Review: Fated by Benedict Jacka

 

Fated (Alex Verus #1) by Benedict Jacka

Publication Date: February 28th 2012 by Tantor Audio & Ace

Pages: 302

Audio Book Length: 10hrs 33min

Narrator: Gildart Jackson

Source: Library Lend

Rating: ★★★★★

Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Audible | Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I’ve been wanting to start the Alex Verus series for a long time, and it did not disappoint!

 

Alex Verus is a magic mage who can see into the future, see how different choices will play out, but being burnt by other dark, and mercenary mages has made him cautious.

 

Alex keeps to himself, under the radar of the magic Council and other mages, but he becomes much sought after when different factions need his help to open a powerful relic. Not a safe situation at all!

 

Loved Fated! It was a rich, interesting world created, yet the worldbuilding is worked in so that it didn’t drag the pace down. I’m a sucker for the underdog kind of character, and Alex fits that to a T. He has powers, yes, but it’s through his cleverness and learned experience that he prevails. I love his moral compass and the friends that he’s come to care for: Luna, Arachne, and Starbreeze. I already have my hold in for the next book!

 

This was the first time listening to Gildart Jackson and I enjoyed his performance of all voices! 

5 Stars

Book Description:

Enter a “gorgeously realized world”* and meet a mage destined for greatness in the first novel in the national bestselling Alex Verus series.

Alex is part of a world hidden in plain sight, running a magic shop in London that caters to clientele who can do much more than pull rabbits out of hats. And while Alex’s own powers aren’t as showy as some mages, he does have the advantage of foreseeing the possible future—allowing him to pull off operations that have a million to one chance of success.
 
But when Alex is approached by multiple factions seeking his skills to crack open a relic from a long-ago mage war, he knows that whatever’s inside must be beyond powerful. And thanks to his abilities, Alex can predict that by taking the job, his odds of survival are about to go from slim to none....