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willrefuge's review
4.0
3.5 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/01/30/fated-by-benedict-jacka-review/
Alex Verus is part of another world hidden in plain sight. A mage himself, he owns a magic shop in Camden, a little on the nose perhaps, but not unheard of—much like a certain guy who advertises in the phonebook under “Wizard”. Comparatively, Verus’ life is quiet by comparison—something he’s quite a fan of. See, for years Alex has done his best to remain under the radar, out of everyone’s business but his own.
But when the Council comes calling, it seems there’s little chance of that continuing. See, Alex is a diviner, meaning that while he doesn’t have access to any kind of flashy magic like the ability to shoot flames or ice or force, the ability to raise the dead or create vast armies of constructs, the ability to heal or snuff out life with a touch and a thought—he does have the ability to make people very, very nervous by reading their every move for every interaction. Now, divining isn’t a science or anything like you see on TV; he can’t foretell anyone’s death (unless it happens to be in the very close future), he doesn’t tell fortunes, and no, he can’t predict the lottery. What it is is probability and chance—two things Verus has extensive experience with, and have not only kept him alive, but made him very good at his job.
It’s this that the Council is after. And they’re desperate.
So when Alex turns them down, they don’t take it well. Fortunately for the Council, the next group to come calling are a group of Dark Mages, and they ask a great deal less politely. See, Dark mages are consumed with power beyond anything else—anything they want, they take, and if you’re not strong enough to resist them, then it’s not anything you deserve having. The strong lead; the weak follow.
So when Alex turns them down, they take it even more poorly. Soon he has cause to rethink the Council’s offer, but there’s still concern. Because when Verus sees the object in question, he has great misgivings giving such a thing to either side. In a perfect world, Alex might just walk away and let the two go to war over it. But this isn’t a perfect world. So it begs the question: just what is he going to do now?
—
‘ “What’s motivating you?”
“Well… right now, staying alive would be good.”
Morden shook his head. “ Oh, I think you can do better than that.”
“Um, staying alive is a pretty big motivation for me.” ‘
—
Thus begins the Alex Verus reread!
With part 1 of 12 successfully complete, I’ve slightly better hopes of accomplishing this feat in 2022, though most of the challenge is still ahead of me. And I have quite an ambitious idea for just what it may entail. While I’m a big fan of the series, I’ve only actually read one of the entries before—and it wasn’t Fated.
So here it is: a return to the roots of one of my favorite urban fantasy series. And… it’s okay. Pretty decent, even. The first book, at least.
Fated isn’t the greatest read ever, nor is it the best beginning to a series that I’ve ever read. It’s okay—though obviously the work of a relatively new author. There’s not much depth, not much character development (although we spend most of the time exploring Alex and his history, so that’s not any great surprise). The first great disappointment is in the supporting cast. They’re… kinda shallow. By which I mean they don’t have a whole lot of substance to them, or any kind of development or history that’s worth caring about. As a returning reader I can tell you that some of them flesh out quite nicely in the future—just not in Fated.
The first time I read this, I stumbled regularly over the first 100 pages or so. It took me much longer to get into the story, which is a bit of an issue in a 300 page book. This time, I had no such trouble getting into the story. I really moved along quite quickly once the plot got rolling—and I managed to get into it much easier since I had a vague idea of where it was headed.
“ If there’s one thing all diviners share, it’s curiosity. We can’t really help it; it’s just a part of who we are. If you dug out a tunnel somewhere in the wilderness a thousand miles from anywhere and hung a sign on it saying, Warning, this leads to the Temple of Horrendous Doom. Do not enter, ever. No, not even then, you’d get back from lunch to find a diviner already inside and two more about to go in.
Come to think about it, that might explain why there are so few of us. “
As I said, this is obviously an early effort by a recent author. But what does that mean? Well, in this case it means that it’s not as polished, not as refined, not as immersive as their later work, once they’ve established their writing style and have some experience under their belt. It does seem to be thought out and written according to some plan, as such not wandering around waiting for something to happen. There’s a story pretty much straight out of the gate, and while it’s not very innovative (at least at first), it certainly doesn’t lack for creativity either. The language is also a bit fiddly, but it’s not like there are grammatical or punctuation errors or anything. It just… sometimes takes the long way to say things. And hell, some authors do that more as their career expands. It’s not even something you’d certainly notice. It’s just not… the same language the author uses in later books—once he’s really developed a feel for these things.
