Though not actually set in WWI (or on our earth at all), the setting is very reminiscent of London during that time period. Our hero, Miles, is a witch with healing abilities, but must hide that fact from everyone, and his current location from his family. Witchcraft is illegal and reviled, although, unbeknownst to most of the population, all the members of the nobility are witches, who use their abilities in elaborate ceremonies to control the weather and ensure prosperity for their nation. Unfortunately for Miles, ONLY the ability to control weather is valued, and witches from noble families (like his) use children with other magical abilities only as batteries for their weather-controlling siblings...hence, his escape to the army, and, eventually, a faked death so he can plot his own course, caring for the veterans he once fought beside as a seemingly average psychologist/neurologist.

His careful plans are disrupted, however, by several seemingly unrelated events - a powerful fairy brings another poisoned witch to his hospital, and demands his help in solving the mystery. At the same time, more and more war veterans are being overtaken by a disease of the mind, which only Miles can see, which causes them to suddenly snap and murder everyone around them. And then Miles' family finds him, as well...

The whole story is well-written and compelling, and presents a curiously timely reflection on what sacrifices are acceptable for the good of the many.

I’m always on the lookout for a new Womxn of Color (WOC) author in the fantasy genre. Thanks to NetGalley, I had the opportunity to read Witchmark by C. L. Polk just in time to celebrate #PrideMonth.

Dr. Miles Singer as a protagonist is a mixture of a really brave and a really paranoid person. It is a literary art to create backstories without info dumps in the middle of the narrative or add oddly placed facts in conversations. Polk’s mastery over character-building allows the story to unfold naturally. She creates a full and complex character that the reader will relate to in his attempts to separate from familial pressure and expectations. The voice of the protagonist is strong. I’m not sure it’s intended, but I found him humourous - much more like the friend who’s skeptical of everyone and just wants to live in peace. In spite of his reasonable suspicions, he still feels compelled to journey through a mystery and fulfill a promise made to a dying man.

The handsome secondary protagonist, Tristan Hunter, fits well within the background of the story while highlighting the best parts of Miles. In many ways, I suppose all relationships should exist in this manner. Tristan helps Miles realize inner truths while teaching Miles how to handle his own magic.

The urban environment that surrounds the story line is cozy. I imagine bicycles, warm fires, buttered toast and sweet oranges eaten while planning out the next moves in the adventure. I wanted to be there and intrude upon the electric connection between Miles and Tristan. The romance was sweet, not overly done, or filled with sappy “I love you” scenes; yet, it still maintained a measure of steam worthy of a good summer read.

The magical system was creative and didn’t lean on conventional understandings of fantasy. Polk’s use of innovative analogies to describe serious situations kept the book entertaining and easily digestible. I would like to get additional understanding of the legal or regulatory system of how magicals are “handled”. It’s a little light on that part, but this novel is the first in the series, so I suspect that further explanations will happen as the series unfolds.

“They make slaves of you for the sake of their prosperity.”
-Tristan Hunter

One important discussion is the bad good person. Grace, the protagonist’s sister, realizes the cruelty of her family and exists as both her brother’s supporter and an enabler of her family’s actions. She is a willing participant in a system that gives her privilege and power - even if it comes at the cost of her dear brother’s freedom. This topic is relevant in today’s political climate. There are plenty of us that are silent in the face of the unethical treatment of refugees and immigrants. Silence ensures capitalist success by removing economic competition under the guise of “protecting our borders” or safeguarding the “common good”. We reduce the conversation to a “difference of opinion” which removes the accountability of those silent or in support of outrageous policies. Recently, y’alls president signed an executive order that “ends” family separation, and instead detains them all together ( serious side-eye). I suppose now that this order is signed we’ll see less coverage of crying babies as to not offend lily white hearts. But we can’t stop! We cannot be silent. We must be moved by the wrongdoing of a people and not only by images shared on an Instagram post. Don’t become the bad good guy. Speak up, Speak out!

