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joreadsbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Content warnings: Gaslighting by a parent, blood magic
I remember having read an earlier version of this book, and I really had a blast reading the finished product. Marek is, on paper, part of a larger realm called Teren, whose magic comes from demon contracts and blood-letting. There’s a demon on the loose and one of their sorcerers seeks out help from Reb and/or Cato, the two sorcerers in Marek. This magical conflict isn’t so simple because there’s a Lord Lieutenant visiting with her own intentions in mind.
The most powerful moments in this book are the conversations between Marcia and her mother, and Jonas and his mother. Maybe because it hit so close to home to me. There are so many layers, from parents having to see their children as adults and their own individuals to ideals not lining up with the same tangible goals to the subtle refusal of acceptance. I love these characters. As a reader in their late twenties, it feels painfully relatable to me. So, this is also a perfect read for fantasy readers who want that sense of coming-of-age but with older characters.
With that said, my favorite has got to be Cato. He’s just so smarmy, but not without justification for his morally fluid attitude towards, well, everything. A lot of it is spoilers, but it kind of all starts with his politician mother disowning him as a youth for not abandoning sorcery.
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