Caffeinated Reviewer

Narrated by Will Watt, An Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka is the second audiobook in the urban fantasy series, Inheritance of Magic. Stephen Oakwood is a novice drucraft wielder who is attempting to navigate this magical world while dodging bullets from his family and finding his father. An addictive second installment in a world I look forward to exploring further.

The ultra-rich control magic—the same way they control everything else—but Stephen Oakwood may just beat them at their own game in this exhilarating contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

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.

* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF that contains the glossary from the book.

Stephen Oakwood runs into trouble when he shares information about his craft with a friend. This has him suspended from his job and looking for other sources of income to hone his craft and wield drucraft. Like Jacka’s Alex Verus series, the Inheritance of Magic series gets better with each book. I really like the voice of Stephen. His new friends and enhanced cat named Hobbs make delightful sidekicks.

Now that he has been suspended from Linford and not receiving cash for finding wells, which contain the magic needed for drucraft, he has taken on side jobs from less than reputable sources, including his mother’s family. Everyone seems to have their own agenda, and Stephen has to navigate them all while trying to find his missing father.

This second book was more action-packed as Jacka set up the world in the previous novel and could flesh it out further in book two. Calhoun, the heir to his family’s dynasty, may be an ally, but I am still wary, especially if Stephen continues to strengthen his skills. We meet Stephen’s mother, come across other skilled wielders, and meet Byron, someone determined to recruit Stephen.

The story that unfolds was well-paced, providing answers to some of Stephen’s questions while expanding our knowledge of the magic world. Stephen is clever and for someone new to this world, often sees the bigger picture. I enjoyed watching his skills improve as well as his understanding of the magic. The story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger with tidbits about things to come.

Will Watt narrates and has become the voice of Stephen Oakwood. He enhances the overall tale and offers unique voices for each of the characters making listening my preferred choice. Jacka is a master storyteller and his writing lends itself perfectly to this format.

Fans of well done urban fantasy, unique magical systems and underdogs will want to begin this series. As with most urban fantasy, I recommend listening in the order of release.

Amazon | Audible

About Benedict Jacka

Benedict Jacka became a writer almost by accident, when at nineteen he sat in his school library and started a story in the back of an exercise book. Since then he's studied philosophy at Cambridge, lived in China, and worked as everything from civil servant to bouncer to teacher before returning to London to take up law.

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About Will Watt

Hailing from across the pond, Will Watt is a British voiceover artist and audiobook narrator with a talent for believable characters, intelligent delivery, and writing about himself in the third person. Although American is not his native language, he speaks it almost as fluently as he speaks English! He is also a master in the kitchen and a Jedi in training.

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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2024 Audiobook Challenge

About Kimberly

Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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