Cursed (Alex Verus, #2)

Aug 22, 2012 Chip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Same good and bad points as the first book in the series. In sum ... another light and certainly entertaining read. But again inconsistencies and laziness abound. Just a few examples:

The whole Starbreeze deux ex machine.

Why would Dark Magicians have apprentices? Why share knowledge/power?

Claims most mages rarely attack others in their homes, because mages make a habit of fortifying their homes - thus a bad idea to attack. Immediately segues to appearance of the glazier showing up to fix the wind...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, dragon, magic-users, paranormal, read-in-2013, urban

3.5 stars again. It was very much a continuation of the first story, therefore it had a lot of the same strengths and the same negatives. Alex is easy to connect to, his voice is clear and personable and the explanation of his powers makes sense. But I was again disappointed in the female characters. Luna had so much promise in the first book, but she was very young and weak in this one. I can see in a certain way where it makes sense for the story, but it leaves the (surprisingly cool) giant sp...more

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May 06, 2013 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Things I liked about this book:
- Good pacing. New plot developments happen regularly enough to keep things from dragging, but it doesn't fall into the trap of constant chapter cliff hangers that some action books do.

- Believable central characters. While the less central characters in this series tend to be relatively flat and forgettable, the central characters have some degree of depth, and some amount of growth and development over time.

Things I did not like about this book:
- Continuity break...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Kathy Davie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Second in the Alex Verus urban fantasy series set in London, Camden Town to be exact, and revolving around a mage who just wants to be left alone.

My Take
Luna makes me nuts. Huh, I guess that means her name is accurate and prophetic… She wants Alex to introduce her to this magical world, but she also refuses to accept anything he says that she doesn't like.

The arrogance of man provides so many possibilities. In this case, Jacka makes use of man's "superiority" to lesser creatures. Animals with m...more

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Apr 02, 2013 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

This has a positive quote from Jim Butcher and while the hero is amazing Dresden-like, there are not enough of those characters out there yet to make me find that annoying. Alex is a magic shop proprietor in London and a wizard, who, like Dresden, refuses to ally with the White Wizards or the Dark Wizards. He also has mysterious backers, lots of people/wizards who want to kill him, and special powers. His special power is, I have to admit, pretty cool. It's hard to kill or hide anything from som...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Alisa Hedden rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book picks up shortly after the adventures in the first book “Fated” and does a very good job with the continuity aspects of the story line. Luckily for people like me, while it is ideal to read the first book then move on to this book, that is not necessary. This book works well as a stand-alone novel.
This starts off with a bang early on, literally. High powered rifles, grenade launcher and fire balls. See, a lot of destruction. Then there is dark magic experimentation, after all, if you...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I thoroughly enjoyed my first encounter with Alex Verus and so I was thrilled when my review copy of CURSED showed up. (Thank you, Penguin!) FATED was such a strong series debut and so my expectations were rather high for CURSED. And you know what? CURSED completely delivered. It has all of the things I loved about FATED and more.

CURSED picks up a few months after the end of FATED. Alex is a bit more on the radar and he's been working with the Light mages more, though he remains unaligned. He's...more I thoroughly enjoyed my first encounter with Alex Verus and so I was thrilled when my review copy of CURSED showed up. (Thank you, Penguin!) FATED was such a strong series debut and so my expectations were rather high for CURSED. And you know what? CURSED completely delivered. It has all of the things I loved about FATED and more.

CURSED picks up a few months after the end of FATED. Alex is a bit more on the radar and he's been working with the Light mages more, though he remains unaligned. He's developed some good working relationships but he still doesn't really trust anyone except for his closest circle. He finds himself sucked into a new mystery when a barghest is found dead and stripped of its magic. At the same time, he has to deal with Luna's new boyfriend, Martin, a monkey's paw, and a damsel in distress. It's not exactly a good time to be Alex Verus. But in true Alex Verus form, he spends his time helping his friends and dodging assassination attempts.

One of my favorite parts of this book is the way that Alex and Luna's relationship evolves. Alex is training Luna so she can handle her curse but they don't have the master/apprentice thing down pat because they're friends too. It's a complicated dynamic and it's interesting to watch them negotiate their new roles, particularly since Alex isn't all that thrilled about Luna's new boyfriend. The events in CURSED force Alex to take a hard look at their relationship and both he nd Luna have some important decisions to make.

I also really enjoyed the main story, about harvesting magic from magical creatures. It really hits home for Alex because of his friendship with Ariadne but I liked it because it explores some of the ethics and senses of responsibility in the main characters in the book. Alex has a much more flexible moral compass than some of the other characters (ahem, Sonder) and you can see the beginnings of potential future tensions. Alex wants to do the right thing but it's not going to be at the expense of those he cares about. Not everyone is quite so practical.

There are also some great moments with Cinder in CURSED. He cme off like a thug with a soft spot for Deleo in the first book but we get to see more than that this time around. He may be a Dark Mage but he's got his own code and he's much more astute than I realized from FATED. Deleo also has some intriguing scenes. I don't want to say too much because the context might spoil some stuff for you but I will say that I would really, really like to know what's going on in her head.

