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futureofmydays's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Suicide, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Cancer, Confinement, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Death, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Genocide, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism
smanavi's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Mental illness, and Violence
Minor: Homophobia
nekoshka's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, and War
leanne_miron's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Death, Blood, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Suicide
Minor: Medical content
barry_x's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What a delightful book! A story which I couldn't put down and which pulled at my heart strings with the sweetest romance.
I guess Witchmark could be described as a magical alternate historical fiction fantasy novel. The kind of book that requires the a -punk suffix of some kind. The setting is in a country called Aeland which feels curiously like Edwardian England which is just beginning to use electricity widely (except in this case it is called aether).
It is a setting where magic exists. There are witches (considered bad) and mages (considered good) and we quickly learn that although there is a monarchy that rules, executive power lies within a set of 100 families known as the Invisibles. These families are mages and their power is hereditary, and similar to the Lords class system in the United Kingdom they form an aristocracy that is both the government and a dictatorship.
I will try my very best to avoid spoilers here as to the nature of magic users in the book, but we essentially have a 'whodunnit' murder mystery linked to political machinations and the implications of war, combined with family estrangement and bonding.
The central character Miles Slinger is a psychiatric doctor working with returning veterans who mostly appear to be suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress disorder which build to murderous psychotic episodes. We quicky learn much more about Miles, and his family and reasons for how he joined the war and came to be a doctor (I really am trying my best not to spoil anything). The book centres around him, his relationship with an enigmatic stranger and his sister.
The setting seems so very twee and quaint. I love the descriptions of people joining cycle lanes and also the descriptions of friendly landladies, shop boys and other notable characters. There are a few female characters who were portrayed in such a way I imagined them more as a femme fatale from a noir film (and I mean this as a compliment), and then the next minute we are faced with simpering violets who would be better off in a Regency period piece (again, a compliment).
The stars of the show though are Miles and Mr Tristan Hunter and their blossoming romance. Oh my, I felt I fell in love with both of them. It's been such a long time since I have been pulled along in a book willing the two characters to get together, and whilst it's signposted early I appreciated it never felt rushed. If you remember being infatuated for the first time, this book will remind you of that. I adored it, and really wanted to kiss them both.
I've mentioned MIles' sister, and to be honest her character annoyed me. I think it's intentional, we never quite know if she is one of the world's good guys or out for herself. Polk gives us plenty to reflect on. It's not that Grace is especially complex but every time you think you can trust her she does something stupid that makes you think again. Even at the end I am still not 100% of her true motivations. I can't decide whether my dislike of her adds to the book or detracts. I guess I was so invested in Miles and Tristan that I saw anything that got in the way as something to boo!
I've talked about how twee this is. At times the book demands we stop for tea and crumpets and yet the pacing is never off. And despite the adorable setting and characters there are occasions where the threat is ramped up, where there is a sinister and malevolent encounter to respond to. There was one scene in the book where I was so shocked and wanted to scream 'NO!'. It was nice to have my buttons pushed like that.
There are underlying themes of class privilege, hierarchy, war and the senseless waste of life, and also the dominant class determining who is expendable.
I guess at times towards the end the plot feels a bit rushed and I was a little disappointed at the end, because the book ends but it may as well scream, 'if you want to know what happens read the second book to come'. I do think I have way to many series to finish but I think I will add Witchmark to the list!
Really enjoyed this one
I guess Witchmark could be described as a magical alternate historical fiction fantasy novel. The kind of book that requires the a -punk suffix of some kind. The setting is in a country called Aeland which feels curiously like Edwardian England which is just beginning to use electricity widely (except in this case it is called aether).
It is a setting where magic exists. There are witches (considered bad) and mages (considered good) and we quickly learn that although there is a monarchy that rules, executive power lies within a set of 100 families known as the Invisibles. These families are mages and their power is hereditary, and similar to the Lords class system in the United Kingdom they form an aristocracy that is both the government and a dictatorship.
I will try my very best to avoid spoilers here as to the nature of magic users in the book, but we essentially have a 'whodunnit' murder mystery linked to political machinations and the implications of war, combined with family estrangement and bonding.
