Review: Excellent Sequel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 6, 2014
I’d always quite liked Vadim in book one, although we didn’t see a great deal of him, and Elizabeth had a cameo during one of Nate’s press showings. She hadn’t made a massive impression on me and I was concerned how well she’d hold up as a main character in Witchlight. She’s an odd character – strong and icy in public, childlike and vulnerable in private, and flirtatious and passionate with Vadim. I suppose it’s testament to Clark’s writing that the combination works, and demonstrates the complex way that personalities work in real life.Vadim is still as likeable as ever, and equally as complex as Elizabeth. I was pleased to see Nate and Calla throughout the narrative, but Witchlight also deepens the universe in which the books are set. We learn more about the darknet through Vadim’s own trancehacking, as well as understanding New Corinthian politics through Elizabeth’s position as a councilwoman. This is not some random backdrop to a paranormal romance story – New Corinth has its own moods and rules, and is as much of a character as any of the protagonists.As ever, the parallels with segregation are obvious, with FreakTown becoming a “concentration camp” within the city. Given the breakdown in human relations that we see every day on the news, the world depicted in the Magic Born books isn’t so implausible after all. The magic takes more of a front seat in this book – unlike Trancehack, in which only one of the couple was Magic Born, both Vadim and Elizabeth are magic users, and Elizabeth’s empowerment through embracing her abilities is a positive step forward for women within this genre.It’s a gripping read – I literally read the final 44% in one sitting. I think I want to dub these books the start of a new genre – witchpunk. Now Clark just needs to hurry up and release book three… *hint hint*Five out of five!