I could keep gushing but I think this is a good place for me to stop. CURSED is another great urban fantasy novel that will keep you on the edge of our seat. It's got a thrilling plot, engaging characters, and a well developed world and it will leave you counting the days until book 3 comes out. (FYI, that's a whole 68 days away.) Thankfully, Benedict Jacka is a wonderful writer and I'm sure I'll be re-reading CURSED between now and then to tide me over.

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Jun 21, 2012 Marleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Received from Book Geeks

Alex Verus is a mage, a diviner, who owns a shop; ‘Arcana Emporium’ in Camden, London and when the story starts life is going smoothly for him. He is on reasonably good terms with the Council and occasionally working for them, and the work with his cursed apprentice Luna is proceeding quite nicely as well.
Things are about to change though.
It all starts with the discovery of a death magical creature. Although it is unclear how it was killed, it is a worrying sight.
Althou...more Received from Book Geeks

Alex Verus is a mage, a diviner, who owns a shop; ‘Arcana Emporium’ in Camden, London and when the story starts life is going smoothly for him. He is on reasonably good terms with the Council and occasionally working for them, and the work with his cursed apprentice Luna is proceeding quite nicely as well.
Things are about to change though.
It all starts with the discovery of a death magical creature. Although it is unclear how it was killed, it is a worrying sight.
Although Alex doesn’t realise it, things slip further downhill when Martin, a new friend of Luna’s visits his shop and walks away with the magic Monkey Paw Alex didn’t have out on display because he knows the artefact is cursed.
Next a beautiful woman bursts into his shop followed by an assassin Alex is only barely able to fend off. The woman, Meredith, is an enchantress and although Alex is well aware of her seductive powers he has a hard time thinking straight when he is around her.
Through Meredith Alex meets Belthas, a Council mage, who wants his help in discovering who killed the magical creature and where they are now.
Next thing Alex knows he has fallen out with his apprentice, who now prefers Martin’s company after Martin has used the monkey paw to find a way to be close to her without hurting himself. Up against old adversaries and with his friend, Arachne, a giant, intelligent, magical and very friendly spider in mortal danger, Alex finds himself in a fight he and those he cares for may well not survive. Alex may well be able to look into the future, knowing who to trust is much harder.

This is the second Alex Verus story I’ve read this year and I have to say I’m really enjoying them. It is clear to see why these books are endorsed by Jim Butcher; Alex Verus has a lot in common with Butcher’s hero Harry Dresden. Both are outsiders and underdogs trying to fight the good fight against the odds and often through means they don’t feel good about. And both the Verus and the Dresden series combine humour with tension in a way that really works.
The world Alex Verus inhabits in London is completely recognisable, which makes it easy to accept the supernatural elements in the story. The world Benedict describes is almost exactly the same as the world we live in. In fact, the differences between his London and the city we might visit are so tiny that you could almost believe that the magic can really be found there, if only you looked hard enough.
Although this is very much a supernatural thriller, enough attention is paid to the characters and what makes them tick to create a real interest in their welfare. Although Alex is the hero in these books and at times vulnerable, he has enough of a dark side to make him realistic and interesting. And it is easy to understand what drives Luna; having a curse which means that anyone who comes close to you or, even worse, touches you gets hurt or killed would be enough to make anyone stand-offish and desperate.
As for the other characters, it is hardly ever certain who can be trusted; who is on the side of good and who is just pure evil, something which makes the story fascinating and a real page-turner.
I am having great fun with these books and can’t wait for the third one to be published.
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Jun 14, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Verus is back in good favour with the light mages and has settled into a routine of training his apprentice Luna. He still worries about introducing her to other mages, but he is determined to teach her how to manage her curse. It seems that things cannot run smooth in Verus' life for long, because he is quickly on the hunt to find out who is draining the magic from magical creatures. That should be enough for him to deal with, but when Meredith shows up at his door being chased by a construct a...more

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Jun 13, 2012 Paranormal Haven rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviews-by-beth-guest-reviewer

Alex Verus is a mage, more specifically a diviner. He is not part of the light mages, or the dark mages, instead he is his own man. One evening an enchantress rushes into his shop asking for his protection from an assassination attempt. As he becomes involved with the enchantress, and sets out on a job for her contact on the Light Mage’s Council he becomes the one targeted. Things escalate as two dark mages from his past mix into the fray. On top of that his apprentice Luna’s friend takes a magi...more Alex Verus is a mage, more specifically a diviner. He is not part of the light mages, or the dark mages, instead he is his own man. One evening an enchantress rushes into his shop asking for his protection from an assassination attempt. As he becomes involved with the enchantress, and sets out on a job for her contact on the Light Mage’s Council he becomes the one targeted. Things escalate as two dark mages from his past mix into the fray. On top of that his apprentice Luna’s friend takes a magical item from his shop that might put Luna in danger.