“My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. ”
― Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals

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Review submitted to https://www.booksandbrunchbookclub.com/ for future posting. Excerpt posted to goodreads

When I first started this book I thought it was all steampunk-y cliche - just substitute "aether" for "steam" - and was prepared to not like it or enjoy it very much. Imagine my surprise when the bad thing the main character has been fearing actually comes to pass and I find myself with tears on my face and my concerned boyfriend asking me what's wrong ("Nothing, honey; just a book")! The characters in Witchmark snuck in under my defenses when I wasn't looking and grabbed ahold of my heartstrings, and I don't begrudge them for it one bit. Yes, I did get tired of the word "aether" being used every couple of pages and the novel did wrap up a bit too quickly after the climactic last battle, but overall it was a highly pleasurable read that I'll definitely be recommending to others

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.

Our protagonist Sir Christopher Hensley goes by the alias Miles Singer, in order to escape his discovery and continue living a mundane life as a psychiatrist in a veteran’s hospital. His country has been at war; one which Miles has seen first-hand. He went to war to escape his destiny as Sir Christopher, but when he returned home, he couldn’t leave his past behind. When his patients start murdering their families, Miles has to quickly discover what is truly hiding within the veterans who have returned from war, and how he can cure it, quickly!

Miles is a witch. As the son of a high-ranking Minister and the brother of the woman running for Voice, Miles is assumed to dedicate his life and his powers to his family. However, Miles has better uses for his affinity of healing and his smarts as a doctor. Instead of binding himself to his sister and becoming a Secondary, Miles changes his name, escapes to the war and then starts working with the veterans who have returned with demons, just like him.

The setting in this novel was very reminiscent of Edwardian England and post-world war. It was a fun steam punk meets Oliver Twist setting, with a dash of political intrigue. Polk describes his characters and the atmosphere magically.

This book was very enjoyable, however, I believe it could have been more enjoyable if the world was further explained to the reader. From the beginning, the reader is aware that there is a war taking place and our protagonist is at the centre of it, however, we don’t know much else about what started it, who’s on each side and why its continuing. I hope that this is explained more in the sequel and can give the readers a more in-depth look at the magical world Polk fabricated.

I genuinely enjoyed this book, but because of the lack of explaining when it came to the ins and outs of the war, I was genuinely confused around the 60% mark. Things became slightly clearer and I was able to understand and thoroughly enjoy the ending of the novel, however, more insight would have made the star rating become much higher than what it is.

This is the first in the Witchmark series and the following books have yet to be announced. I will definitely be continuing on with the series when the books are released.

Witchmark suffers from poor world building. Days of the week and months are named differently, but for no apparent reason. The central conflict is narrated mostly by the main character justifying his decisions. The magic system makes no sense. It's got potential but in my opinion, the writing needed work.

https://lynns-books.com/2018/06/28/witchmark-witchmark-1-by-c-l-polk/
What an unusual and lovely little baggage this book is. An Edwardian style world, set in a time of war with steampunk elements. This book includes a murder mystery that eventually reveals a much deeper plot, there’s a romance woven in along the way and in a world where magic exists you know there are going to be more surprises. I really enjoyed this, it was intriguing, it addresses issues of privilege and power and the plot is much more in depth than I first anticipated.

The story is told by Miles. Miles is a doctor working in a veteran’s hospital, he specialises in treating soldiers suffering from mental illness. Miles is in hiding, the hospital he works in struggles for funding being from a poorer part of the city but this suits him as he’s trying to stay below the radar of the upper echelons. Miles ran away from home a number of years ago in order to avoid a life of servitude and he’s managed to stay in hiding ever since. However, his luck is running out. As the story commences Miles treats a patient who has been poisoned. The patient dies but not before extracting a promise from Miles to hunt for the murderer. And so the mystery begins.

