the next one. I'd love to re-read this and the first and then continue on but it was a while ago I read this one and it hasn't reeled me back in at all. I think there's a fair few in the series now though?
I do like the characters though as they're a little cheekier and there's some great action sequences to keep the book entertaining. -
Schnell, einfach, gut konstruiert und unterhaltsam. Meine zweite Urban Fantasy Reihe. Die erste, THE IRON DRUID CHRONICLES von KEVIN HEARNE habe ich damals nacheinander ohne anzuhalten durchgelesen. Diese hier, die "Alex Verus" Reihe von Benedict Jacka hat etwas weniger Suchtpotential, Spass macht's trotzdem. (Alex Verus ist Magier, hat einen Zauberladen in London und jagt skrupellose Kollegen ... )
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I liked the first book in the series, but something about this one just didn't resonate with me.
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The second Alex Verus novel. I read the first one a few years ago and didn‘t like it, then tried again recently and changed my mind.
So I am back in London, in a magic shop that reminds me of the Iron Druid‘s shop, with a mage that is definitely not Harry Potter. Alex gained a small amount of fame after the events of the first book. He went back to his old life, with Luna in tow as his sort-of-apprentice. Training her is not going terribly well and then something turns up dead, someone need his help and people start trying to kill Alex. He doesn‘t take that well.
The first two chapters rehash the set-up of this world, the magic system and the events of the first book. Especially the first chapter was pretty dry reading for me. But I guess you are not supposed to read these books back-to-back, so the reminder should work in most cases. The action started to pick up in the second chapter though and from then on it was quite a rollercoaster. If you like plot-driven books with a lot of action, that also have well developed characters, this is a winner.
At the end of my kindle edition is a preview to
Hounded by
Kevin Hearne, which is very fitting. They are both similar in tone. Alex Verus is the more mature one, with a world that feels more solid and well-developed. However, if you like Verus, you might have a lot of fun with the Iron Druid Chronicles as well. I did, at least for quite a few books.
If the first one-an-a-half chapters hadn‘t been so dry, this would have been 5 stars. The next books is on my shelf already. -
About five months after the event at British Museum, Alex Verus, has been keeping his head down. However, he sometimes freelancing jobs for the Council. At one of his jobs, Alex discovers someone is draining energy out of magical creatures. It is called Harvesting, of of the blackest of black magic. Alex is then hired by Belthas, one of the Light mages who wants to stop the Dark mages responsible for the Harvesting, to investigate. But when it comes to identifying allies and enemies, Alex must uses every power he has because once again, he has become target for killing and his friends' life are in danger. Oh, and his apprentice Luna, is making friend with someone questionable, who gets his hand on the monkey's paw (an imbued that grants wishes) which also gives Alex different kinds of trouble ...
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Oh, I'm in love *hand on heart*. This book is just awesome and I am so happy that I get another great urban fantasy series with male protagonist.
Alex Verus is so different than other heroes I read. He's not an aggresive guy. In fact, he clearly states that he "has absolutely no pride when it comes to combat, Running like a squirrel doesn't bother him at all. Because Alex is a diviner, his magic is seeing the future, not heavy power stuffs like fire, ice, death magic, etc. But he knows how to use it, and he uses it well. That's why he can survive all those assasination attempts.
Despite the fact that Alex has no problem to kill when it is necessary but I still think he is kind at heart. Clearly shown in his relationship with Arachne, the tarantula, or how he sort of taken Sonder, the nerdy time-mage under his wing.
The pace of this book is quick and I can't stop reading. While Alex finds out who are the mage responsible early on, still, how Alex gets out of the trouble and the climax battle are exciting. And guess what, this book has dragon! That's like a 10 in the level of awesomeness :p.
PS: -
My new addiction. Have to pace myself or I feel like I'll blow through all the books in a week.
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What can I say? If you like urban fantasy a la Dresden Files, and just wish there were more of the sort of bad guy of the week take down type books, this is a series for you!
This one has some creep factor to it, both in the sense of the things going on (enslavement and such) and also the "do I want to mentor this teenager or date her" stuff, but by and large, it's entertaining and doesn't go too weird. -
Second in the Alex Verus urban fantasy series set in London, Camden Town to be exact, and revolving around a mage who just wants to be left alone.
My Take
Luna makes me nuts. Huh, I guess that means her name is accurate and prophetic… She wants Alex to introduce her to this magical world, but she also refuses to accept anything he says that she doesn't like.
