Review: 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:
It’s not often I feel the need to buy the book after I’ve listened to it, but Time-Marked Warlock must gain its place on my shelves. It was that holy grail of entertainment concentrate that actually felt like it meant something more than just a good time. The way that Stovall set up her story was masterful and I think it was one of the first high stakes stories without romance that I couldn’t stop listening to. If you’re into modern detective serials with golden age vibes, set in a magical urban fantasy, with spirits, animal companions, kid sidekicks and a groundhog day time loop… this story is for you. So, without risking overhype, let’s talk about why.
“Finch drove through Starbucks and begrudgingly ordered a frou-frou drink and breakfast pastries. The price was damn near half his rent, and all his dignity”
We’re met with Adair Finch at 4:34am, a washed up warlock and retired PI that’s kind of a disaster. But when a knock on his door brings a desperate girl with an intriguing case, Finch can’t seem to, very reluctantly, help himself. What unravels is a fantastic who-done-it with many facets that keep you on the edge of your seat. Stovall’s use of misdirection was sublime as the characters navigate their single day over and over again. I loved the themes of loss, grief, mental health, morality, found family, and innocence that unfolded organically through the story between the laughs. And you’re left with an ending that feels so satisfying, tying up the immediate loose ends while leaving room for much more to come.
The addition of a magic system in the midst of this modern detective novel is delightful. A warlock’s power comes from making deals with magic beings of all sorts, like ancient gods, spirits, trolls, even angels and demons. You can only make so many of these deals and you need to exchange something with them to gain their power. This adds an element of risk and tethers the magic users to their obligations. Our begrudging warlock has the power to rewind time, and with the help of a rune let companions remember their day as well… as long as they use it every time they reset the past. With a mini warlock following Finch’s every move, he’s pushed into more than just solving a case, but mentoring a young wielder in the process.
“The killer… Really didn’t want anyone to know his identity. And Finch had a damn good theory about everything now.”
Those are the kind of elements that made Stovall’s character development so enjoyable. I love Adair’s character, you can just hear him yelling at kids to get off his lawn. Paired with his stringbean sidekick Bree and the mischievous spirit Kull he strikes a deal with, they make a hilariously conflicted trio. But beneath their humor, rife with a satisfying brand of sarcasm, lies a deeper growth and understanding. All three characters develop so well as they navigate the case they’re solving and learn how to work together for their greater purposes. The character controlled time loop lends to a wonderful array of highs and lows for our MC’s, as well as lets us get to know most of the peripheral characters more dynamically than your average story.
Which takes me to the writing. The pacing was superb! Even when the characters were suffering monotony, you were waiting for a mistake. This novel was a minefield of possibilities that our main characters could trip over, and it almost never went the way I thought. Shami’s mastermining, along with her beautiful prose, brought the story to life in such an amazing way. And with so many hilarious pop culture references, modern familiarities, and what-the-kids-are-saying-these-days, it felt fresh and relevant.
“Calm down ya ham-sandwich-for-brains.”
All in all, Stovall has given us a brilliant start, and a pretty limitless set up for a great series. I’ll keep the predictions to myself, but I walk away very excited to see what’s next for our trio as they set out to uncover an even bigger adventure looming on the horizon. I highly recommend checking out this amazing story, with one of the coolest theatrical narrations I’ve listened to!