The world here is an unusual place with lots of interesting concepts but in particular the magic. For the most part the unwashed masses seem to remain unaware of the use of magic although there are witches among them and when they’re discovered they’re usually whisked away from society and incarcerated in asylums. However, it seems that there is a powerful cabal of mages, rich and privileged people who can wield strong magic, particularly to control the climate. These mages remain a secret from the general populace, meeting in private. Miles was born to such a family but having a lesser ability (healing magic) means that he would have been bonded to his sister (a powerful mage) in order to contribute to her ability and secure the family position. Basically, witches are treated as inferior and used as little more than batteries to supplement a mage’s power or breeding machines to strengthen the noble families magical ability.

In terms of the characters we have Miles. He makes the acquaintance of Hunter and, for different reasons, the two investigate the circumstances behind the poisoning. Hunter is a character straight out of legend -I can’t tell you anything more without giving away spoilers though. Miles is a likeable character and a good narrator although he seems to have such a lot going on that he makes me dizzy, in fact I think he rushes into things like a headless chicken sometimes but, still very likeable, just – take a breath Miles for goodness sake. We learn quite a lot about Miles and his past as the story unfolds and he feels well rounded. The rest of the characters are not quite as well developed and feel a little thinner somehow. As I mentioned I can’t really discuss Hunter but he becomes the love interest of the story, not being overly fond of romances on the whole I can say this is a subtle part of the story, very well written and it doesn’t overwhelm the plot at all – although there is an element of instalove given the timeframe involved here. Miles sister Grace – well, she annoyed me more often than not but I do think that she eventually came good – and, again, I can’t really go into too much detail about her other than to say her intentions were well meant but she was maybe a little naive.

In terms of criticisms. I think there was a slight feeling of being rushed along somehow, the romantic element was very quick and the plot progressed at a fairly rapid pace – which isn’t really a bad thing and not something that spoiled the read for me. However, it did leave a few things lacking, for example why Aeland and Laneer are at war. In fairness this is a fairly short novel and there’s only so much that you can fit in, especially with a plot of this depth – frankly I wouldn’t have been averse to the page number being increased to provide a bit more detail. but I can understand the desire to keep this a bit more punchy. There’s a fine balance between too much information and too little and I believe that the next book will focus on Grace so perhaps more detail will be forthcoming from her perspective. The father is something of a tyrant and Grace is very ambitious – to such an extent that it’s sometimes difficult to understand why Miles still cares for her – and yet, at the same time she hopes to use her position of power to help witches such as Miles – so swings and roundabouts really and like I mentioned, I hope to find out more about her motivations in the next book.

Regardless of a few little niggles this was a highly readable story with an almost softly spoken demeanour (by which I mean this isn’t grimdark or violently brutal). It concludes well and I would have absolutely no hesitation in reading the next instalment. This story hooked me virtually immediately, the pacing was really good and it tackles some big issues such as exploitation, lifestyles and consequences without resorting to a preachy tone. It has a lovely period feel to it with the inclusion of some surprisingly modern touches and has a style that I simply enjoyed reading.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

I loved everything about this fantasy novel! It’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

The story takes place in a fantasy land named Aeland that is modeled vaguely on post-World War I England. Miles is a former soldier and psychologist treating patients with combat fatigue at a hospital for men returning from the war. He also possesses magic, which could lead either to him being condemned as a witch or enslaved by more powerful mages who would use him as the equivalent of a magical battery to power their spells.

When a dying man who claims he has been poisoned outs Miles as a magic user to a handsome stranger named Tristan, Miles is recruited by Tristan to help him figure out who murdered the man, and why. The investigations of the two men uncover a perilous threat from outside Aeland as well as a horrifying rot at the very heart of the country Miles loves.

The worldbuilding here is terrific. Yes, it’s roughly based on England following the Great War, but the author adds enough differences to make her world unique. For example, technology is powered by a mysterious substance called aether rather than electricity. The magical aspect of the story is fascinating, in that some of the great families of Aeland are secretly mages who protect the Queen and the nation while concealing their power from the general population, who have been taught to fear witches. The fact that those mages essentially enslave and manipulate the less powerful among their families makes the situation even more complex and interesting.