The arrogance of man provides so many possibilities. In this case, Jacka makes use of man's "superiority" to lesser creatures. Animals with magic abilities. After all, they're just animals incapable of thought, love, dreams.
There's a nice bit in here about how a monkey's paw works, its origin, and a list of worries about it. Hmm, Cinder is brighter than I thought. Oh, wow, then there's a nasty case of be careful what you wish for.
I do like this series. It still hasn't warmed up for me, but Alex's ideas of right and wrong are so perfect. He doesn't care about a person's words, he's more interested in their actions. You can declare yourself a Light mage, but its the actions you take that confirm or deny it.
I can definitely see lots of possibilities with Alex Verus, and I'm looking forward to reading
Taken.
The Story
Two invasions of his shop, and Alex is caught. Desperate to remain independent, the Light and the Dark mages have their own ideas of how Alex's independence will work.
And they'll use his loyalty and sense of friendship to do it.
The Characters
Alex Verus is a diviner, able to see thousands of possible futures at a time, who just happens to run a magic shop in Camden Town. Until lately, he's managed to steer an independent course. Now, he's becoming an irritant.
Luna Mancuso is between sensitive and adept and very much wants to be a part of the magic world, so Alex takes her on informally as an apprentice. Only, he can't decide between friend, apprentice, or lover. Martin is Luna's new friend and a cocky, thieving little bastard. Starbreeze is an Air elemental with a very, very short memory and is "as dumb as a box of rocks". Arachne is a ten-foot-tall spider who both weaves and designs clothes.
Cinder is a fire mage working with Deleo, the former Rachel, is a water mage and a former apprentice of Richard Drakh's along with Alex. Meredith is an enchantress; she causes you to feel and want things. Jadan is a Dark mage who found a "foolproof" method of extracting magical energy from magical creatures. David Sonder is a time mage.
The Council is the ruling body of Light Mages. Remember, "light" is just a term. Vaal Levistus is a Council member very angry over what Alex caused him to lose in Fated; Belthas is a Council member who thinks he'll do better. Garrick is a magical mercenary; he works for the person who pays. Ilmarin is Council security.
Sensitives are a step up from normals. They can "feel the presence of magic". Next up are the adepts who can "actually channel magic in a subtle way". Then there are the mages. Arrogant, self-absorbed, if they see something they want, they take it. Elsewhere is a world not a place to which you can only travel in dreams. Where you can touch people through dreams, through their minds. It can be an escape or a trap.
Currency is flexible within the mage world: favours are a favoured method of payment and people may be sold (or taken) as slaves. Mages tend to specialize and exchange services. Items which can be sold include artifacts and components.
Shireen and Tobruk were apprentices under Richard Drakh who died.
The Cover
The cover is sparking in blues with London Bridge as the background.
The title revolves around Luna, for she is Cursed you know. -
Same good and bad points as the first book in the series. In sum ... another light and certainly entertaining read. But again inconsistencies and laziness abound. Just a few examples:
The whole Starbreeze deux ex machine.
Why would Dark Magicians have apprentices? Why share knowledge/power?
Claims most mages rarely attack others in their homes, because mages make a habit of fortifying their homes - thus a bad idea to attack. Immediately segues to appearance of the glazier showing up to fix the window that a few chapters back a construct that nearly killed the protagonist - in his home - had simply jumped through. And shouldn't his best protection be simply always knowing what is going to happen and never be surprised by or caught unprepared for an attack?
Similarly, for no reason, protagonist and hottie separate for him to check last few warehouses for Cinder and Rachel - why? So that when they suddenly appear, he can hide in mist cloak, which she couldn't have. But why is he unwilling to move due to fear of being seen - can't he just look into futures and see to move only when he won't be seen - like how he snuck into museum in book 1? Frankly, why actually out searching at all - can't he sit at home and simply precog what would happen if he searched each?
"On the other hand, a diviner will pretty much always lose a straight fight with another spellcaster, so anyone who gets too worried about the secrets a diviner knows can just take measures to shut him up directly." How is this direct quote from the protagonist remotely true? Again, can't the diviner always be prepared?? And certainly this one, despite that statement, fares awfully well in battle after battle after battle.
Frankly, I think the author erred in making his hero a precog ... his ability to foresee events really should destroy much of the various plot lines, like how the omnipresence of cell phones has destroyed various formerly common plot devices.
