Witchmark

I didn't care much for Witchmark, and found it a chore to finish. And I'm trying to figure out why. Part of it is that I very often had no idea what was going on. The climax of the book left me completely baffled. And author C.J. Polk seems to have focused more attention on world building than a plot that makes sense. That may be my fault, but I don't think so.

Witchmark, which is fantasy and not horror, despite the title, is set in alternative world that is very much like England around World War I. The narrator is Dr. Miles Singer, a psychiatrist at a veteran's hospital. His country has just come out of a war, and many of his patients are experiencing shell shock. Singer's secret? He's a witch. Or is it a mage? I never quite go the difference.

His particular talent is for healing, which is why he left his family of hot-shot witches (or mages) and went off to war. His sister, Grace, is far more powerful than he. She is a Storm-Singer, who can control the weather. He is a secondary, which I took to mean he is a tier below her. I'm not sure.

The book kicks off with a man coming to Singer as he is dying. The man is brought to him by Tristan Hunter, whom we later learn is Amaranthine. Polk uses the tactic of throwing these terms out there and expecting us to figure it out. A glossary would have been nice. I guess Amaranthines are something other than human, but Tristan and Miles fall in love (a same-sex fantasy relationship is a fresh approach).

Anyway, Miles and Tristan try to solve this man's murder, and are blocked at every turn. It has something to do with witches kept in an asylum, but don't quote me.

The book is decently written, I just found it confusing and a bit too precious for my tastes. There is a lot of mention of food that is eaten and clothes that are worn. Though this made me hungry, it didn't satisfy me on a literary level. This is the first book in a series, and I won't be back.