Miles is everything you could want in a hero—honorable, brave, and willing to sacrifice himself to save others. Tristan is a good partner for him, plus he’s got his own magical secrets that add an interesting element to his character. (Can’t say more—spoilers!) They are perfect for each other, and the romance that develops between them is very sweet indeed.

The ending makes it clear that there’s more to come for Miles and Tristan and their adventures in Aeland, and I for one can’t wait to find out what’s in store for them. I certainly don’t want to wait a year for the next book!

A copy of this novel was provided through NetGalley for review; all opinions expressed are my own. And then I bought my own copy, because I had to add it to my collection.

I have to admit that the stunning cover of this book was what first caught my eye. Then, I read the blurb and my weakness for a world that is like our, but with magic won me over. Just imagine a world that is a reminiscent of Edwardian England, where a war has been going on, between Aeland and Laneer. Miles Singer is a doctor, but he is also born with powers that have destined him to be a slave to his family. A fate he didn't want, so he ran away, to use his skills for healing. He fought in the war, was captured and reported dead. With a new identity is he now working in a veteran hospital trying to figure out why men that are returning is coming back having the same delusion. That someone inside them trying to take over and kill everyone. And, then a man arrives at the hospital, dying, knowing Miles true name and ask for his help...

You know what I wanted more when I read this book, more knowledge about Aeland and Laneer. It did feel like you only got tidbits of information and I wanted to know more, More history about the countries, etc. I felt a bit lost now and then, but I liked the story. I liked the M/M love story that blossomed between Miles and a certain gentleman that shows up with secrets of his own. I liked the writing, the story had great flow. The last part of the book, when the pace stepped up as Miles started to untangle the truth about what is going on is truly great. I hope to read more books set in this world.

This is the same review as I have posted on Goodreads, but without the spoilers!

Would you be surprised if I said I read this book in one go? No, probably not. Damn son, this was a good read.

I think one of the good things about Witchmark is that you are left to wonder along with Miles. You might have suspicions, but you won’t know for sure what’s true until it’s confirmed.

Relationships are a big part of this book. Miles’ relationship with his sister, his father, with Tristan, and Robin, and his patients. They make the characters compelling. Or well, most of them anyway.

The characters were truly amazing on itself too. Let’s break it down a little:
- Miles is a healer in more ways than just being a doctor and he loves his patients so goddamn much. He’s dedicated to his job and honestly? I aspire to be like that.
- Tristan is the ever so handsome love interest. He has his own reasons for investigating Nick’s death and I liked that he had an ulterior motive without exactly having an ulterior motive. I think you know what I mean.
- Grace is hard to describe. I don’t have any particular love for her, but that happens with 99% of all the characters I encounter, so that doesn’t say much. I get that she’s a strong female character, but it didn’t necessarily make her likable to me.
- Daddy Hensley is… well… not a nice man.
- All the different female characters! Bless them. Especially Robin. Bless her some more.

I do like to say Witchmark really reminded me of The Last Sun. Maybe because both work magic of some kind and both protagonists are gay men trying to solve a murder with a potential love interest. HMMMM. Not that I’m complaining though, I’d totally love to read more of those stories.

One thing that did kind of bothered me is the time span of this book. Another thing is that the writing sometimes sounded a bit repetitive? At times the book would give an (almost exactly the same) description of things it had done just pages before (or longer, I can’t really tell anymore). I’m not sure if I’m reading too much into that though.

Still, this was definitely worth spending my whole day on! I probably want to read the sequel, even though I heard it’s centered around Grace. I would see it as an opportunity to hopefully meet with Miles and Tristan again.

