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Veiled (Alex Verus novel book 6) by Benedict Jacka (book review).

‘Veiled’ is the sixth book in the ‘Alex Verus’ series by Benedict Jacka. It’s a series that goes from strength to strength and, when I get a new ‘Alex Verus’ book, I always know that I’m going to enjoy it.

In this instalment, Alex has signed up to work with the Council in an official consulting capacity. It seems like the best option out of some dire choices but, when his first few missions go badly, Alex is once again under suspicion of reverting to his former Dark Mage habits and aiding his former Master, Richard Drakh. As Alex slowly gains the trust of Caldera and Landis, two powerful Light Mages, he also learns to work with a Dark Mage who is the only available tutor for one of Alex’s apprentices, Luna. With betrayals from the ‘good guys’ and help from the ‘bad guys’, Alex realises that now, more than ever, the line between Light and Dark is full of shadows and the shadows are where monsters live…

Despite touching on some dark subjects, including sexual abuse and slavery, ‘Veiled’ remains a fairly light read. It follows a similar pattern to previous Benedict Jacka novels, diving straight into the action and moving along at quite a pace until you suddenly find you’ve lost 4 hours and have already finished the book. That’s not to say that it’s all too frantic, far from it. There are lots of opportunities to pause and reflect with Alex or one of his apprentices as they try to figure out what’s going on and there are plenty of puzzles to work out along the way to keep you guessing about what will come next.

In light reads like this series, you often find that characters are under-developed, but Jacka manages to keep the focus on the characters even while the action is taking place. In ‘Veiled’, we learn more about Luna’s magic, get to see what Variam is researching with his new teacher, Landis, who is a character I hope we see again in the next book, and explore further into how the council works, so there’s plenty of development of characters and world-building to keep most readers happy.

I love getting a new ‘Alex Verus’ book and ‘Veiled’ certainly didn’t disappoint. My only complaint is that I wish they were longer so I could enjoy a few more adventures in this world before the book finished. Great fun with plenty of action and engaging characters. I hope to get the next one soon!

Vinca Russell

December 2016

(pub: Orbit, 2015. 355 page small enlarged paperback. Price: £ 8.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-0-356-50437-7)

check out websites: http://www.orbitbooks.netand www.benedictjacka.co.uk

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