Review: The Time-Marked Warlock by Shami Stovall

Blurb:

Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best private investigators for hire.

He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother.

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything.

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well.

Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

Review:

The Time-Marked Warlock, the first iteration within the Chronos Chronicles series by Shami Stovall, follows an infamous private investigator and the most powerful warlock Adair Finch, who is forced out of retirement by a young girl seeking his help. Her mother had been murdered before her eyes and her father abducted. Though rusty and reluctant, Finch agrees to assist her, but soon realises that there is a far more sinister plot unfolding in the background. Can he hone his skills and magic before it’s too late?

I discovered this novel while watching one of Petrik Leo’s Youtube videos and I was captivated by the cover design by Chris McGrath, who has illustrated the Dresden Files and Unorthodox Chronicles. The artwork was incredible. As soon as hearing this I read up on The Time-Marked Warlock to see if it was my cup of tea. Almost immediately I got in touch with Shami Stovall about getting an ARC of the book so I could read it. She was absolutely lovely and was happy to provide me with a copy with no strings attached. So let’s get to the crux of the review shall we?

Shami Stovall does something I love, she throws the reader straight into the deep end without any prior explanation of the magic system or the world. The story begins with no time wasted on history or fundamentals. However, this doesn’t mean you’re left in the dark for long. Instead, you gradually learn more about the characters, the world and the magic as the story unfolds, which is one of my favourite aspects of the book. This is cleverly done through Adair Finch, who explains everythings to 12 year old Bree, accompanying him. It's a smart way to introduce readers to the magic system, lore and world-building.

The plot centres on uncovering the mystery of a particular murder, which is resolved by the end of the novel. However, there’s also an overarching story, similar to The Dresden Files, where each book has its own monster or villain of the week, while the larger plot gradually unravels as the series progresses. 

I can’t wait to see more of Adair Finch, as I believe Shami Stovall has only scratched the surface of his character and his magical abilities. Since Finch is shaking off the rust after being in retirement for so long, there’s clearly much more to explore. I absolutely love his ability to manipulate time, allowing him to redo events that didn’t go as planned. It's like a save point in a game, but this overpowered ability comes with its own risks if not executed correctly.

While Finch's depth is revealed at key moments in the story, there’s still so much more to uncover about his backstory and character. I feel like his full potential, both in terms of personality and magical capabilities, has yet to be fully explored and I am excited to see how his development unfolds.

Another character I adore is Kull, the mischievous spirit that Finch bonds with in the story. She’s simply amazing, adding a layer of entertainment by making Finch’s work more difficult, yet she also has a completely lovable side. Kull’s backstory is absolutely heartbreaking and watching her slowly bond with Bree is truly wonderful. I’m excited to see more of Kull in the upcoming instalments of the series.

The only thing that I wasn't a fan of and this is me being very picky is that Adair Finch, the most powerful warlock who has faced monstrosities, loss and near death experiences, allows a 12 year old girl to help him on the case. I would have expected him to be more logical and based on his experience, decide not to bring Bree along. However, I understand that this is a common theme in fantasy like in Harry Potter and many YA fantasy stories.So i can’t fault it completely, as I feel Bree has more to contribute and is likely there to bring out the good in Finch and restore the humanity he lost over the years.

In conclusion, The Time-Marked Warlock is a brilliant start to Shami Stovall’s Chronos Chronicles, offering a solid magic system, excellent characters and an intriguing overarching story. For fans of The Dresden Files, this series is perfect for scratching that itch while waiting for the new Dresden book. I highly recommend  diving into this series, as it has so much to offer and I’m certain it will only get better and expand in scope as the series progresses.