Glory is from a family of witches and lives beyond the law. She is desperate to develop her powers and become a witch herself. Lucas is the son of the Chief Prosecutor for the Inquisition—the witches’ mortal enemy—and his privileged life is very different to the forbidden world that he lives alongside. And then on the same day, it hits them both. Glory and Lucas develop the Fae—the mark of the witch. In one fell stroke, their lives are inextricably bound together, whether they like it or not...
The concept of this book is both gripping and original. Set in an alternative London where witches are a rare race that are discriminated against and witches form gang-like covens to protect themselves against the anti-witchcraft rule, this book shouldn't work, it's very ambitious and I really didn't believe that it could have worked. But it did, Powell pulled off this fantastic concept and the result is a gripping and entertaining book that I really enjoyed.
What I liked the most about this book is the world. I could really see modern day London in the book, with the Glory's chaviness (if you're not British and don't know what a chav is, look it up) and the schools and parties and political side of things but at the same time it's a grittier view of the city, a darker view because of the discrimination and the public burnings. The setting was both striking and real and I really liked that.
I also found that the characters were great. I liked that Glory was tough as nails and a bit of a chav with her way of speaking and dressing, it was a refreshing change from the vulnerable heroines that we read about a lot these days but I do feel that she could have shown her soft side a little bit more. Lucas was a strong character, not as strong as Glory but I found that he was also tough and brave but had an air of fear about him. I think that the romance between these two characters could be amazing but I also like that it wasn't really there and it developed naturally and if there is a sequel I can't wait to read more about these two.
The pacing was great in this book. It wasn't the type of book that I had to keep reading and couldn't put down, but when I did put it down I couldn't wait to get back into it. It's quite a long book but I didn't really find myself getting bored or anything, this book was well paced and well written.
Overall, a well paced and enjoyable book with great characters and a great setting. I'd definitely recommend this one.
Overall Rating: B+
Book released 7th June 2012 by Bloomsbury UK
Book received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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