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Witchmark
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"Witchmark" Discuss Everything *Spoilers*
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Allison, Fairy Mod-mother
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rated it 3 stars
Jun 07, 2019 01:22PM
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I liked it! I gave it three stars because the rushed pacing made everything (especially the emotional moments) fall a bit flat for me, but I really enjoyed the creativity in world-building and felt the characters were likable and the elements of the plot were intriguing. This is a debut, and so I'm hoping the author continues to improve and will be looking forward to the sequel.
I read it a while ago and enjoyed enough to give it four stars. That may seem a lot compared to other, admittedly grander works, but I honestly felt it was a charming, self containted, fun, cute little story. If it had been able to capture me emotionally it would have been a five star for me, but alas, it was “merely” good fun.
Mod
First- the ending was way too rushed. I feel like there were scene changes that were not noted. The relationships needed more time to develop, etc.
And maybe someone can explain this to me, because I wasn't clear on it: The Stormsingers, the city's elite mages and whatnot:
Do non magical people know they have magic?
If they do, why persecute witches and not mages? (Since I would presume, to a non-mage, magic, wealthy or poor, is all the same to them).
Why couldn't Miles ask his sister to get him out of taking the mage trials? If she (and their family) is so powerful?
If they do persecute mages from time to time, why do none of the mages seem concerned about it? (Like the first time the Stormsinger gets out of the car in a busy street and calls down rain to put a fire out?)
By the end I just didn't feel like the world building and rules were well enough defined. I felt like the author just wanted us to take her at her word and accept what we were told without explaining, and the end result was a little amateurish.
But I loved the story telling, atmosphere and characters. So I'm a little conflicted. lol
Sarah wrote: "And maybe someone can explain this to me, because I wasn't clear on it: The Stormsingers, the city's elite mages and whatnot:Do non magical people know they have magic?"
I was super confused by this also. I think not, and that's why they're called The Invisibles. But then that raises other questions...
I quite liked this one, but I was also a bit disappointed by the ending. It felt liked things started to come unraveled somewhat. The whole "ether is souls" reveal felt kind of far-fetched (what, do normal electrons not work in this world? How was this discovered without anyone having any idea?)
I did liked the relationship between the siblings, though. It felt very genuine.
I finished it this morning. Charming, lots of good ideas, but I agree with y'all that it needed a lot more polish. I felt for much of the book like the author wasn't sure what the main thrust of the book should be. The pacing needed more variety. Still, an ambitious and overall successful freshman work, and I am happy to have this new author's voice out there.
Sarah wrote: "If they do persecute mages from time to time, why do none of the mages seem concerned about it? (Like the first time the Stormsinger gets out of the car in a busy street and calls down rain to put a fire out?)As I understood it, ordinary people don't think that magic is real, so, when a person waves their hands and rain comes, it is a coincidence for them, just like in our world.
Ariana wrote: "The whole "ether is souls" reveal felt kind of far-fetched (what, do normal electrons not work in this world? How was this discovered without anyone having any idea?) ."That irked me as well, after all even ordinary people think they know where from electricity comes, that you need to spend something (coal, gas, wind, sun) to get energy. Here is is widely used (in every kitchen) but no one cares where it comes from
I see dead people. SOYLENT ENERGY IS PEOPLE!
Okay, I'll be an outlier. 🙃 I gave it five stars. I felt the world building was impressive, and that it was also a fun twist since it wasn't exactly alternate history or urban fantasy or steam punk (ether-punk?). The magic rules weren't set out rigidly, but to the extent I understood them, they seemed to hold up. (Maybe that means I wasn't being critical enough.)
My understanding was that magic was a universal no-no, and that the Storm-Singers and their secondaries were a secret society—sheltered by the royalty because they were necessary.
When the Storm-Singer calls down rain on a fire near the start, my impression was that she was doing it secretly, which makes sense if magic is forbidden. It says "she gave no outward sign of her effort," then the rain doesn't start until after she drives away, at which point bystanders "praised the rain as a miracle."
I agree that the end felt rushed, and I wish Polk had unpacked it more so it was clearer what had happened. That's the one point where my "broken magic rule detector" started twitching, though I wasn't sure enough of the rules or the situation to cry foul.
I really enjoyed the prose. It was descriptive and sometimes very clever, but without getting in the way of smooth reading.