The thing that didn’t change was its entertainment value. I found this just as entertaining—if not more—the second time around. When I first read Fated back in 2016, it took just short of two weeks (but then there are many reasons for that). This time around, it took me about three days. And while I have to admit it was a very straightforward plot (at least at first)—it was quite enjoyable. Even more so knowing how the story grows from here. It’s honestly a bit like Storm Front (by Jim Butcher, first entry in the Dresden Files) in that it’s not the author’s best story, but it’s definitely enjoyable, certainly entertaining, gets the series off on solid footing, and sets the stage for what’s to come.
TL;DR
For those of you who didn’t want to read my jaunt down memory lane—yeah, whatever. The short of it is that Fated isn’t the best book out there. It smacks of being written by a relatively new author—characters don’t have a whole lot of substance, and aren’t developed much; the plot was straightforward and far from innovative; and, in my first time through at least, I had trouble getting in to the story. But while not terribly innovative, the world is certainly creative and well-told. Another world hidden within our own, but this one not entirely out of sight. Alex Verus isn’t a flashy mage, but a thoughtful one. And he’s not without his skill. It’s a great intro, as these things go, and the series only gets better from here!
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2022/01/30/fated-by-benedict-jacka-review/
Alex Verus is part of another world hidden in plain sight. A mage himself, he owns a magic shop in Camden, a little on the nose perhaps, but not unheard of—much like a certain guy who advertises in the phonebook under “Wizard”. Comparatively, Verus’ life is quiet by comparison—something he’s quite a fan of. See, for years Alex has done his best to remain under the radar, out of everyone’s business but his own.
But when the Council comes calling, it seems there’s little chance of that continuing. See, Alex is a diviner, meaning that while he doesn’t have access to any kind of flashy magic like the ability to shoot flames or ice or force, the ability to raise the dead or create vast armies of constructs, the ability to heal or snuff out life with a touch and a thought—he does have the ability to make people very, very nervous by reading their every move for every interaction. Now, divining isn’t a science or anything like you see on TV; he can’t foretell anyone’s death (unless it happens to be in the very close future), he doesn’t tell fortunes, and no, he can’t predict the lottery. What it is is probability and chance—two things Verus has extensive experience with, and have not only kept him alive, but made him very good at his job.
It’s this that the Council is after. And they’re desperate.
So when Alex turns them down, they don’t take it well. Fortunately for the Council, the next group to come calling are a group of Dark Mages, and they ask a great deal less politely. See, Dark mages are consumed with power beyond anything else—anything they want, they take, and if you’re not strong enough to resist them, then it’s not anything you deserve having. The strong lead; the weak follow.
So when Alex turns them down, they take it even more poorly. Soon he has cause to rethink the Council’s offer, but there’s still concern. Because when Verus sees the object in question, he has great misgivings giving such a thing to either side. In a perfect world, Alex might just walk away and let the two go to war over it. But this isn’t a perfect world. So it begs the question: just what is he going to do now?
—
‘ “What’s motivating you?”
“Well… right now, staying alive would be good.”
Morden shook his head. “ Oh, I think you can do better than that.”
“Um, staying alive is a pretty big motivation for me.” ‘
—
Thus begins the Alex Verus reread!
With part 1 of 12 successfully complete, I’ve slightly better hopes of accomplishing this feat in 2022, though most of the challenge is still ahead of me. And I have quite an ambitious idea for just what it may entail. While I’m a big fan of the series, I’ve only actually read one of the entries before—and it wasn’t Fated.
So here it is: a return to the roots of one of my favorite urban fantasy series. And… it’s okay. Pretty decent, even. The first book, at least.