When Alex meets the enchantress he is introduced to a council member to find some info on two dark mages he knows. They are believed to be messing with a ritual that drains magical critters of their magic, which in turn would kill them. This is something close to Alex. One of his best friends is a magical creature. The pacing in this novel is dead on, and if you like action it has plenty. It is easy to get right through it because it doesn’t slow down. The story is more action than mystery, but Alex does remind me of many P.I.s or detectives. He has a habit of stopping to swim over the facts like many mystery stories might, but it didn’t bog the story down. I did have a couple things figured out before him that he should have known, but it didn’t bother me that he didn’t.

Alex’s world is pretty awesome! It is set in London with an underground of mages. They are wealthy mostly, and have a ton of their own politics. Alex has a bad habit of getting between mages, and dealing with their politics, even though he wants nothing to do with that world. Mage’s also have categories like battle, enchanting, divination, etc… They all seemed pretty unique from one another.

Alex is a great narrator for the story. He is a little bit of an anti-hero, which I find are the most entertaining in first person. He apprenticed with a dark mage, and now does a lot of jobs for the light council. I like a character that doesn’t see himself as good or bad, but everyone equally. I never felt bogged down or bored with the fine details of his magic skills, or descriptions in action. In fact they were all a lot of fun.

The only complaint I had with the novel is that I don’t know where the series is going. It is the second in the series, and unlike most I am not seeing an underlying plot, or goal the main character is working towards. This makes me wonder, if I pick up the next book is it going to be the same as Cursed? If all of the books are just going to be adventures-in-the-life it becomes less interesting. The story was quick fun, and it didn’t feel as if I had missed all that much not reading the first novel. Alex does such a wonderful job describing how his world functions that it is easy to pick it up and read away.
- Beth (Guest Reviewer)(less)

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Jul 16, 2012 Ami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy-with-male-protagonist

About five months after the event at British Museum, Alex Verus, has been keeping his head down. However, he sometimes freelancing jobs for the Council. At one of his jobs, Alex discovers someone is draining energy out of magical creatures. It is called Harvesting, of of the blackest of black magic. Alex is then hired by Belthas, one of the Light mages who wants to stop the Dark mages responsible for the Harvesting, to investigate. But when it comes to identifying allies and enemies, Alex must u...more About five months after the event at British Museum, Alex Verus, has been keeping his head down. However, he sometimes freelancing jobs for the Council. At one of his jobs, Alex discovers someone is draining energy out of magical creatures. It is called Harvesting, of of the blackest of black magic. Alex is then hired by Belthas, one of the Light mages who wants to stop the Dark mages responsible for the Harvesting, to investigate. But when it comes to identifying allies and enemies, Alex must uses every power he has because once again, he has become target for killing and his friends' life are in danger. Oh, and his apprentice Luna, is making friend with someone questionable, who gets his hand on the monkey's paw (an imbued that grants wishes) which also gives Alex different kinds of trouble ...

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Oh, I'm in love *hand on heart*. This book is just awesome and I am so happy that I get another great urban fantasy series with male protagonist.

Alex Verus is so different than other heroes I read. He's not an aggresive guy. In fact, he clearly states that he "has absolutely no pride when it comes to combat, Running like a squirrel doesn't bother him at all. Because Alex is a diviner, his magic is seeing the future, not heavy power stuffs like fire, ice, death magic, etc. But he knows how to use it, and he uses it well. That's why he can survive all those assasination attempts.

Despite the fact that Alex has no problem to kill when it is necessary but I still think he is kind at heart. Clearly shown in his relationship with Arachne, the tarantula, or how he sort of taken Sonder, the nerdy time-mage under his wing.

The pace of this book is quick and I can't stop reading. While Alex finds out who are the mage responsible early on, still, how Alex gets out of the trouble and the climax battle are exciting. And guess what, this book has dragon! That's like a 10 in the level of awesomeness :p.

PS: (view spoiler)(less)

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Dec 29, 2012 Deborah Ideiosepius rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, supernatural, urban-fantasy

I loved this book and I can barely even explain why I liked it as much as I did;

Part of it would be that I have been reading a lot of supernatural/urban fantasy/fiction written by women and however well they write male characters there is a certain sameness to them in some ways. I LOVED the main character in this book, not for all the obvious reasons but because he was realistic as a person.