Andy wrote: "I really enjoyed the prose. It was descriptive and sometimes very clever, but without getting in the way of smooth reading. "With this I totally agree
Mod
However- it doesn’t make a lot of sense that if Secondaries and Stormsingers are generally protected, Miles wouldn’t have appealed to them/the Queen for help with avoiding the witch trials. Which is what threw my understanding of the whole system off. That scene just didn’t make a lot of sense in the context we were given and kind of ruined the immersion for me.
I generally enjoyed this and my three star rating might have been a little harsh- I just got so hung up on those few things near the end it didn’t sit well with me after.
I read the book but wasn't that impressed, or at least I wasn't impressed enough to want to buy the next book in the series. It was slow in the beginning, but it never grabbed me. I had to do a Look Inside and read the blurb to even remember reading it, so that's how little it impressed me.It was a free book from Tor back in February which is why I even had it in my Library.
Sarah wrote: "However- it doesn’t make a lot of sense that if Secondaries and Stormsingers are generally protected, Miles wouldn’t have appealed to them/the Queen for help with avoiding the witch trial...That scene just didn’t make a lot of sense..."You know...I'm totally blanking. Could you describe that scene very generally, or else very roughly when it happens? I remember Miles being concerned about the possibility of a witch trial, but was he actually tried?
Sarah wrote: "Andy that makes a lot of sense- and now that you mention it I do recall it being glossed over (maybe I wasn’t paying enough attention).However- it doesn’t make a lot of sense that if Secondaries ..."
My read on the situation was that he was trying to keep his life at the hospital separate from his family, so asking for help would have interfered with that? I think this is where the pacing issues were a problem, too; so much was going on at this point, it was hard to keep track of where everyone was, why they were making certain choices, etc.
Mod
She tells him the easy way to take care of it is to just go take the trials and he refuses, saying he’ll get a lawyer and won’t submit, etc.
His inner monologue is all panicked because he knows he won’t pass the trials, but that’s what tripped me up because if he really is protected he wouldn’t be panicked about it in the first place.
I just felt overall like some of the tension is forced because the witch trials should have been a danger to him only very early in the book when he’s still hiding from his sister. If Secondaries or the Stormsinger families are protected I didn’t understand why his thought process wasn’t: “I’ll appeal to the Queen for help.” Once he’s been found there’s no real reason for him not to fall back on their protection. I get maybe that’s not the route he wants to go because of pride and whatever, but I believe at that point he was already forcibly his sister’s secondary.
I just felt as a reader I was being lead on to feel some sort of way (afraid for the character or in general suspense) without there being any evidence of Miles having something to fear. The tension with his sister was enough suspension- the forced issue with the non-magic people didn’t need to be added and broke the rules of her own world-building a little bit.
Like I said I’m probably being too harsh or maybe I’ve read that whole scene wrong, I don’t know. I do that sometimes.
Sarah wrote: "It’s just after Dr Matheson (?) tells him he is being put on suspension until after the other Doctor’s accusations have been cleared."Got it. I thought you meant there'd actually been a trial and I forgot all about it.
I think you're right that he'd already been attached to his sister by that point. My thought was that if the trial got close enough to happening, the royals would probably intervene whether he wanted that or not.
But what you're saying makes sense—it does seem like he would have made the same leap, and guess that Storm-Singers and the royalty would have his back. That would have left him less stressed about the threat of a trial.
Kari wrote: "My read on the situation was that he was trying to keep his life at the hospital separate from his family, so asking for help would have interfered with that?"
That was my impression, too. But even though he wants that, it does seem like he would have known he's probably immune to execution because of his value as a secondary.
Though I guess the politics with Sir Percy being ascendant might have put him at risk.
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I liked the characters and the worldbuilding, and though the pace was way different in the beginning and the end, I was still gripped from the start of the book. My main complaint was that the ending was a bit too quick and I didn't feel quite satisfied. I also wanted more details on what precisely happened to Nick, as a lot of narrative time was spent tracking him. My perspective regarding the other things mentioned: I think Miles is primarily concerned with his freedom and the ability to live his life the way he desires. He's trying to stay as far away from the Storm-Singer society as he possibly can, if they get him out of the trials he would still have no way of continuing the life he's made for himself. Instead, he'd be in their debt and they'd likely force him to cooperate with them on their terms. (Whereas Grace, feeling guilty about forcibly binding him [this part made my skin crawl, sidenote] is more likely to give him leeway to do some things his way.)