Fated isn’t the greatest read ever, nor is it the best beginning to a series that I’ve ever read. It’s okay—though obviously the work of a relatively new author. There’s not much depth, not much character development (although we spend most of the time exploring Alex and his history, so that’s not any great surprise). The first great disappointment is in the supporting cast. They’re… kinda shallow. By which I mean they don’t have a whole lot of substance to them, or any kind of development or history that’s worth caring about. As a returning reader I can tell you that some of them flesh out quite nicely in the future—just not in Fated.
The first time I read this, I stumbled regularly over the first 100 pages or so. It took me much longer to get into the story, which is a bit of an issue in a 300 page book. This time, I had no such trouble getting into the story. I really moved along quite quickly once the plot got rolling—and I managed to get into it much easier since I had a vague idea of where it was headed.
“ If there’s one thing all diviners share, it’s curiosity. We can’t really help it; it’s just a part of who we are. If you dug out a tunnel somewhere in the wilderness a thousand miles from anywhere and hung a sign on it saying, Warning, this leads to the Temple of Horrendous Doom. Do not enter, ever. No, not even then, you’d get back from lunch to find a diviner already inside and two more about to go in.
Come to think about it, that might explain why there are so few of us. “
As I said, this is obviously an early effort by a recent author. But what does that mean? Well, in this case it means that it’s not as polished, not as refined, not as immersive as their later work, once they’ve established their writing style and have some experience under their belt. It does seem to be thought out and written according to some plan, as such not wandering around waiting for something to happen. There’s a story pretty much straight out of the gate, and while it’s not very innovative (at least at first), it certainly doesn’t lack for creativity either. The language is also a bit fiddly, but it’s not like there are grammatical or punctuation errors or anything. It just… sometimes takes the long way to say things. And hell, some authors do that more as their career expands. It’s not even something you’d certainly notice. It’s just not… the same language the author uses in later books—once he’s really developed a feel for these things.
The thing that didn’t change was its entertainment value. I found this just as entertaining—if not more—the second time around. When I first read Fated back in 2016, it took just short of two weeks (but then there are many reasons for that). This time around, it took me about three days. And while I have to admit it was a very straightforward plot (at least at first)—it was quite enjoyable. Even more so knowing how the story grows from here. It’s honestly a bit like Storm Front (by Jim Butcher, first entry in the Dresden Files) in that it’s not the author’s best story, but it’s definitely enjoyable, certainly entertaining, gets the series off on solid footing, and sets the stage for what’s to come.
TL;DR
For those of you who didn’t want to read my jaunt down memory lane—yeah, whatever. The short of it is that Fated isn’t the best book out there. It smacks of being written by a relatively new author—characters don’t have a whole lot of substance, and aren’t developed much; the plot was straightforward and far from innovative; and, in my first time through at least, I had trouble getting in to the story. But while not terribly innovative, the world is certainly creative and well-told. Another world hidden within our own, but this one not entirely out of sight. Alex Verus isn’t a flashy mage, but a thoughtful one. And he’s not without his skill. It’s a great intro, as these things go, and the series only gets better from here!
breadandmushrooms's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
squishies's review
adventurous
fast-paced
4.0
Really enjoyed this urban fantasy world - interesting magic mechanic and Luna's curse is terribly fascinating.
Not sure about Alex and Luna being love interests, but guess we'll see how it develops.
Not sure about Alex and Luna being love interests, but guess we'll see how it develops.
cjbeaupa's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
anns_book_chronicles's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
leaheid's review against another edition
3.0
Ich hab an vielen Stellen Dinge einfach nicht verstanden und mich wie damals im Physikunterricht gefühlt.
Trotzdem blieb es bis zuletzt spannend und ich konnte trotz Anfangsschwierigkeiten noch ein oder zwei Charaktere in mein Herz schließen.
Trotzdem blieb es bis zuletzt spannend und ich konnte trotz Anfangsschwierigkeiten noch ein oder zwei Charaktere in mein Herz schließen.
vandavknihach's review against another edition
4.0
Díky Fantom Printu se mohu podívat i mezi adult fantasy (ne že bych neomhla i bez toho jo, ale chápeme se :D), které zatím ještě rozhodně nečtu tolik jako young adult fantasy. Takže děkuji za poskytnutí výtisku k recenzi.