Oh, you say, what are the obvious reasons? Well he is a mage but knows how to handle himself in a fight, h...more

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Jul 23, 2012 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I think in my review of his last book, I was little overzealous in my adoration and comparison of Jacka and Butcher. Here, I think, Jacka has proven that he can stand on his own two feet and that the last book was not a one shot wonder. So, from now on, I won't mention Butcher again until the end. Anyway, this was a mind blowing Four Stars - the moment it arrived in the post I was all over it, and I barely put it down. For those of you wanting a new block-buster series in this genre, this is it....more

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Oct 28, 2012 Christine Rains rated it 4 of 5 stars

Alex Verus runs a magic shop in London. A few of his items are even real magic. A young man comes into his shop and one of the most dangerous objects, a monkey's paw, chooses him. Alex tries to warn him, even more to warn Luna from being around him, but they believe they can be more clever than the monkey's paw. There isn't time to focus on them, though. Something bigger is happening. A dark cabal is draining the magic and thus the life from magical creatures. One creature just happens to be a v...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spec-fic

2012: FWFTB: dabbling, monkey’s-paw (I cheated), threatened, assasins, apprentice.
The first book was thoroughly enjoyable and the second one had been on my wish list for a while.
Woohoo – this book was even better than the first. The character of the protagonist was developed even further and the plot was great. Pacing was excellent – the whole thing was just brilliant.
“One of the funny things about divination magic is you can know something will work without having the first clue why.” Another g...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Jacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Benedict Jacka: Cursed – Alex Verus #2
I almost surprised myself by how quickly I succumbed to te urge to get the second Alex Verus book after reading the first, 'Fated'. I have to say that I enjoyed this just as much.

Alex is a London-based mage who runs a magic shop and despite being apprenticed to a dark mage in his youth reckons that he's left that behind him. Well, he may not class himself as a dark mage, but as one of the characters points out, he's been the object of several assassination a...more Benedict Jacka: Cursed – Alex Verus #2
I almost surprised myself by how quickly I succumbed to te urge to get the second Alex Verus book after reading the first, 'Fated'. I have to say that I enjoyed this just as much.

Alex is a London-based mage who runs a magic shop and despite being apprenticed to a dark mage in his youth reckons that he's left that behind him. Well, he may not class himself as a dark mage, but as one of the characters points out, he's been the object of several assassination attempts and not many of the assassins are still standing. This is a high body-count book.

For a mage who doesn't class himself as powerful Alex's talents are unique. He can see the future, not a single future as it will happen, but all the strands of futures showing what might happen. It means he knows just when to duck, an especially useful talent when someone is pointing a high velocity rifle at his head and about to squeeze the trigger.

After nearly getting killed four times in the first twenty four hours of this book Alex might be forgiven for thinking someone is out to get him, but he's not the real target. Someone has figured out how to suck the power out of magical creatures and when two of those magical creatures are counted amongst Alex's very small circle of trusted friends, this understandably pisses him off.

Also Luna, who Alex has been teaching to control her curse (a curse that kills anyone she comes into close contact with) in endangered by a developing new relationship.

This book brings back some characters we met in the first one: Sonder the young time-mage; Talisin a council member Alex almost trusts, and Cinder and Deleo, antagonists last time, but it's more complicated than that, now. There's a new bad guy in town, though it's just possible that Alex's old enemy is still lurking in the background.

This is developing into an excellent series. I seem to have been reading a cluster of male-magician-urban-fantasy books this year, all of which I've enjoyed, but it's particularly nice to have a British-based story as a contrast to Harry Dresden, Atticus O'Sullivan and Isaac Vainio.
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Aug 18, 2012 Mihir rated it 4 of 5 stars

Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: Benedict Jacka’s debut Fated came with high praise from Anne Sowards and Jim Butcher and therefore had a higher amount of anticipation from most readers (including myself). Fated was a decent debut as noted in my review, it had its share of shining points and some dull edges that made it seem like most other highly anticipated debuts. Graeme of Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review also noted some points which I thought were crucial in highlighting...more
Full Review originally at Fantasy Book Critic

ANALYSIS: Benedict Jacka’s debut Fated came with high praise from Anne Sowards and Jim Butcher and therefore had a higher amount of anticipation from most readers (including myself). Fated was a decent debut as noted in my review, it had its share of shining points and some dull edges that made it seem like most other highly anticipated debuts. Graeme of Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review also noted some points which I thought were crucial in highlighting the book’s not-so-rosy spots. All in all I was curious to see where the author would take the story next and with the release schedule being so reader friendly, I dove into Cursed.

The title of the book like its predecessor does give a small clue into the book’s plot, while the first book gave us a look into Alex Verus and his power as a diviner. This book while focusing on him also takes a closer look at Luna and her power arising from her familial curse. The story begins with Alex working with the Council thankfully on better terms due to his actions as seen in Fated. The council asks for his help on tasks due to his non-aligned nature and one such task finds him visiting an old factory in a decrepit part of London. His presence is required as he helps a group of soldiers lead by a man called Garrick to capture and possibly kill a creature called Barghest. They find out that some one has beaten them to it and since nothing can be done about it, Alex retires back to his shop.

His problems begin once again as Luna his assistant cum apprentice brings her new squeeze who picks up a certain deadly object from Alex’s shop and it seems that Alex can’t do much to stop it. To add to that a woman named Meredith is attacked near his shop and she decides to take sanctuary within. All of these things combine to give Alex a scare like no other and pretty soon other mages become embroiled in these matters, giving Alex no respite but to step in and once again try saving everyone including himself, Luna, and his friends as this time the web around him is too convoluted for him to decipher.

