Ended up DNFing at around 40%. I still like the ideas here, but I just wasn’t in the mood for this at this time.

The first book in this series was a slow start for me, and this book continues that as Benedict Jacka is doing a lot of worldbuilding here. A lot of backstory gets filled in and I loved learning more about Stephen's parents and watching his drucraft grow. Both of these books have ended abruptly, before I was ready to stop reading so I'm already anticipating book 3!

"The ultra-rich control magic - the same way they control everything else - but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

Stephen Oakwood has emerged victorious against the schemes of his aristocratic family. Now he finally has the opportunity to do what he's been wanting to do for a long time: track down his father.

But doing so won't be easy. Stephen's not so isolated any more, but the contacts he's making in the magical world - everyone from the corporation he works for to the mother he's just beginning to reconnect with - all have agendas of their own. And now a new group is emerging from the shadows, calling themselves the Winged. Their leader, the mysterious Byron, promises that he can show Stephen how to find his father...but he wants something in return.

Following that trail will throw Stephen into greater danger than he's ever faced before. To survive, he'll need to use all of his tricks and sigls, and pick up some new ones. Only then will he be able to prevail against his enemies...and find out who's really pulling the strings."

I have tricks, but I really think I need some sigls.

Fully enjoyable and a great read. My favorite parts of this book were as our protagonist tries to navigate the magical world, he learns new things about the dynamics of it and grows because of that. His friends and cat are a great addition to the story, and made me smile.

However, I did like book 1 in the series better. This novel just feels like it's missing the propulsive stakes of the first book.

A video review including this book will be on my YouTube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley and Ace for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I am loving this new series by Jacka. I am really enjoying finally getting more information and history about our main character, Stephen. The first book was a great introduction to this new world of magic with it's rules. This second book took us a little deeper, learning more and figuring out right along with Stephen how to survive (and ideally even thrive) in this world of magic. 5 stars. Eagerly looking forward to the next book!

This is the second in a new series by Benedict Jacka, the author of the Alex Verus series. If you liked that, or really like a good urban fantasy, I strongly recommend checking out the first in this new series. Stephen Oakwood is a practitioner of drucraft, a magic system that uses naturally available energies called essentia to create magical sigils. He’s been hampered in his training though, since his father has been missing for 5 years, and he has no teachers. Once he discovers he’s actually related to one of the magical noble families things don’t get better – just way more complicated. And it looks like there may be a family succession battle coming up – Stephen wants nothing to do with power, but not everyone is convinced.

I love this so far, maybe more than Alex Verus. The first book did a lot of heavy lifting on the world building, and this one is more centered on Stephen’s attempts to find his father. We still get some worldbuilding – shadowy magical cabals! – but this has a much tighter focus. One thing I love is that, despite Stephen being set up with the ‘chosen one’ trope, he’s not overpowered. There are people who want him, who know more about what he can do than he does. But the system is designed so that, even though he can shape sigils, essentia is really hard to come by. He’s limited by resources and affinities, so he’s scraping by.

This series also feels like it’s jumping into the grimmer, seedy underbelly of a magical community faster than Alex Verus did, so it has a bit more of an edge. There’s a lot more talking and conversation in this installment, but there’s still a good bit of action. We get hints of things behind the scenes, revelations about Stephen’s parents, and a cliffhanger that’s so frustrating because I need those answers, and I need them now. I’m really looking forward to seeing why everyone wants Stephen, and how things shake out with his family connections.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is book 2

This is book 2 of the story of Stephen Oakwood. He is currently victorious over family and friends but Jacka brings in more obstacles for him to face.
Oakwood wants more than anything is to find his father. He ventures out on a personal journey while Jacka takes time to explain the system of Magic in this strong Fantasy trilogy.
Really fascinating and unique - join Stephen on his trip!
#berkley #ace #aninstructioninshadow #benedictjacka

8 / 10 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2024/10/03/an-instruction-in-shadow-by-benedict-jacka-review/

The Alex Verus series waited until at least Book 6 or 7 to start in with the dark and depressing aspects of play (at least, compared to many “the good guy always wins” or “you can do it if you try” urban fantasies I’ve read), but apparently Stephen Oakwood didn’t think even that was realistic enough. Darker and more depressing than its predecessor, An Instruction in Shadow did little to improve upon the successes of that which came before it. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad or anything.

Much like An Inheritance of Magic, this one starts slow, carries on a slow burn and throws action around from time to time, only to go back to what’s been working. Stephen is a methodical character, and drucraft takes—unless you’re rich, of course—a lot of time to perfect. That said, there’s less of a learning curve this time around, and so everything flows a little bit more smoothly.

I really enjoyed the build of it all. Urban fantasy is often shorter and can try to go action-heavy: off on the front-foot and maintain throughout. Inheritance and Instruction both favor a slow-build not unlike epic fantasy: eventually incorporate action and violence and then roll downhill from there, getting bigger and bigger over time. If you require constant stimulation at all times you might be disappointed, but if that were the case, you’d’ve probably bounced off Inheritance already.

The characters of Instruction are… pretty much what you got before. Some—like Isa or Calhoun or Byron—we talk to more. Others we talk to less. But there seems to be more interaction in this one than before. More conversation. Stephen’s a little bit better connected, so we see him with more than just his friends nowadays. Overall, the pacing seems better throughout because of this, though there’s still a bit of the aforementioned speed up/slow down action sections. But everything seems a little bit more real in this one; the action more physical, the stakes higher, the slow periods better timed.