Sigh. But still a fun read. -
3 1/2 Sterne ���� 🌟 🌟
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Cursed takes place shortly after Fated, and Alex is enjoying or not, a bit of notoriety from the events that occurred. A friend of Luna’s takes something dangerous from his shop. A woman comes in seeking help, and something tries to kill them. Someone or something is killing magical creatures. Before you know it, Alex ends up in the thick of things. I’ve got my headphones and I am ready to help solve the case.
Despite the fast-pace and intense action scenes, Jacka allowed us to get to know the characters, in particular Luna, who made quite a few mistakes in Cursed. He also moved the overall series ARC. I enjoyed learning more about our friend Spider and was delighted she will be a repeating character. I really adore her.
Alex is clever, loyal and a likable character. His ability to see different futures, collect clues, find motives and moral compass make him a delightful hero. Much like Harry Dresden he does his own thing, isn’t part of the Council and the Dark and Light Mages.
Gildart Jackson did a stellar job with the narration from secondary characters to Alex himself. I loved all the different voices and his ability to build suspense and show emotions through inflection.
If you love quirky characters, mystery and solid urban fantasy you’ll want to begin the Alex Verus series if you haven’t already done so. I have the fourth book queue and ready for listening.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer -
This second book continues Alex adventures as he's set against powerful mages who threaten the people closest to him. Also, the relationship with Luna came to a head - I'm glad that the author acknowledged that he had been setting Luna for a possible relationship with Alex in book 1 and was able to gracefully turn that around by actually developing it into a plot point! Luna of course, was super annoying, ignoring Alex advice and superior knowledge of the mage world and listened to a guy she knew nothing. I'm glad she learned her lesson at the end!
Something I really liked about this book was a really vicious mage acknowledging that Alex was DANGEROUS and a predator on his own right. I mean, this is the point of UF, to have MCs kicking ass left and right!! That Alex does it with his mind doesn't negate the fact that he's ruthless and I loved how this bad guy saw him as an equal. Alex is also extremely self aware and I liked that he really understood the consequences of his actions and what he was willing to do for this friends.
If there was one thing that I didn't really believe was that he was bad with women. He's smart, confident, articulate and not proud. (He mentions over and over how he's first instinct in a fight is to run.) He gets out of so many scrapes simply with talking! How could he be bad with women?
Totally enjoying this re-read and looking forward to the next book. -
Auch durch diesen zweiten Band bin ich nahezu durchgeflogen.
Es finden sich wieder einige Bekannte Figuren ein und es kommen auch ein paar neue hinzu die potential zur Dauerhaftigkeit haben.
Ich habe weiterhin das Gefühl, dass diese Reihe auf ein bestimmtes Ziel zusteuern wird, was mich ungemein freuen würde. Denn das Bedeutet, dass es ein geplantes Ende gibt und sich die Reihe vielleicht nicht irgendwann kaputt läuft. Ich bin gespannt, ob ich damit richtig liege.
Eine angenehme Reihe bisher, wobei es mich schon ein wenig irritiert, dass die Geschichte für mich irgendwo zwischen „Jugendbuch“ und „ziemlich brutal“ angesiedelt ist. Manchmal wirkt es als hätten zwei unterschiedliche Menschen an dem Buch geschrieben. Oft kommen die Brutalitäten ein wenig unerwartet und nur ganz kurz und dann sind wir auch schon wieder im Jugendbuch. Das ist mir auch schon beim ersten Band aufgefallen.
Jetzt aber erstmal eine längere Pause, bevor es an Band 3 geht, damit man sich auch wieder darauf freut. -
Yep. This is some seriously good urban fantasy. Its a bit like a British Harry Dresden, but then, not really like Dresden at all. There are similarities, but the vibe of the Alex Verus books is completely different. Maybe its the Brit thing. I'm not going to say that this series is equal to the Dresden Files, but then, I've had many more novels upon which to build my relationship with Harry.
What I will say is that this book is very well written. From the well crafted characters to the rock solid plot line, this book is engrossing and entertaining from beginning to end. I can't wait to see what Alex will get up to next. -
Loved it! Better than the first book. Still funny, but there were some hard lessons learned. Mr. Jacka explores his really interesting magic system, and the consequences of Alex's magic abilities were very interesting. Plus, this one had quite a few surprises. I definitely plan to continue with this series.