The plot in this book is a welcome respite from that of its predecessor, beginning from its usual mystery, the readers will be given more than just one case as Alex Verus is drawn into multiple schemes, some inadvertently like the case of Meredith trying to escape a monster, some through obligation as in with Luna and her boyfriend and lastly through his past history with Deleo and Cinder, the dark mages who are fiddling with a crucial power. All of these schemes have Alex running from pillar to post without any respite and all the while trying to stay one step ahead with his divining abilities. The author has to be lauded for completely overhauling the faults and discrepancies of his debut, not only is the plot twisted but also has quite some pace to it. Beginning from a quiet trip to a factory, the author lulls the reader as well as his protagonist into a false sense of security about the overall direction of the storyline before violently yanking the carpet from one’s feet both literally and figuratively.

The twists in this story will definitely surprise the readers as well as keep them flipping pages all the way to the surprising conclusion. I could not help but be nicely surprised at all the revelations this story had to offer in terms of the world, the magic system as well certain facets of a few characters. Alex Verus as a narrative force excels in his second outing as in the first book; there were more than a few comparisons to his famous compatriot across the pond in a certain windy city. However the author shows that Alex is his own man and while showing a tremendous resilience similar to that employed by Harry Dresden, he has his own style to enamor readers with. London as showcased in the story is also explored and more facets about its magical past and present are revealed to the reader. One particular subterranean revelation should have the readers buzzing in regards to its origin, purpose and over all effect in the future and kudos to the author for introducing such an unpredictable twist in the story.

In the previous book review I had mentioned five aspects about the book that made it seem too much like a clone of the Dresden Files, I’m happy to report that while many of those points are present, their influence has been effectively dulled. The protagonist takes the center stage and the readers will get to see the story develop around him and with the twists that occur, it should keep most readers guessing what will happen next. Some of those twists are a bit predictable in regards to the motivations of certain characters however the author definitely tries to compensate that by making the associations between characters that much harder to figure out.

There’s also the secretive past of Alex Verus that was so seductively mentioned in the first book and gets teased in this one as well, the readers however get no concrete information about him except some crucial observations from Cinder in regards to Alex’s nature. With a series one can never be sure how much the author will tip his hand in regards to the mysteries and so we will have to wait for the next book to see if we get to learn more about him. Lastly the way the story ends, readers will be itching to get their hands on Taken the third volume of the Alex Verus series and I will be among them as well.

CONCLUSION: Benedict Jacka outshines his debut effort and makes a case for himself and his series to be taken seriously. Cursed ups the ante in almost every department of the book and it will fetch the author more fans as they strive to find satisfaction from books other than the Dresden Files. Be sure to check out this wonderful series set in London about a secretive diviner mage and the people around him. This book is significantly better and if you didn't like Fated (like me) then this book will make you change your opinion.(less)

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Jun 07, 2012 Leo Elijah Cristea rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review originally posted at: http://leocristea.wordpress.com/2012/...

This is a difficult one to review. Partly, because I loved Fated and gave it five stars, but mostly because, whilst I enjoyed the story and enjoyed spending more time with the characters from the first Alex Verus novel, there were many issues in this book that I couldn’t ignore.

I’m not sure whether to start with the good or the bad, or vice versa, since I’m not sure which one there is more of. Hoping they’ll wind up equal parts...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Scruffy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Fated, the first book in the Alex Verus series was a book that I enjoyed very much. I think the reason I liked it so much was because being the first volume in a new series it displayed a lot of potential for more stories and gave us quite a wide view of the world while still hinting at more beyond what we were shown. Cursed is the second volume in the series and although it was a good read it didn’t work for me in quite the same way that Fated did.

The story in Cursed feels less important. Altho...more Fated, the first book in the Alex Verus series was a book that I enjoyed very much. I think the reason I liked it so much was because being the first volume in a new series it displayed a lot of potential for more stories and gave us quite a wide view of the world while still hinting at more beyond what we were shown. Cursed is the second volume in the series and although it was a good read it didn’t work for me in quite the same way that Fated did.

The story in Cursed feels less important. Although things are a little more personal for Alex this time it still felt more like a side adventure than an important chapter in an ongoing story. Things play out on a much smaller scale. We see less of the world that these books are set in and it didn’t really seem like any new elements were introduced. The plotting didn’t seem as tight this time either. While Fated was a real fast paced adventure that really raced along, Cursed seemed to be constantly stopping and starting with nothing really interesting happening in the lulls between the action.

Where Cursed really does work though is the character building, particularly the changing relationship between Alex and Luna. A lot of this book is concerned with Alex figuring out exactly what his relationship to Luna is and what it should be in the future. By the end of the book things really have changed for the two of them and there are some interesting possibilities for the future. A few supporting characters from Fated make a return appearance. I was glad to see them again and they where integrated into the plot well. Unlike some ongoing series the appearance of the supporting characters felt natural they all performed an important function in the plot.