Mod
I also agree about that forced binding scene being icky- and that was another issue I think I had. Okay it wasn’t Grace’s doing but she didn’t immediately release him after which, to me, makes her just as guilty and yet I think I was supposed to feel she redeemed herself in the end but I don’t know if something like that can be totally redeemed you know?
I have to admit that while I noticed there were some holes or things that didn't totally make sense in the world-building, I mostly read past them because I was enjoying the story and characters enough. I thought it was a fun, light read for the most part, although it certainly had its darker moments as well. I would agree with Stephanie regarding Miles's reluctance to trade away any more of his freedom. But I also think that Miles's perspective on some of these things is intentionally a bit irrational and heavy on catastrophizing, reflecting the trauma that this system has inflicted on him. It feels as though he jumps straight to "worst possible scenario", which, to be fair, is at least somewhat justified given his background, but is also a common aftereffect of trauma.
On a related note, like Stephanie and Sarah, I had some serious qualms about the forced binding. Grace's book is coming next, and I'm apprehensive because she hasn't totally redeemed herself for me yet and I'm not sure yet if she's going to be able to get there.
Ah Sarah that makes sense, I see where you're coming from. I think I'm in the same boat as Kaa in that I was willing to read past it because I was enjoying the story. (Though one part that didn't quite satisfy me was the explanation for some people having magic being that they have a "strong soul" -- what does that actually mean?) I also think you're right about the way the trauma he's experienced impacts the way he reacts to these situations.
I agree that it felt light and fun, but the binding and the reveal at the end with the asylums was seriously dark for the tone of the book being so light.
Is the next book from Grace's perspective? I didn't realize that; I might have to wait to see some reviews before I decide if I want to read that. I guess she's meant to be a sort of "gray" character, but I'm with Sarah in that I question whether that can be redeemed. I have trouble sympathizing with anyone who would bend another person to their will that way.
Interesting the next book is from Grace's perspective. I understand how the forced binding turned a lot of people off, and I do think this is one of the areas where I wish Polk had slowed down to explore the conflict more. I could see that Grace was meant to be a morally gray character and hated what she felt she "needed" to do, but it was one of the emotional moments that didn't land for me; the scenes simply sped by too quickly and so I agree that the conflict seemed unresolved.
Mod
And I completely understand treating it as a light read and looking past the issues. I do that a lot, but I guess what I treat as light/superficial read usually looks something like a Jason Statham film with lots of action and snarky one liners and bar fights (please forgive me that’s just the kind of reader I am lol).
Maybe it’s as others pointed out and the conflicting tones are making me overanalyze instead of letting go.
Sarah wrote: "I didn’t realize she was supposed to be morally grey.. mostly she just seems like she doesn’t have any morals at all. Is that grey? I mean she continuously betrays her brother right up until the en..."There are a few points in the text where she seems upset by what she's doing--and they do make a point that Miles concedes that the Secondaries would suffer a lot under Sir Percy, so I took that to mean that Grace felt she had to have Miles to prevent Sir Percy from taking over, rather than merely being power-hungry. Like the moral question is: is forcibly binding a Secondary to help other Secondaries an okay thing to do? For Grace, the answer seemed to be yes, but of course others will feel differently.
But again, I think that's maybe what Polk intended, but she didn't spend enough time examining this conflict for it to land well. I agree with you; I don't think this plot was done in a satisfying way. And bringing in those types of moral questions in a book that's mostly focused on fast-paced action reads a little weird.
I liked the book well enough to be interested in the sequel, but there were some definite issues, and this is one of them.
I'm not certain if that /was/ the intent (morally grey) but I feel like I was intended to sympathize with her and I don't, at all? Because like you said, she just doesn't seem to have morals (although I think she actually does care about Miles, but doesn't seem to realize how intensely selfish she is in reality?) Honestly that part is why it wasn't a 5 star read (or even 4.5) for me - the dark content and the light tone created some dissonance. The worldbuilding/structure issues I can look past, content not so much.
No need for forgiveness haha, and the way you read it is completely valid and I don't think you're necessarily over-analyzing. The way we read things differently is what makes discussion more interesting, and it also helps me think about books in a different (and often more critical) way, which I like.
Re: GraceI was also a little confused by this, because it first I read it (like Sarah?) as Grace being motivated only by her ambition, and then I was totally confused (like Stephanie) as to why Miles/the Reader would have even the remotest bit of sympathy towards her.