Na Předurčeného už jsem pár ohlasů viděla, a nebyly špatné. Takže jsem měla taková průměrná očekávání. Raději jsem neočekávala mega pecku, ale nečekala jsem ani katastrofu.
A musím říct, že jsem byla spokojená. Příběh se četl velmi příjemně, magie zde byla popsána velmi dobře a celkově můžeme poznat dost dobře vybudovaný fantasy svět, kde je magie vlastně něco temného, než kouzelného. Bavilo mě sledovat, jak dokáže Alex svoje schopnosti využívat.
Co mě hodně zajímá je to, jak se bude nadále vyvíjet vztah mezi lidmi a mágy, a jestli to povede k něčemu lepšímu, než tam je teď. Mágové si totiž z lidí rádi dělají otroky.
Musím říct, že poslední část mi připomínala Indiana Jonese. :D
Jediné co, tak mi občas přišlo všechno příliš zmatené. Ono se to nakonec vyjasnilo, ale chvíli mi to trvalo.
Na Předurčeného už jsem pár ohlasů viděla, a nebyly špatné. Takže jsem měla taková průměrná očekávání. Raději jsem neočekávala mega pecku, ale nečekala jsem ani katastrofu.
A musím říct, že jsem byla spokojená. Příběh se četl velmi příjemně, magie zde byla popsána velmi dobře a celkově můžeme poznat dost dobře vybudovaný fantasy svět, kde je magie vlastně něco temného, než kouzelného. Bavilo mě sledovat, jak dokáže Alex svoje schopnosti využívat.
Co mě hodně zajímá je to, jak se bude nadále vyvíjet vztah mezi lidmi a mágy, a jestli to povede k něčemu lepšímu, než tam je teď. Mágové si totiž z lidí rádi dělají otroky.
Musím říct, že poslední část mi připomínala Indiana Jonese. :D
Jediné co, tak mi občas přišlo všechno příliš zmatené. Ono se to nakonec vyjasnilo, ale chvíli mi to trvalo.
exabecquerel's review
1.0
Dull and laden with very obvious plot twists, one so bad that the protagonist takes a moment out to justify how he didn't see it earlier.
is_book_loring's review
3.0
Fated appears to be compared with Dresden Files (which I had read and abandoned after third book or somewhere around), and therefore recommended to Dresden Files's fans, something that if I had known of before I started the book, probably would lead me to never read this book. Maybe there are similarities, I am not sure, because I can't remember much about the dreadful Dresden Files series. This is what I will say with certainty, Alex Verus was not the irritating, insufferable Harry whatever Dresden or I'd had thrown the book far, far away from me.
This first book in the series was sort of hmm, underdeveloped, the writing was a bit awkward and rough, the sideline characters were inconsistent, seeming to mostly fill the roles needed for the plot. Luna's characterization especially, was so weird, it felt like the writer didn't know who he wanted her to be, yet maybe. The magic system was also kind of vague. It was as though the writer was still stumbling, groping around in a bed rich with ideas that could potentially lead to interesting places. That was the reason I enjoyed Fated despite the very much necessary smoothing for the series onward, and because I just love, love any kind of power that centered around mind (it's divination, in this case) and the essential must for the protagonist to be cunning and resourceful to survive.
This first book in the series was sort of hmm, underdeveloped, the writing was a bit awkward and rough, the sideline characters were inconsistent, seeming to mostly fill the roles needed for the plot. Luna's characterization especially, was so weird, it felt like the writer didn't know who he wanted her to be, yet maybe. The magic system was also kind of vague. It was as though the writer was still stumbling, groping around in a bed rich with ideas that could potentially lead to interesting places. That was the reason I enjoyed Fated despite the very much necessary smoothing for the series onward, and because I just love, love any kind of power that centered around mind (it's divination, in this case) and the essential must for the protagonist to be cunning and resourceful to survive.