Cursed is a fun read. Benedict Jacka has quite a fun writing style so even though I didn’t enjoy it as much as Fated I still flew through it pretty quickly. I was thinking maybe the problem here is more with me than the book itself. Fated showed so much promise that I was frustrated that Cursed didn’t capitalise on all of that promise straight away. Perhaps it’s best to just enjoy the journey and trust that there are more interesting things to come.

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Sep 01, 2012 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult, magic, paranormal

In full disclosure I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Cursed is set a few months after the events of book one. It continues to follow Alex Verus and his life in the magical world. He has now become somewhat famous and mages are using his shop more often. He has also begun to train Luna and she is learning to control her curse.
Alex is called in by the council to help kill a dangerous monster, but when the team arrive the beast is already dead, the cause as well as who killed it are a mystery...more In full disclosure I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Cursed is set a few months after the events of book one. It continues to follow Alex Verus and his life in the magical world. He has now become somewhat famous and mages are using his shop more often. He has also begun to train Luna and she is learning to control her curse.
Alex is called in by the council to help kill a dangerous monster, but when the team arrive the beast is already dead, the cause as well as who killed it are a mystery. Luna brings her new friend Martin to meet Alex. Martin has very limited magic abilities and during his time at the store Martin takes a wish-granting Monkey Paw despite Alex warning him that it is dangerous. The disagreement begins to cause a strain on Alex’s friendship with Luna.
Alex saves the life of a beautiful Enchantress named Meredith, but are his feelings for her genuine or part of her magic?
Alex’s investigation show that someone is draining lives of magical creatures in a dangerous attempt to steal their powers. Then the attempts on Alex’s life begin, but he must continue if he is to save the lives of his human and magical creature friends.

As in the first book the author does an excellent job of world building. We are given just enough to understand what is going on, but not so much that it breaks up the story. He also does a great job of recapping the events of the first book, enough to remind you what happened without going in so much detail it gets boring. So if it’s been a while since you read the first book you shouldn’t have a problem.

The descriptions are excellent especially when Alex is describing what he see’s when divining.

We get to see some more mage powers in this book. The most interesting is from Sonder (who we first met in book one), who is a Time Mage. His powers include looking back in time to see what events happened in the past, an interesting contrast to Alex’s powers.
Alex uses his powers throughout the book and we get to see a couple more of them. One of the problems I had with this book is that he runs around using guns for a large part of this book and it had the feel of a more traditional action story rather than the exciting magical one.
It was interesting seeing him being affected by the enchantress, but he is uncertain if it was because he likes her or if she is using her powers on him. The rift between Alex and Luna that is caused by the secondary characters is well written.

The factions are done well again and it is a nice mystery just finding out who is working for whom. It is also nice to see that just because a mage is dark or light it doesn’t automatically mean they are evil or good.

I enjoyed continuing seeing the story told from Alex’s perspective as I find him more relatable then other fantasy characters.

Just like the first book, this book is only suitable for an adult audience due to the use of a few very bad swear words. This is a shame as with the removal of these words this book would be great for a teenage audience.

Overall this was an excellent story, with great characters. The world building and magical descriptions are well written and exciting.(less)

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Aug 25, 2012 Genie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers of Jim Butcher, Rob Thurman, Kate Griffin

I really like this series. I found the first book, Fated, at my local library and I have been a fan ever since. To me, Alex is a fresh new take on the urban fantasy hero. He isn't riddled with awesome powers like some of these heroes are or still developing or honing said awesome talent. He knows his talent (divining) and he knows his limitations, so he is constantly planning and strategizing.

This makes it interesting because he can't just blast his way out of bad situations with his magic. He...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Annie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

It's kind of amazing that I find so many paranormal fantasy series set in London these days.

And most of them make me wonder: where have I been when they first hit the market?

I mean, I seem to find most of them on book three. Whilst there already are two books out and hanging round bookshelves, I managed to pass over them over the course of their publishing history and only notice on the count of three.

And then I get all of them at once and raid through them in a not so healthy time span.

When it...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

As I said in another review today...SCORE!. This week I've finished 3 books that I rate 5 stars! I had trouble making time to get to this one, but burned through it once I got to it. This is a good to great book in a great series with a great character. Alex Verus in definitely my #2 UF character (Harry Dresden being #1 by quite a margin).

There's a thread here called "Books to Read While Waiting for the Next Dresden Book"...I found these recommended there. Seeing Jim Butcher's recommendation of...more

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May 29, 2012 Kt from A Book Obsession.. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: received-for-review, hardcopy

Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Alex knew returning to his invisible life wouldn't be an option after he defeated the dark mages in the previous installment, but even so he still tries to stay out of things. But when someone starts stealing the life-force of magical creatures, leaving them nothing more than empty husks, he knows he cannot stay on the sideline any longer. The Council has asked him to investigate this ancient ritual and the dark mages that are performing it....more Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..

