Fated

Starred review from January 9, 2012
Jacka’s extremely promising urban fantasy series starter introduces cheeky British diviner Alex Verus, who’s caught in the middle of a conflict between Light and Dark mages over an ancient magical weapon. Alex can not only see all possible futures but can often choose which ones to make real, so both sides want to use him as a tool. Alex, alienated from other mages because he has developed empathy for the beings around him, refuses to take sides. To save himself and his dependents—Luna, a lonely, cursed young woman, and Starbreeze, an ancient air elemental who’s “dumb as a sack of rocks”—he’s forced to think and move nimbly through London and its associated magical realms. Jacka deftly invents the rules of magic as he goes along, creating an emotionally satisfying story arc and a protagonist who will keep readers coming back. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Ed Victor Literary Agency.

February 15, 2012

As the proprietor of a magic and novelty shop in London, Alex Verus spends his days catering to show and hobby magicians as well as a group of secret mages whose powers come from a source deeper than the mastery of tricks. Alex is a diviner, able to sense the future, and his talent has kept him away from both the Council--the official organization of mages of the "light"--and the mages who follow the path of darkness and personal power. But when a magical artifact turns up in a London museum, Alex finds his talents eagerly sought by both sides. VERDICT Jacka's first novel presages an urban fantasy that relies less on erotic scenarios and more on classic action and problem solving. For fans of Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files," Tanya Huff's "Blood" series, and Seanan McGuire's "October Daye" series.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2012
In a sort of alternate Englandor perhaps it's the actual England, with the normally hidden parts revealedAlex Verus is a magic-shop proprietor whose natural ability as a diviner has suddenly brought him to the attention of some seriously powerful people. A mysterious artifact from an ancient war between White and Dark mages has come to light, and apparently Alex is in a unique position to solve its mysteries. This first of a projected series of Verus novels is perhaps a little wordy; first-person narrator Alex sounds like one of those guys who likes to hear himself talk, but, to be fair, there is a lot of necessary exposition and scene-setting at the beginning of the tale. The story itself is well plotted and nicely quirky (one character in the book is an enormous spider; another is a rather dim-witted creature made, apparently, out of air) with a plucky hero, some appropriately dark villains, and plenty of fantastic goings-on. Should have a lot of appeal to fantasy fans, especially those who gravitate toward magic-themed stories.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)