Witchmark is a fantasy novel about Miles, a young man who has run away from his wealthy family to avoid his expected role as Secondary – a magical slave to his sister, who will inherit their father’s position as Voice upon his death. To escape the magical binding that happens to Secondaries, Miles runs away to join the army, and is sucked into a horrific war with the Laneer that leaves soldiers mentally scarred with battle fatigue, coming home to slaughter their own families. Home from war, Miles dedicates his career to work as a psychologist at the veteran’s hospital, trying to find a cause for his patients’ illness before more lives are lost.

There were so many wonderful things about Witchmark, but most come down to the stellar world building done by the author. The novel is set in a fictional world that feels similar to post-WWI England, but there is a whole culture developed in Witchmark with bike riding. There is language for the movements of the bike swarms as they move throughout the city, and complicated cultural standards for behavior inside one of these bicycle “drifts” – how to move in and out, how to switch from one side to the other, how to turn, etc. The magic in the world was equally detailed – there are different types of magic that different characters have, and certain expectations based on indivual wealth. Among the wealthy, the mages that can bend the weather are “Storm-Singers”, and the mages that can’t are only referred to as “Secondaries” – and while the author makes it clear that there is little difference between these two, the character still does not realize this until it is pointed out to him by another character. The author just did so much with language and details while still making the world feel realistic and understandable, and that really contributed to the realism of Witchmark.

It’s pretty rare for me to talk about pacing unless there is something wrong with it, but the pacing on Witchmark felt so perfect for this book. The author did a fantastic job of keeping things moving quickly without rushing through the character-building moments. I am not a person with a whole lot of time to sit down and read (most of my reading is done via audiobooks, or squeezing reading into 15-20 minute spurts throughout my day) but I devoured this novel in about 3 days because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened. That does say a lot for the world building and the plot, but moreso for the pacing, because when a book slows too much I am less likely to jump in as soon as I find the time.

The characters in Witchmark were quite well done as well. Much of the novel depends on the reader being suspicious of most of the characters, so that did make it hard to relate to some of the secondary characters, but Miles and Tristan were complex characters with developed back stories who interacted with each other in realistic ways. Even Grace, who the author holds at arm’s length for most of the novel, still was sympathetic and well-developed, and if nothing else is a strong female character with a goal and a mind of her own.

In all, I will give Witchmark a 9 out of 10. There is so much to love – the setting, the plot, the characters – with a good fast pacing that held my attention until the very end. Fantasy readers will love this book, and readers who are interested in trying fantasy should like it too.

A really lovely, lyrical romantic fantasy novel with an Edwardian feel and a really distinctive magical system. I was lucky enough to get an ARC, and I enjoyed it so much! It isn't fast-moving, but it's really lush, gorgeously written and full of emotion.

<a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2018/06/19/witchmark-with-cl-polk/" target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart</a>

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I'm not often influenced by the cover of a book but I loved this cover. <strong>Witchmark</strong> is also the first in the <em><strong><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/215006-witchmark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Witchmark series</a></strong></em> and has magic.

I enjoyed the  world-building of a unique time and place. It had enough details for realism but not to be overwhelming.  The feel is historical, sort of steampunk.  Each kingdom has its own sorts of magics and there is fighting between kingdoms. There is also definitely a class system. smh.  There always some greedy bastards who not only have to be in charge of a kingdom and take everything for themselves while making others work hard but then they also want to take over more land and workers.

Miles is a likeable character. He is a doctor and compassionate for the all classes, those with magic and those who don't have it. He fought in the war as a healer and now treats soldiers at a hospital with mental issues after a war. He has some great friends and some serious family issues. I loved Miles and wanted him to succeed.

The end of the war and the family issues come to a head, along with a new friendship. There is a bit of romance.  A suspected murder and a mysterious PTSD of his patients lead him on a wild ride at great personal risk.  A great start to a new series - I will be reading.  The sequel is <strong>Stormsong</strong>.