TL;DR

Sometimes, “more of the same” isn’t a bad thing. An Instruction in Shadow doesn’t change much from its predecessor, pretty much following the same formula with the same characters and the same pacing. But everything feels a bit smoother this time around. There’s less of a learning curve, which helps. But the darker and more depressing tone does not—especially if you’re given to moods of the same from time to time. Benedict Jacka consistently spins a fine yarn, though I’d have liked to see tangible improvement from the previous entry. Oh well, there’s always next time. Recommended. Book #3 can’t come soon enough.

Oh. my. word! That was so good. Benedick Jacka did it again! And this book ends on a torturous cliffhanger and I must WAIT for the next book!

This is book 2 of the story of Stephen Oakwood. He's seen a magical world behind the world the rest of us live in and he's gaining a lot of experience not being killed. He's got a few good friends, some sketchy family members, a mysterious mentor, and some enemies that are trying to murder him.

This was such a fun installment to the series. I hate that I have to wait so long for the next book because that was great!

I received this for free as an advanced reader copy and I'm just bummed that I can't know what happens next.

I am enjoying this series, and An Instruction in Shadow picked up right where the first book finished. This book was wonderfully fast-paced, and I felt we were zipping along with the narrative. The characters are well-developed, and I am very invested in Stephan's journey. I give this book 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review An Instruction in Shadow. All opinions are my own.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

It really feels like the author is finding his stride with this new series. The protagonist continues to struggle with getting information about pretty much everything: how to make a living with his magic; how to deal with his newly discovered extended family; how to deal with his old friends (who know little or nothing about the magical world); where his father has disappeared to; and how to make friends (or at least "not-enemies") amongst those who are in the know about the magical world. It may seem like a bit much, but what it really does is it makes it so that we can keep discovering new things and the protagonist can continue to grow in power, knowledge, and maturity in future books. I think the pace is just right for these first two books, even if I could wish that they would come more frequently. I really enjoyed the author's previous (Alex Verus) series, but I'm now thinking that I could end up liking this one even more.

An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka, a really good read and a great continuation of the series. Since the first book in this series I have been on the lookout for this book and it did not disappoint. If you are a fan of Jacka I highly recommend this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! An Inheritance of Magic left us with such an interesting world to explore, I was so excited to start the next book. An Instruction of Shadow was a pleasant return, with a catchy plot and enjoyable pace. Our main character Stephen continues to build his repertoire of magic and find his place in the drucraft world, drawing in his muggle friends as well.

What kept this book from getting rated any higher was that Stephen started to suffer from Terry Goodkind syndrome, where he always had or was able to develop the needed skill on demand to the point of being overpowered. Stephen's appeal is that he's not all power - he's just willing to put in the work. He spent years and years master the tiniest skills, obsessing over every trick, showing unusual patience and dedication to drucraft. This book is more montague-y, telling you about all the work Stephen's doing, but jumping ahead to the action scenes.

The character development also felt forced to fit the plot. Stephen is an odd mix of wise beyond his years and critical naivete. The complicated, sinister plots, as explained to Stephen by his chosen mentors, are really pretty simple and obvious. The mentors' explanations aren't really that helpful either.

Overall, a fun read, but not Jacka's best work.

Engaging and entertaining. A recommended purchase for collections where fantasy and/or Jacka's previous titles are popular.

This is the second book in this new series by Jacka. In this world there are noble houses that practice drucraft and use the power of wells to fuel their magics. Mind you there are others who can do this magic as well but if you aren't in a house or a corporation you won't get anywhere in life. Stephan is one of those on the outside of those who are in houses. He's the red headed stepchild of a noble family that wants little to nothing to do with him. He has a mother he hasn't seen since he was a small child, a missing father and a loud mouthed friend who just won't shut up. Just keeping the lights on in his rented flat is becoming a problem so he may have to consider some less than savory jobs to make ends meet. Like working with family. In this book Stephan seeks to shake off threats to his life while improving his craft in a world that doesn't want him to learn. There is also the missing father problem. I'm rather new to this author but I ate this book up. My heart was racing at parts as I was wondering how Stephan was going to get out of situations. It's a well written world and very character driven. I'm excited to see what happens next with our main character as he progresses in this world that rejects him at every turn. A very enjoyable read.

This eARC was provided by Netgalley.com and I am providing an unbiased review.

This is the second book in the this series by Jacka, and continues pretty much following the events int he first book. Stephen is still trying to find his father, and figure why his newly-found family is .. well, dysfunctional. While doing all of this he has to handle work, sigl-making, attacks/raids from other people, and groups coming out of the woodwork - all with their wants, needs and for some reason, him.

I felt this part of the series slowed down a bit, and helped explain a bit more of the magic system, than was explained before. It also shows the development of the MC as he has to "find himself" in order to decide how to react to all the chaos going on around him. I am not sure I liked how all these entities are all going after him, considering I did not ever catch what is special about the MC - except he has a rare skill of finding wells (sight?) and maybe of making his own sigls. So that gets a bit boring, but otherwise the story is a pretty good read.

This book was so suspenseful it kept me enthralled the moment I picked it up to the last word was read! if you like shows like A Discovery of Magic, taking down the establishment, one person versus the world, this book is a must read.

I couldn't read An Instruction in Shadow fast enough and Benedict Jacka can't kick out the next book fast enough!

Thank you NetGalley and PRH for the ARC!