Witchmark by C. L. Polk felt like three entirely separate stories, which took far too long to weave together for a relatively short book. I think this was written wkth the idea of being a three book series, because it took its time for sure. While I think that the setting is interesting, the slightly antiquated formal language doesn’t really lend itself to the story in any way. I think there are just too many details that are competing for space and the overall story could have been boiled down a bit to the more interesting magical elements. I really want to know more about calling and the implications of having seconds, but I feel like this is overshadowed by an interesting but seemingly irrelevant murder mystery. I think this also could have worked as a stand alone giving the end and some more fine tuning, but I’ll definitely check out the next book in the series to see where it leads. The witchcraft system is interesting enough that I’m hoping for more, but only time will tell. 4/10 stars