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Due for release on 1st July 2018, I had this review copy from Netgalley. The book is already available to pre-order from that large company named after a South American River – and it's well worth getting. The setting is Edwardian in feel with an ongoing war about to draw to a close. Id say it's steampunky, but instead of steam it has magic and bicycles. Magicpunk? Anyhow, the main character in Miles Singer, a young doctor who has survived his part in the war, discharged after a spell in an enemy prison camp. He's left his wealthy and influential family behind to work as a psychiatrist in a veterans' hospital where his can (with all appropriate caution) use his magical talent for healing. If he's caught he'll be confined to a witches' asylum or enslaved by his own family. He puts his own freedom at risk to solve a problem with his patients, which turns out to be a wider problem and intersects with the concerns of a handsome stranger from another world. This certainly kept me reading and while not perfect it's an excellent debut

Miles is a good man. He’s eminently likeable, an honorable person and it’s easy to see why he’s trusted by his patients at the Veteran’s hospital where he has been working since his return from The War. He hoped to help others while the nation of Aeland rebuilds itself, but is instead thrust into a mystery. Why are the returning soldiers suffering abrupt personality changes and heightened rage? What is behind the message he receives from a dying man? Who is the incredibly handsome man who insists on helping Miles find out the answers to these questions?

Miles could use his powers as a witch to heal his patients, but has to hide who he really is. He faked his death to avoid a system where witches like him are enslaved. He has hard choices to make if he’s going to help others.

I must admit I picked this book for it’s cover, which as you all know is a decision that can turn out oh so bad! In this case I was in for a happy surprise. I mean, look at that cover. It’s all misty & Edwardian & magic & stuff. Right up my alley! I was even more pleased to find that Witchmark is also LGBT inclusive! Miles and his love interest share some excellent chemistry. The book is full of these two handsome, dashing gentlemen flirting endlessly with each other. It takes me back to Downton Abbey. I mean, if Thomas were a nicer guy and had better luck in love he could be Miles. Well, and if he had magic. Ok, so it’s not Downton after all, but you know what I mean.

I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to the next installment. I think this author is one to watch.

Song for this book: Recomposed by Max Richter – Vivaldi – The Four Seasons, 1. Winter

Once I got used to the setting (Edwardian mixed with post World War I) and that rules of witches (mages if you're of the upper class) are discriminatory, this was a hard book to put down. Miles just wants a normal life taking care of soldiers. But he's scared that if he uses too much magic, he'll either end up in the asylum or into forced servitude to his sister. With this tension all around him, he trying to find out who killed a patient. And try not to fall in love with a handsome newcomer.
Warning: This book desperately needs a second book.

Early Industrial Fantasy is my jam, doubly so when the characters are this good. Polk hooked me swiftly with the first-person narrator, a doctor, dealing with realistic issues, then kept me reading with the steady increase in difficulties he had to face and the multiple unexpected twists. I loved how what at first seemed like a straightforward medical/magical mystery opened up in several directions, deepening my knowledge of the protagonist and his fascinating world. I would very happily read more books in this series; I want to know what happened with the situation at the end! If you like Lois McMaster Bujold's characterization, you will probably like this book. It also reminded me a bit of Zen Cho's SORCERER TO THE CROWN with the royal wizards and their shenanigans.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley.

I must say that when I saw the cover and when I saw that this novel was staging witches, I did not look for more and I plunged into it.

The world in which Miles lives is not easy, especially when someone has powers. He has been running away from his family for a long time because he is hungry for freedom and he hopes to be able to exercise quietly as a doctor. However, his life will change radically when he crosses Hunter’s road when one of his patients is poisoned. Teaming up together, they will have to understand what happened and perhaps even expose much bigger conspiracies than they thought. This research will bring Miles back to the fore and he will finally have to face his family and his destiny, but above all to make choices!

I had a little trouble getting into the novel at the beginning of the story, but finally, after a few chapters, I was easily carried away. The universe and characters are very interesting and although I still have several questions about the management of this society, I had a great time! I am not necessarily a very large reader of M / M novels, not even at all, even if I read some. However, I must say that here I liked this aspect and I found that it was touching, especially with such an end.