After rereading a little, I came to the interpretation that Grace is motivated largely by her belief that she could do more to help the secondaries by being in power herself and that things would get worse/continue to be awful for them under Sir What'sHisFace. So she's willing to do something she finds abhorrent to her brother because she thinks it's the only way to affect change and attempt to right the greater wrong done to all secondaries. Not that this excuses her failure to undo the binding, but it does make her motivations a little easier for me to understand.
For instance, when Miles almost breaks the binding, and Grace would rather die than let go: this didn't make sense to me if Grace was in it only for her own ambition (their father, sure, he seems stubborn enough to die instead of surrender when beaten). I got the impression that Grace felt like this was the only pathway for her to help plight of the secondaries, and that's what she was willing to die for. I agree with others, though, that if this is what the author was going for, it needed to be developed more. But I went with it because it presents a more nuanced relationship between the siblings. They both agree that what's being done to the secondaries is awful (compared to their father who doesn't really care), but they disagree totally on if and how to go about trying to change this.
@Sarah: I agree with that reading of Grace's motivations, and like Kari and the rest of you I wish that Polk had spent more time exploring this. My biggest hope for the second book is that it provides the space to discuss these issues. I'm willing to give Grace another chance, but I'd like to see a lot more examination of her actions, intentions, and what she's going to do to make up for what's already happened.
Mod
It’s a debut novel, so I guess my hope for the second book, (if I decide to read it) is that she’s able to reign everything in a little bit and be more certain of her characters and their motivations (and also make that part clearer).
Hm. Not sure how I feel about Grace narrating the next one.I agree that she was supposed to be conflicted and ethically gray...but it bothered me that she felt "forced" to make a decision that just happened to increase her power. Granted, she gave it all up in the end to go with Miles.
Like Kaa, I'll probably give Grace another chance. Maybe I'll feel better about her once I see inside her head.
On a different subject, how did people feel about Robin? I felt like she was introduced as an important side character, but she didn't really do much in the plot, did she? And now that I know the next book will be narrated by Grace, I'm even more confused by her since it's doubtful she'll play a major role with Grace as the main character (maybe I'll be wrong though!). She seemed like she had a lot of potential and I was a bit disappointed she didn't play a bigger part in the plot.
Kari wrote: "On a different subject, how did people feel about Robin? I felt like she was introduced as an important side character, but she didn't really do much in the plot, did she? And now that I know the n..."I agree, although I hadn't realized until you said it how much she seemed to disappear from the story as the book went on. And I will be sad if she isn't a major character in the next book, as seems likely from the shift in POV character.
Kari wrote: "On a different subject, how did people feel about Robin?"Good point. She did feel larger than life. Now that you mention it, I had a lurking back-of-my-mind expectation that she'd be central to...something. Hm.
Mod
Grace felt a lot like the blind man in "Get Out" to me. I think she fulfilled that same role--the person with privilege who "gets it" and is sorry there isn't a better way, but those with talent and power get first dibs in her mind, and the little guys just have to avoid being stepped on if they don't want to get squished.
Next book prediction: (view spoiler)
I’m at 85% so I don’t want to read this whole thread yet, but feel compelled to say that that his sister Grace is SUCH a BE-ATCH I detest her and would like to put my hand into the book myself and take her out. “We don’t take the *Star,* as you know.”
He would know that how, since she was a child and he was a teenager when he ran away like 15 years ago? What a stuck-up, arrogant snob.
I’m with Mr. Hunter — was hoping Miles would kill her to break the bind and get away from this awful, supercilious family.
It is such a shame he ran into her at that luncheon and ruined everything he had worked for. (Oh wait, his boss set him up, i just found that out.) OK I had best go finish the book now!
Allison wrote: "Grace felt a lot like the blind man in "Get Out" to me. I think she fulfilled that same role--the person with privilege who "gets it" and is sorry there isn't a better way, but those with talent and power get first dibs in her mind, and the little guys just have to avoid being stepped on if they don't want to get squished."Interesting. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but even though the story is fantasy, it has dystopian elements. And in a dystopia, you often see that continuum: from unthinking acceptance of the situation (nearly everyone) to regretful acceptance with a wish for something better (Grace / the blind art collector) to open rebellion (Miles).
I enjoyed this book very much (4 stars for me). It was a quick read, and I liked the magic idea, even if it was a little confusing exactly how it all fitted together.However, the ending was very confusing for me, I'll need to read it again to understand it better. If all the aether was soul powered, how were they managing to capture all the souls? I couldn't work out why the people were all dying as Miles released the souls.