Alex knew returning to his invisible life wouldn't be an option after he defeated the dark mages in the previous installment, but even so he still tries to stay out of things. But when someone starts stealing the life-force of magical creatures, leaving them nothing more than empty husks, he knows he cannot stay on the sideline any longer. The Council has asked him to investigate this ancient ritual and the dark mages that are performing it. But as he goes searching for answers, he finds the lines between light and dark blurring. With no clear cut villain in sight, he will have to keep his wits about him if he wants to have any chance at making it out of this mess alive.

I still don't quite get Alex's character, but he is slowly growing on me. Now that I understand him and his motivations a little better, I understand why he makes the choices he does even if I don't agree with him. Although I will say it still baffles me how a man who can see future threads still winds up getting himself in so much trouble. If it weren't for his insatiable curiosity he wouldn't land himself in half the messes he does. For example, there is a character that he KNOWS is using enchantments to try and manipulate him, yet does he stay away this character? Nope, he dives right from the frying pan and into the fire, all the while telling himself he probably shouldn't since he doesn't know whether his emotions are real or not around this character. At this point I've pretty much given in to having a fond exasperation for him and his decisions.

I really enjoyed seeing Alex's growing attachment to others. Previously he was so closed off and wouldn't let anyone in. Honestly, I don't blame him considering how many times he has gotten burned in the past, but it still makes for a lonely existence to shut everyone else out. He's gone from having absolutely no attachments, to having several good allies and a network to potentially call on for assistance, as well as a new apprentice. Of course the latter causes him a great deal of headaches due to the responsibility, but I think the challenge will be really good for him. Perhaps keep his boredom and curiosity at bay just a little bit while he focuses on training his apprentice.

Just like in Fated, the threats seemed to come from many different sides, and it was always unclear who was friend or foe. However, this time around, things didn't feel quite as chaotic, which really helped my enjoyment of the book. Granted, I had things figured out long before the characters did, but I would much prefer that over the utter chaos of the first installment. It really let me take a step back and watch things unfurl for the characters. So, in the end I have to say Cursed was a much stronger book than the first. Between the character development and the high stakes action, I was hooked from very early on, and I definitely recommend it.
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Jun 13, 2012 Beth Dawkins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Alex Verus is a mage, more specifically a diviner. He is not part of the light mages, or the dark mages, instead he is his own man. One evening an enchantress rushes into his shop asking for his protection from an assassination attempt. As he becomes involved with the enchantress, and sets out on a job for her contact on the Light Mage’s Council he becomes the one targeted. Things escalate as two dark mages from his past mix into the fray. On top of that his apprentice Luna’s friend takes a magi...more Alex Verus is a mage, more specifically a diviner. He is not part of the light mages, or the dark mages, instead he is his own man. One evening an enchantress rushes into his shop asking for his protection from an assassination attempt. As he becomes involved with the enchantress, and sets out on a job for her contact on the Light Mage’s Council he becomes the one targeted. Things escalate as two dark mages from his past mix into the fray. On top of that his apprentice Luna’s friend takes a magical item from his shop that might put Luna in danger.

When Alex meets the enchantress he is introduced to a council member to find some info on two dark mages he knows. They are believed to be messing with a ritual that drains magical critters of their magic, which in turn would kill them. This is something close to Alex. One of his best friends is a magical creature. The pacing in this novel is dead on, and if you like action it has plenty. It is easy to get right through it because it doesn’t slow down. The story is more action than mystery, but Alex does remind me of many P.I.s or detectives. He has a habit of stopping to swim over the facts like many mystery stories might, but it didn’t bog the story down. I did have a couple things figured out before him that he should have known, but it didn’t bother me that he didn’t.

Alex’s world is pretty awesome! It is set in London with an underground of mages. They are wealthy mostly, and have a ton of their own politics. Alex has a bad habit of getting between mages, and dealing with their politics, even though he wants nothing to do with that world. Mage’s also have categories like battle, enchanting, divination, etc… They all seemed pretty unique from one another.

Alex is a great narrator for the story. He is a little bit of an anti-hero, which I find are the most entertaining in first person. He apprenticed with a dark mage, and now does a lot of jobs for the light council. I like a character that doesn’t see himself as good or bad, but everyone equally. I never felt bogged down or bored with the fine details of his magic skills, or descriptions in action. In fact they were all a lot of fun.

The only complaint I had with the novel is that I don’t know where the series is going. It is the second in the series, and unlike most I am not seeing an underlying plot, or goal the main character is working towards. This makes me wonder, if I pick up the next book is it going to be the same as Cursed? If all of the books are just going to be adventures-in-the-life it becomes less interesting. The story was quick fun, and it didn’t feel as if I had missed all that much not reading the first novel. Alex does such a wonderful job describing how his world functions that it is easy to pick it up and read away.(less)

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Mar 17, 2013 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that hovers between three and four stars for me. It's competently written, and the occasional plot holes are partly a consequence of the author trying to do something unusual in terms of the magic system (for which I commend him). At the same time, apart from that originality there's nothing here that I really love. The protagonist is on the darker side of the hero spectrum, which is not my preference, none of the characters stand out as extraordinarily vivid, and the...more

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Oct 11, 2012 Ade Couper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 2nd book in the Alex Verus series is on a par with the 1st: Alex Verus is still running his bookshop when a woman called Meredith comes to him , fleeing a mysterious pursuer. At the same time Luna , Alex's apprentice, meets a man....