Full of surprises during the chapters and although I was surprised by Miles’s understanding of the situation, I sometimes really wanted to put Grace (his sister) back in her place.

It was a very interesting first volume and I am curious to see what the following book will propose!

Witchmark is the first installment to a fantasy, clearly inspired by Edwardian England. While this book certainly has its flaws, I ended up falling for it very hard.

My falling hard for this book translated to reading it in one sitting. Luckily my toddler slept on and on and on during his nap but I’m not sure if I could have taken having to put this down during those last 100 pages. At that point there was just no stopping.

What I really liked about this book was the inclusion of the veterans and the clients that Miles had as a doctor at a veteran’s hospital. Not often do we really get to see what happens to veterans after a war. It was great to see this in a fantasy book. Battle fatigue, PTSD, delusions, they weren’t hidden away. These are realistic things, also for a fantasy world. I also think the struggles that were in the background at the hospital, funding being cut and being forced to send patients home to clear up beds, was very realistic.

Plot wise and world building wise is where it gets a bit shaky. I was very interested in seeing where the death of the poisoned patient was going to take them and how our Mr. Hunter was going to fit into everything, especially the fantasy aspect of it. This all was very well done and I was quite surprised at the end. However along the way there were tiny things that felt shaky.

Especially when it came to world building. It took me a long time to feel like I had any kind of grasp on what kind of magic system they had. It was in the latter half of the book and it just felt a bit too late. I could have used that information earlier on. Also there was a species introduced in the book, an apparent legend. I have no idea how they differ from the ones with magic or what he even can do. And at the end I still didn’t know except that he was gorgeous. This is something that really needs to be expanded on in the next book.

Miles, our main character, I took a liking to rather quickly. There is just something so endearing about him as a person, the way he cares for his patients or the way that our Mr. Hunter shakes him. Mr. Hunter himself could have used a bit more deepening to be honest, considering the romantic relationship with Miles. Even so I thought their relationship was the cutest thing.

Miles’ family are certainly a piece of work. I know a lot of reviews speak of a brother-sister relationship but this one is quite troubled throughout the book and for that reason I just can’t like his sister. So don’t have too high expectations of that relationship.

So this is certainly not a book without flaws. But it has its endearing and original elements that drew me in from the beginning.

This book was just a perfect read for me! I loved it so much that I've already pre-ordered the paper book (no hard cover version, a shame, but such a magnificent cover!) and will certainly reread it before reading the next one.

The atmosphere was great, with a definitive European world war vibe in an imaginary fantasy world. A little bit like steampunk, but... without the steampunk. There is definitely a delicious vintage shade in the writing, which reminded me of A.J.Cronin's books (particularly of "Shannon's way", where the main character is also a doctor). If I had to chose an only word to describe "Witchmark", it'd be elegant. The writing is elegant, the characters' interactions are credible and touching, the story itself is clever and delicately woven. The modern themes (egality between men and women - jobs wise, different skins' colourings, homo or bisexual relationships) are carefully blended in the story, with discrete explanations, for a beautiful unaffected result.

And other way to describe the book is romantic. Not romantic in a romance kind of way, even if there is a romance in the book, but the poignant romantic way of a broken destiny - without the usual narrative abuses, with finesse.

The general idea about how magic exist and is known in the world is at once simple and clever. It's realities have given the opportunity of a dramatic situation for our hero, Miles, skilfully used to tell us a fascinating story. The facts are not brutally throwed in our way, but on the contrary brought slowly in the story, for a riveting read. For all its finesse, this book isn't a challenge to read, it was quite a page-turner for me!

The main character, who tells the story, is one of the book's strong points. I loved how the author shows that sensibility and empathy can be associated with strength of character, and how these very traits can simultaneously be an advantage for a healer and a suffering. 

