This was cute! I’m not sure it was cute enough for me to pursue the sequel books, but it was a pleasant light read.

The characters are likeable enough, although I felt that the author misjudged how many times

Grace

could betray someone without it draining a bit of their likability. I didn’t feel like we were seeing enough of any of them to really get attached, either. The main character gets the most development, but the fact that I have immediately forgotten his name upon finishing is a bad sign. Tristan is an archetype I find enjoyable, but Witchmark’s not the best rendition of it I’ve seen, and the intriguing hints of him having hidden problems lurking in the book’s equivalent of faerie land don’t get resolved here. In fact,

the main character agrees to marry him before they even talk about it.

Which is just one way in which it felt like the romance as well as the book in general was on a speedrun to an unearned happy conclusion. Characters do go through development, but it often feels like it’s because they must hit those notes in their character arcs, rather than because something has happened organically.

There’s an uncomfortable bent to the way the book handles its war on an neighbouring land, too. It does at least seem aware that colonization is bad, but that doesn’t stop the soldiers from being called “heroes” and people who “should be heroes,” both by characters and the narrative. The nods at pacifistic worldviews rarely include a discussion of how the Laneeri have been harmed. In fact, it wasn’t often clear whether the book thought that was the biggest problem, or the fact that the Aeland soldiers sent to war were traumatized. And of course it is people from this other land who get no dialogue, unless you count mad cackling; who use incense and necromancy and have “sky-priests” while the main characters remain somewhere recognizable as England even though it’s never called that. Who have no technology we learn of, unlike this not-England, and who are the only ones mentioned to use torture against POWs during the war and have no rules against harming civilians, including children. In the plot they’ve been wronged, but subtextually they’re framed as villains and terrifying, mysterious forces of violence. I’m not sure the book going And War Is Bad really made up for that. It feels thoughtless rather than deliberate, but doesn’t stop it from being uncomfortable and irritating.

I’ll admit I was going into this book expecting rather a lot, so perhaps I held it to an unfair standard. It was fun, and it did make for a good read on the plane. But I also felt nothing during its big dramatic conclusion. I’m not asking that every work be full of complication and moral complexity, but I need a bit more than this.

Well that was a good read. Flew by. Got a somewhat lighter Nk Jemison vibe. 

i did thoroughly enjoy this book, just felt a little fanfiction-y at times which is not what i was expecting from the outset. also felt like we were juggling a few too many distinct conflicts at times, couldn’t focus on a “main” one really. but i found it really fun to read, so i’m not docking too many stars :-) 

A tightly plotted mystery with lots of stakes and intrigue and enough clever worldbuilding interwoven with the historical inspiration to be fun to follow. The romance is given a center stage that it doesn't quite earn, but the relationships are otherwise interestingly sketched.

In this intriguing Edwardian fantasy, readers are blessed with a warm-hearted idealist as our hero. Dr. Miles Singer is in some ways a rule follower who can't fathom selfish motives behind noble acts, and in others, he is a rebel who would run from home and defy his father to stand free and use his gifts to help others. He is such a gentle soul, and I would love to read more fantasy protagonists with his overwhelming kindness.

The story draws on many relevant social issues. Classism is a major component here, since lower class witches are shipped off to asylums, whereas the ruling class of mages keeps their power secret, even as they use it to advance their own importance. Imperialism, war, and its traumas are also a large presence here. Miles works as a psychiatrist at a veterans' hospital. Once a prisoner of war himself, Miles' empathy and patients-first attitude make him well-loved by the men he serves. He can't use his magic healing abilities to help for fear of being accused of witchcraft, so he trudges along, filing paperwork, arguing with his boss, and doing his best with limited resources. I really resonated with the way his empathy was trampled on by bureaucracy, politics, and lack of funds.

There was so much to love here. I would say the world-building skews towards social rather than magical detail. I loved the descriptions of bike traffic (including an adrenaline-filled chase scene!), fashion, and technology. There's also a very sweet mlm romance that had a light touch on the story but was still fully realized rather than an afterthought. In addition, a complicated brother/sister relationship left me with a mix of emotions. The layers of mystery and power-grabbing machinations in the story were captivating. I am eager to dive into the rest of the trilogy.

If I could give a book more than 5 stars, this would be it. It has everything I love in a novel (queer, romance, supernatural, historical), along with amazing world-building and many fleshed-out characters. I want more time with Miles and Tristan.