Again , this is a gritty mystical whodunnit - who is trying to harvest the magical energy of magical creatures ? Verus comes across still as very much a flawed hero , while the other characters (some of whom return from the 1st novel) are well-drawn , with believ...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Lisa King rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: liked-it-but-not-great

"Running like a squirrel doesn't bother me at all." Alex Verus is a diviner, a mage who can see the future once someone makes a decision. He has no other powers and a lot of the time, he runs away or avoid situations if he can. This may sound like he's a coward, but he's not. He is a loyal friend and will do anything for those that he loves, even teaming up with a Dark Fire mage and a Light Time mage. Someone is draining magical creatures of their magic and it's up to Verus to stop them.

The stor...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-chick-city-reviews-2012

Reviewed for Book Chick City
http://www.bookchickcity.com/2012/07/...

CURSED by Benedict Jacka takes place a few months after the events of FATED, continuing the tale of shop owner Alex Verus, a mage with the power to see probable futures.

This second book in the series sees Alex trying to continue his life as before, simply running his shop day-to-day and training his apprentice, Luna, with the help of giant spider Arachne. Of course, this peace can’t last for long, as trouble finds both Luna an...more Reviewed for Book Chick City
http://www.bookchickcity.com/2012/07/...

CURSED by Benedict Jacka takes place a few months after the events of FATED, continuing the tale of shop owner Alex Verus, a mage with the power to see probable futures.

This second book in the series sees Alex trying to continue his life as before, simply running his shop day-to-day and training his apprentice, Luna, with the help of giant spider Arachne. Of course, this peace can’t last for long, as trouble finds both Luna and Alex.

Alex is affiliated with neither the Light mages nor the Dark mages, and the beginning of the book sees him working a hired mission to recover a barghest, a mythical dog-like creature which is believed to have been terrorizing the locals. Alex leads the team to it with no trouble, but it’s already dead when the find it which a suspicious cause of death – all the magic has been sucked out of it. This sparks our protagonist’s suspicion, as trying to absorb another mage’s magic can send you insane or kill you, but has it ever been tried on a magical beast before?

Mysterious newcomer, Martin, could also pose a threat, as he seems overly keen to learn about magic and magical artifacts, taking a particular interest in Luna. After a visit to Alex’s shop, where he asks after rare items, he walks away with a monkey’s paw, a very powerful item. Despite Alex’s warnings of the dangers of using it, Martin ignores him, taking Luna along with him. The monkey’s paw is an item that can grant five wishes, but no-one has ever survived using it to tell the tale. Does Martin really have Luna’s best interests at heart, or is Alex right not to trust him?

With Luna out of the picture for a while it falls to Alex to investigate the magical harvesting incidents alone. That is, until the attractive Meredith brings an assassination attempt to Alex’s door, forcing him to step in and save her. She is a temptress, with magic enabling her to persuade and seduce people, leaving Alex unsure whether his choices are his own or down to Meredith’s influence.

Several assassination attempts later and Alex and Luna become further involved in the mysteries surrounding the dead barghest, with their spider friend Arachne in potential danger from magic draining. Calling on the help of their friend Sonder from the first book, will Alex be able to solve the mystery this time?

Again with this series it took me a while to get into the book, and I still feel that this series is missing some kind of spark to get me hooked. I was still hoping for more of an insight into Alex’s past, as again his past with the Dark mage is hinted at but nothing more is revealed. I did like the fact that more of his Diviner gift was explored, and we did get to see more of a sensitive side to him.

“And when it came right down to it, I hate turning someone away who’s come to me for help. It’s not that I’m especially selfless or anything, but I know what it’s like to be alone and hunted and afraid.”

We also saw more to Luna’s character, and her past was further hinted at in this novel, but like Alex’s it still hasn’t been explored. I get the feeling that both of their pasts are intriguing stories, and I am a little frustrated at having to wait until later in the series to find out what it is. However, as for this novel, there are a lot of action scenes with guns and fighting, and a lot of scenes are reminiscent of an action film. I enjoyed it more than FATED, but I’m still waiting for this series to have a spark to really draw me in.
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Jan 23, 2013 Tal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dont-own, sf-fantasy

A spate of mysterious attacks calls for Alex's expertise - someone is dabbling with the forbidden. Fine, until Alex's friends are threatened. That makes it personal.
It's still damn inconvenient though - especially when seductive distractions are thrown into the mix. But is walking away really an option? And just how dangerous is the curse of the monkey's paw?
Sure, it pays to be able to see the future. Literally. But some days are just better spent in bed.

having got used to Alex's world, i liked...more

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title link	preview: Cursed
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Cursed (Alex Verus #2)

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