Benedict Jacka: An Instruction in Shadow

Hi everyone

An Instruction in Shadow is the second book in the Inheritance of Magic series, Benedict Jacka’s follow-up to his completed Alex Verus series. 
I bought this book from Bol.com

"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."

So far, I don’t love this series.
There are a few things that really got on my nerves. First, the constant foreshadowing; phrases like "but that was about to change" pop up every few pages. It feels like a cheap and lazy way to create tension. Second, we already know Stephen is low on money; it doesn’t need repeating in every conversation or introspective moment. Being reminded of it every few pages got old quickly. I’d rather the book focus more on his learning and growth instead of his financial struggles and his work. And third, there were too many infodumps disguised as conversations with his friend, grandfather, or the priest. It felt unnatural and slowed the story way down.

That said, I did enjoy reading about the magic and Stephen’s progress. The world is interesting, and I love that it’s set in London. Colin is a fun addition to the cast, and I like Stephen as a main character; his interactions, his drive to learn, his humor, and the fact that he isn’t just the best fighter or drucrafter. He has to work for his skills, and that makes him relatable. And, of course, Hobbs is obviously the best character in the whole series.
The pacing is good, there's lots of action and time for conversations, planning and learning. But the infodumps really dragged the story down. I do like learning about Stephen’s family history and the magic, just not in such a clunky way.

The series has potential, but it needs some refining to make it amazing. I’ll read the third book and decide after that whether to continue.

Have you read An Instruction in Shadow or any of Benedict Jacka’s other books? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
Helena

Benedict Jacka: An Inheritance of Magic

 Hi everyone

An Inheritance of Magic is the first book in Benedict Jacka's new series called Inheritance of Magic.
I really enjoyed Jacka's first series; Alex Verus so I had to get this one. I got it from Bol.

"The wealthy seem to exist in a different, glittering world from the rest of us. Almost as if by... magic.
Stephen Oakwood is a young man on the edge of this hidden world. He has talent and potential, but turning that potential into magical power takes money, opportunity, and training. All Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.
But when a chance encounter with a member of House Ashford gets him noticed by the wrong people, Stephen is thrown in the deep end. For centuries, the vast corporations and aristocratic Houses of the magical world have grown impossibly rich and influential by hoarding their knowledge. To survive, Stephen will have to take his talent and build it up into something greater—for only then can he beat them at their own game."

An Inheritance of Magic was good, but not great. The story is quite slow, and there are a lot of boring info-dumps that made the pacing feel uneven. Even with all the explanations, I still didn’t fully grasp the magic system, though that could just be me!
That said, I did like the characters, especially Stephen and his relatable struggle to navigate a world stacked against him. The setting in London added a familiar yet magical backdrop, and Jacka’s easy-to-read writing style kept me reading, even when the plot dragged.

While this first book was a mixed experience, I’m definitely going to read the second book in the series. My love for Jacka’s Alex Verus series gives me faith that this world and its characters will deepen and improve as the story progresses.

Have you read An Inheritance of Magic? Did you connect with Stephen’s journey, or did you struggle with the pacing too? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading.
Helena