The central character Miles Slinger is a psychiatric doctor working with returning veterans who mostly appear to be suffering from some kind of post traumatic stress disorder which build to murderous psychotic episodes. We quicky learn much more about Miles, and his family and reasons for how he joined the war and came to be a doctor (I really am trying my best not to spoil anything). The book centres around him, his relationship with an enigmatic stranger and his sister.
The setting seems so very twee and quaint. I love the descriptions of people joining cycle lanes and also the descriptions of friendly landladies, shop boys and other notable characters. There are a few female characters who were portrayed in such a way I imagined them more as a femme fatale from a noir film (and I mean this as a compliment), and then the next minute we are faced with simpering violets who would be better off in a Regency period piece (again, a compliment).
The stars of the show though are Miles and Mr Tristan Hunter and their blossoming romance. Oh my, I felt I fell in love with both of them. It's been such a long time since I have been pulled along in a book willing the two characters to get together, and whilst it's signposted early I appreciated it never felt rushed. If you remember being infatuated for the first time, this book will remind you of that. I adored it, and really wanted to kiss them both.
I've mentioned MIles' sister, and to be honest her character annoyed me. I think it's intentional, we never quite know if she is one of the world's good guys or out for herself. Polk gives us plenty to reflect on. It's not that Grace is especially complex but every time you think you can trust her she does something stupid that makes you think again. Even at the end I am still not 100% of her true motivations. I can't decide whether my dislike of her adds to the book or detracts. I guess I was so invested in Miles and Tristan that I saw anything that got in the way as something to boo!
I've talked about how twee this is. At times the book demands we stop for tea and crumpets and yet the pacing is never off. And despite the adorable setting and characters there are occasions where the threat is ramped up, where there is a sinister and malevolent encounter to respond to. There was one scene in the book where I was so shocked and wanted to scream 'NO!'. It was nice to have my buttons pushed like that.
There are underlying themes of class privilege, hierarchy, war and the senseless waste of life, and also the dominant class determining who is expendable.
I guess at times towards the end the plot feels a bit rushed and I was a little disappointed at the end, because the book ends but it may as well scream, 'if you want to know what happens read the second book to come'. I do think I have way to many series to finish but I think I will add Witchmark to the list!
Really enjoyed this one
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, War, Confinement, and Murder
ana_belen_herrera's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I liked the magic system, since is the first book I would have liked to explore of how it works and also why the war started.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Death
espiargrant's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall, this book was a good time, though by no means perfect. The writing style was clear and flowed easily, and I liked most of the characters. The world-building seemed well-thought-out, but not explored as much as I would have liked.
One issue I had with this book was that it kept the reader in the dark about certain things for too long to really have a sense of what to care about. I also felt that the ending was extremely rushed, and I wish that Tristan had had more development. He was absent too often and when he was present, he didn't have much agency in the story, which dampened the romance for me.
That said, this was still a fun, magical story with a cute queer romance, and I'm glad I read it.
One issue I had with this book was that it kept the reader in the dark about certain things for too long to really have a sense of what to care about. I also felt that the ending was extremely rushed, and I wish that Tristan had had more development. He was absent too often and when he was present, he didn't have much agency in the story, which dampened the romance for me.
That said, this was still a fun, magical story with a cute queer romance, and I'm glad I read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, War, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
ninjamuse's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, and Murder
Moderate: War, Emotional abuse, Classism, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Grief
criticalgayze's review
I always feel bad about not finishing an undersung and much beloved title, and I feel worse here because it came recommended to me as part of a 12 Friends, 12 Books reading challenge. However, I would feel worse about leaving a lackluster rating that affected the overall average in even a marginal way.
I *need* SFF authors, even the ones given less editing and marketing help, to work on this issue of dumping us into story with little or no world-building. I get this flies in the face of conventional writing wisdom, but SFF is a unique genre that needs that work done desperately if you want your reader to understand stakes, which I really didn’t here. Too much was happening, and I wasn’t sure why or why I should care.
I *need* SFF authors, even the ones given less editing and marketing help, to work on this issue of dumping us into story with little or no world-building. I get this flies in the face of conventional writing wisdom, but SFF is a unique genre that needs that work done desperately if you want your reader to understand stakes, which I really didn’t here. Too much was happening, and I wasn’t sure why or why I should care.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Murder, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
purplepenning's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Torture, Slavery, Medical content, Homophobia, Drug use, and Emotional abuse