When I heard C.L. Polk’s World Fantasy Award Winning novel Witchmark being described as “Downton Abbey with magic,” I knew I had to pick it up. It’s true that Witchmark has many things that Downton fans will love – most notably Edwardian England inspired worldbuilding. But, there’s other surprises in store for readers as well – including murder, manners and yes, magic.
Witchmark follows the story of Miles Singer, a witch and a doctor who fakes his death in order to escape his noble family’s influence. He starts a new life working in a hospital taking care of war veterans who are afflicted by a mysterious (and magical) illness. Following the murder of one of his patients, Miles’ magic is exposed and he must confront his past to investigate what happened.
During the course of his investigation, Miles meets the enigmatic Tristan Hunter – a handsome chap who is far more than what meets the eye. The two team up to get to the bottom of what happened to Miles’ patient, and as the two uncover deadly secrets, both the suspense and romantic tension grow.
Despite a little bit of a slow start, what kept me reading was Polk’s masterful worldbuilding, as well as the slow burn romance between Tristan and Miles. Even though Witchmark is a quick read at 318 pages, Polk does an excellent job of weaving together the romance plot, the murder mystery and magical worldbuilding. While the main focus of the book is the mystery, the story offers a lot to keep readers engaged. I can see Witchmark appealing to romance fans, as well as more hardcore fantasy fans.
Perhaps it’s a bit selfish to say, but I definitely felt Witchmark could’ve been longer. There is a lot of build-up before the final conclusion of the story, and I couldn’t help but feel it was a little rushed. That being said, there are two sequels to this book, offering readers more to enjoy and discover.
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