This series delivers a thrilling narrative with morally questionable characters. The protagonist has to make difficult decisions to survive in a ruthless world where even the would-be-good guys are anything but what they seem. In this second-last novel seeds sown as early as the first novel sprouts in narrative satisfying ways. I can't recommend Alex Verus enough. ( )

Powerful Alex learns to play with his new toy - and realises that while it's very powerful it is also slowly and surely killing him. And he's still no match for a djinn. ( )

Alex is on the run. Again. Anne had fully merged with the jinn (and it is unclear who is driving - Dark Anne or the marid). The Light Council are now convinced that they were always right about Alex (right... because they were not the ones who pushed him where he is). Richard's plans had been temporarily halted when he lost Anne and her jinn. Luna has Alex's job from the start of the series (the shop, the adepts, the good Mage...). And yet, the whole thing is gearing towards a second Jinn war and there does not seem to be any way for it to be stopped. The only question still open is who is going to be still alive for it and whose side everyone will be.

Anne is going after the people who hurt her and that Anne is not the nice girl everyone remembers (she is locked in Elsewhere, Dark Anne had taken over completely). Alex had added fate-weaving to his divination thus becoming almost unbeatable - if you can not only see the futures but also push a possible future towards happening, you get a lot more powerful very quickly.

I'd admit that I was a bit worried about the powers both of them were yielding at this point. The series had always balanced powers with cunning and common sense and there had never been an overpowered user (Richard notwithstanding - and Alex's realization of what and how his power works is part of the solution at the end) which kept everyone on a somewhat level keel. I did need to worry, the powers were there but they had their internal restrictions and problems and even though they seemed unbeatable, they did not seem to win easily either. Plus we heard only Alex's story - he had been our narrator all along and some random chance remarks from other characters makes you remember that now and then - we know how Alex sees things, we have no idea how clear-headed he is most of the time.

The novel ends with yet another cliffhanger, seemingly redistributing the powers just before the war erupts. And with the jinns possessing multiple people who never had a choice in the matter, the war had turned into even more of a nightmare scenario. ( )

Alex has been on a long slippery slope with the Council. He has done things to keep himself and his friends alive. No one on the Light Council believes that anyone every leaves the Dark side no matter what they do. So now Alex is doing things to keep alive and try to get Anne unentangled with the jinn but at what cost. This is a book of deals and payoffs of long held promises. The ending has some breathing space for Alex but at what cost? A good story but not one for the new reader to dive into.


Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
( )

NOW THAT was a cliff hanger... >.> ( )