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An Instruction in Shadow

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
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.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      August 12, 2024
      Jacka follows An Inheritance of Magic with this dense, pulse-pounding fantasy adventure. Twentysomething Londoner Stephen Oakwood has moved out of his aunt’s house and now lives with strangers, eking out his rent payments by working odd jobs collecting Wells, or stores of magical essence, for anyone who’ll pay. In the meantime, he continues his search for his missing father, an investigation that puts him on the radar of the Winged, a cult that claims to hold the secret to his father’s whereabouts. Becoming involved with the Winged, however, puts him in danger from other prospective members who feel threatened by his presence and desperately want to join the cult themselves. The action never relents and the magic system remains intricately detailed, occasionally overwhelmingly so. Stephen inches closer to discovering his father’s whereabouts, but his journey is cut off by an abrupt cliffhanger that will leave readers more frustrated than excited for the next installment. Still, series fans will enjoy the return to this magical world. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency.

    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2024

      Stephen Oakwood barely managed to survive the introduction to his mother's rich and powerful family with their literally backstabbing games of power. He'd prefer to have nothing to do with them, but neither they nor their world of magic and money are willing to leave him alone. Nor are they willing to give up the information he's been searching for--the location of his missing father. Stephen is too useful a potential pawn to leave alone, and too many in the magical world hope to use Stephen's quest as a way of getting him under their thumbs--or putting him in a shallow grave. He knows he can't fight them on their terms, but from the shadows, he has a chance to outmaneuver them all. VERDICT The new magic system introduced in this series, which began with An Inheritance of Magic, continues to fascinate, and the stories will remind readers of classic urban fantasies (such as the "Dresden Files" series from Jim Butcher), as Stephen's world gets more dangerous and he powers through each setback by learning bigger and better magic and paying a higher price each and every time.--Marlene Harris

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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