Miles' voice is very good. It's not so easy to make loveable a character who speaks in the first person in the narrative, but C.L.Polks manages it beautifully. I loved his melancholic strength, his decency, his warm-hearted nature.

If the bases of the story were interesting, its unravelling was also quite good, with a surprising revelation in the end. The romance was also pleasant, sweet and delicate, just like the narrator. If you need some steamy sexe action in your romances, you'll be disappointed! If you prefer, as I do, subtlety, you'll probably like it as I did. And, if you don't care for romance at all, you shouldn't be bothered by it, as it's rather discreet in the whole book. 

To conclude a very good surprise, I'm looking forward reading the sequel, which isn't so frequentfor me nowadays!

Miles is a psychiatrist who is treating war veterans. His powers, kept hidden in a society where witches are imprisoned in asylums, make him notice that something isn’t right with some of his patients, beyond the usual war fatigue. When a dying man comes to him, claiming to have uncovered a state secret about the war, Miles starts investigating the suspicious death and the victim’s accusations. He is assisted by Tristan, a mysterious and charming being who came to Aeland for his own purposes. In the meantime, the country is shaken by gruesome domestic murders perpetrated by veterans. Miles is caught between trying to uncover the truth and doing his best to avoid his powerful family, for whom he is presumed dead in battle.

Witchmark was, all things considered, a good read. A few aspects worked for me, a few others didn’t quite, but I would still consider it a strong debut.

Let’s start with what did work — first, the setting. It is familiar and utterly new at the same time, something I really enjoy in fantasy. Aeland is inspired by Edwardian England, down to the early-20th-century inventions that are powered by aether as an alternative to electricity. Polk also managed to give her setting a presence; I could hear the bicycle bells, I could smell the apple scent permeating the pages. I liked the experience of being in the story, its backdrop felt both comfortable and fresh at once.

I also appreciated how exciting and fast-paced the plot is. The murder mystery aspect makes the book extremely readable, and since there’s a lot going on, we’re kept on our toes until the climatic end. The story also provides us with an interesting take on PTSD and mental health, which is another strong point in its favour.

As to what worked less for me…I must admit that I wanted to like Miles more than I did. On paper, he’s my type of protagonist: caring, empathetic, quietly competent. I did enjoy the fact that Polk put a twist on the “the warrior homecoming” trope, by making him a doctor that continues to wage a war, this time against his patients’ mysterious illness. However, something just didn’t click, and I was left mostly irritated by how he let himself be manipulated. First-person point of view can also be limiting. I wanted to know more about Tristan — I think Polk is planning for Witchmark to be a duology and I wouldn’t be surprised if the sequel is from his point of view. It would be great, because the few hints we have of his past are really intriguing. Plus, the slow-burning romance between him and Miles is sweet and promises to be developed even more in a follow-up story, and I would love to have his perspective on it.

The magic system is interesting, but I was a bit conflicted about it. Magic in Aeland is officially forbidden, those who are suspected of having powers are submitted to a gruelling test and locked up if they fail it. However, an elite who answers to the Crown is allowed to practice magic, in order to tamper with the country’s otherwise unliveable weather. They rely on their Secondaries, less powerful mages who can do “tricks” but are used (and misused, and often abused) as a wellspring of power. Miles joined the war effort as a physician and faked his own death to escape being his sister’s bound Secondary. There is more to the magic than that, and we get additional information as the plot moves forward.

My issue was that I was a bit skeptical about the short-sightedness of making the Secondaries mere sources of power when a few of them have important talents. In a country at war, one would think that the ability to heal, for example, would be sought after. It is understandable that the elite would want to preserve the status quo, but the whole thing seems so unpractical to me. Fortunately, attempting to shake up this established order is one of the key plot points.

I think the positives outweighed the less-positives for me on this one. Polk did a lot of things differently, and the book has a strong distinct identity which makes it a breath of fresh air. I am looking forward to reading the sequel — the ending was open enough to make me want more, even if the story is relatively self-contained.