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Veiled by Benedict Jacka
The Blurb On The Back:
Rebel no more.
Alex Verus is a mage who can see the future, but even he didn’t see this day coming. He’s agreed to join the Keepers, the magical police force, to protect his friends from his old master.
Going legit was always going to be difficult for an outcast like Alex, and there are some Keepers who will do anything to see an ex-Dark mage fail. He finally has the law on his side – but trapped between Light and Dark politics, investigating a seedy underworld with ties to the highest of powers, will a badge be enough to save him?
It’s over 8 months since HIDDEN. Richard Drakh has returned and Alex, Luna, Anne and Variam have been working with Talisid to identify his plans but resources are thin and their leads are running out. Alex is aware of how exposed they all are – especially since there are plenty of Light mages who believe he’s still Richard’s pawn. Refusing Talisid’s suggestion that he work for Richard as a double agent, Alex’s only option is to try and win favour with the ruling Council and the best way of doing that is to join the Keepers by serving as a sanctioned auxiliary. But his past as a Dark apprentice means the Keepers are reluctant to take him and it’s up to Caldera whether Alex will be accepted. She assigns him to investigate a magical fight at Pudding Lane tube station, but nothing is ever simple with Alex and he soon finds himself embroiled in a scandal engulfing the Senior Council – a scandal that some mages will do anything to cover up …
The sixth in Benedict Jacka’s ALEX VERUS SERIES has a filler feel as Jacka concentrates on setting up the political battles going on between Light mages as they respond to the threat from the Dark mage factions, which I enjoyed because it fleshes out Verus’s world. There’s also a degree of set-up in the relationship between Luna and Alex as he realises that he’s reaching his limits as her master but I found the introduction of Dark chance mage Chalice fascinating and I’m really looking forward to seeing the effect she has on their relationship. For all this filler though, there’s still plenty of action and I enjoyed – as ever – the fight scenes and how Alex navigates his way through them. I also welcomed the bigger role for Caldera, a journeyman police officer who does the job the best she can despite internal corruption. I found the introduction of the White Rose group a bit jarring – mainly because there’s been no real mention of it in the previous books and so it took me a while to believe in their power and influence – but also because the sex slavery angle seemed a bit too stereotypical for me and lacked a human angle to give it the punch it needed. Ultimately, there was a lot here for fans of the series and I’m really looking forward to the next book.
The Verdict:
The sixth in Benedict Jacka’s ALEX VERUS SERIES has a filler feel as Jacka concentrates on setting up the political battles going on between Light mages as they respond to the threat from the Dark mage factions, which I enjoyed because it fleshes out Verus’s world. There’s also a degree of set-up in the relationship between Luna and Alex as he realises that he’s reaching his limits as her master but I found the introduction of Dark chance mage Chalice fascinating and I’m really looking forward to seeing the effect she has on their relationship. For all this filler though, there’s still plenty of action and I enjoyed – as ever – the fight scenes and how Alex navigates his way through them. I also welcomed the bigger role for Caldera, a journeyman police officer who does the job the best she can despite internal corruption. I found the introduction of the White Rose group a bit jarring – mainly because there’s been no real mention of it in the previous books and so it took me a while to believe in their power and influence – but also because the sex slavery angle seemed a bit too stereotypical for me and lacked a human angle to give it the punch it needed. Ultimately, there was a lot here for fans of the series and I’m really looking forward to the next book.
Alex Verus is a mage who can see the future, but even he didn’t see this day coming. He’s agreed to join the Keepers, the magical police force, to protect his friends from his old master.
Going legit was always going to be difficult for an outcast like Alex, and there are some Keepers who will do anything to see an ex-Dark mage fail. He finally has the law on his side – but trapped between Light and Dark politics, investigating a seedy underworld with ties to the highest of powers, will a badge be enough to save him?
It’s over 8 months since HIDDEN. Richard Drakh has returned and Alex, Luna, Anne and Variam have been working with Talisid to identify his plans but resources are thin and their leads are running out. Alex is aware of how exposed they all are – especially since there are plenty of Light mages who believe he’s still Richard’s pawn. Refusing Talisid’s suggestion that he work for Richard as a double agent, Alex’s only option is to try and win favour with the ruling Council and the best way of doing that is to join the Keepers by serving as a sanctioned auxiliary. But his past as a Dark apprentice means the Keepers are reluctant to take him and it’s up to Caldera whether Alex will be accepted. She assigns him to investigate a magical fight at Pudding Lane tube station, but nothing is ever simple with Alex and he soon finds himself embroiled in a scandal engulfing the Senior Council – a scandal that some mages will do anything to cover up …
The sixth in Benedict Jacka’s ALEX VERUS SERIES has a filler feel as Jacka concentrates on setting up the political battles going on between Light mages as they respond to the threat from the Dark mage factions, which I enjoyed because it fleshes out Verus’s world. There’s also a degree of set-up in the relationship between Luna and Alex as he realises that he’s reaching his limits as her master but I found the introduction of Dark chance mage Chalice fascinating and I’m really looking forward to seeing the effect she has on their relationship. For all this filler though, there’s still plenty of action and I enjoyed – as ever – the fight scenes and how Alex navigates his way through them. I also welcomed the bigger role for Caldera, a journeyman police officer who does the job the best she can despite internal corruption. I found the introduction of the White Rose group a bit jarring – mainly because there’s been no real mention of it in the previous books and so it took me a while to believe in their power and influence – but also because the sex slavery angle seemed a bit too stereotypical for me and lacked a human angle to give it the punch it needed. Ultimately, there was a lot here for fans of the series and I’m really looking forward to the next book.
The Verdict:
The sixth in Benedict Jacka’s ALEX VERUS SERIES has a filler feel as Jacka concentrates on setting up the political battles going on between Light mages as they respond to the threat from the Dark mage factions, which I enjoyed because it fleshes out Verus’s world. There’s also a degree of set-up in the relationship between Luna and Alex as he realises that he’s reaching his limits as her master but I found the introduction of Dark chance mage Chalice fascinating and I’m really looking forward to seeing the effect she has on their relationship. For all this filler though, there’s still plenty of action and I enjoyed – as ever – the fight scenes and how Alex navigates his way through them. I also welcomed the bigger role for Caldera, a journeyman police officer who does the job the best she can despite internal corruption. I found the introduction of the White Rose group a bit jarring – mainly because there’s been no real mention of it in the previous books and so it took me a while to believe in their power and influence – but also because the sex slavery angle seemed a bit too stereotypical for me and lacked a human angle to give it the punch it needed. Ultimately, there was a lot here for fans of the series and I’m really looking forward to the next book.