But overall I enjoyed it, and am looking forward to the next book.
I definitely agree with folks on the rushed ending. It felt like the author either got tired of writing it and wanted to be done. Or, she had a page limit and was getting close to it. However, it was so tooth-achingly sweet (which really, I should be annoyed) and DRAMATIC that I kind of loved it anyway. Stephanie wrote: I also wanted more details on what precisely happened to Nick, as a lot of narrative time was spent tracking him.
Nick was poisoned by one of their their father’s men. He bribed the grocery delivery boy and poisoned the food. This was because he had discovered that the asylums were being used as power stations and was going to go public.
Paul Wrote: However, the ending was very confusing for me, I'll need to read it again to understand it better. If all the aether was soul powered, how were they managing to capture all the souls? I couldn't work out why the people were all dying as Miles released the souls.
They were capturing the souls by using the captive witches as conduits. It was mentioned that witches were supposed to help people cross to Solace after they died. In the asylums they were forced to redirect them to provide aether as a power source.
The witches were dying because they were giving their life force to help Miles. He was using his strength to help Tristan keep the gate open and Grace to Call. He was also using his powers to help redirect the parasitic souls to stop the eventual slaughter, since he was the one who had already learned how to banish them. Without their power, he wouldn’t have been able to withstand the force of the magic or provide strength to Grace.
There were definitely some issues in this book. A lot of items needed fleshing out. Like with Grace and the forced binding. I could see her motivation, but as others said it wasn’t explored enough. She felt like she was doing it for the greater good. Her methods were definitely affected by her father and coming from a position of privilege as Allison said. She knew that the treatment of the Secondaries was wrong and she wanted to make it better, but went about it all wrong as she was completely indoctrinated into the Invisibles. She was the spoiled powerful child of a powerful father that showed her praise. So she saw the injustice, but didn’t really get Miles' need to be free. She also had a sense of being THE ONE. She had been told all her life that she was the powerful and special one. She felt it had to be her that fixed the system. Definite hero complex.
With the forced Binding and the dark secret of the asylums I definitely agree with Stephanie about the dissonance of the light story with dark themes.
Overall I would say the writing was about a 3. But it was just so charming and I enjoyed reading it. If a book makes me stay up until one am when I have to wake up at 6, I kind of automatically give it an extra star.
Plus I liked the language. Two of my favorite lines were:
One even identified me as an organ of elimination
and
I raised one hand in a universal sign of insult.
I mean, what better way is there to say "he called me an asshole" and "I flipped him off"?
(Ok, that ended up being a longer ramble than I anticipated. Oops.)
:)
Mod
Good stuff, Kristin—thanks!
Kristin B. wrote: "I definitely agree with folks on the rushed ending. It felt like the author either got tired of writing it and wanted to be done. Or, she had a page limit and was getting close to it. However, it w..."Wow, love these observations! And I really love your analysis of Grace; I agree with that whole-heartedly but couldn't find the words like you did. The book as a whole was flawed, but lovable. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Kristin -- certainly helps understand it. I think one of the problems I had understanding it was that Miles (and the whole Aeland culture I suppose) misunderstands the magic, so I was getting what was right confused with what Miles thought was right compared to what Tristan understood.
edit-- oops I even managed to get the poster's name mixed up with a character from the book :)
I just finished it and I found it so refreshing, original, witty, complex, subtle, and propulsive. I understand and appreciate that there were aspects of this novel that tripped some of you up, but for me I just found myself consistently interested in learning more about these richly-drawn characters and the world they inhabit. I wasn’t moved to my core by any means, but I was thoroughly enchanted by it, and I have great admiration for the sure-handed skill shown by Polk in her debut novel.
I finished this earlier and found it a really enjoyable read. A good mix of fantasy, detective story and a touch of horror towards the end. I really liked the world that was built in this novel and following the unravelling mysteries and the changes in the characters' relationships. I agree with some of the comments you guys made about Grace. Especially Allison's comparison to "Get Out". And that she could have been fleshed out more.
I enjoyed this - I liked the characters. I thought Miles relationship with Grace worked well. The worldbuilding was pretty good, although I'd definitely like to learn more about Aeland and Laneer. I saw the sequel won't come out for another year...I'm looking forward to it...
