Book Review: Witchmark by C.L. Polk

TL;DR: A charming story about love, betrayal, loss, and bravery, Witchmark by CL Polk is a beautiful tale, but just a tad too short.

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Miles Singer is a healer with a secret. When a dying man is brought to the hospital by a good-looking wealthy man and requests Dr. Singer help him, it sets Miles on a path to confront his past. There is also a love story (LGBTQ+) and a reconciliation of his past, his trauma, and his future.

I liked this book quite a bit. Miles Singer is a well-written character in an interesting alternate version of Kingston. The magic and the explanation for it are interesting and the mystery is good. However, it ends too abruptly and the secondary characters aren’t as fleshed out as they could be. For all that and more, I rated this 4 stars.

The Plot

Miles Singer is a psychiatrist in a hospital overwhelmed with soldiers coming back from a war. Soldiers who feel someone inside of them telling them to kill. When a man is brought into the hospital, dying from poisoning, he gives Miles his power and tells him he has to save them all. A well-dressed man brought the dying man in and wants Miles’ help to solve his murder.

In order to do that, Miles will need to confront his past and his family, and maybe lose that which is most precious to him – his job as a healer, because Miles has a secret. He can do magic and he’s been in hiding for years. Unfortunately, on the quest to solve the man’s murder, his secret is revealed and endangers everything he held dear in his life.

Will Miles figure out the evil disease afflicting the soldiers coming back from the war without becoming enslaved to his past?

What I liked & liked less

I loved the world building in this story. The magic and aether layered over 1920s England (of sorts) is very interesting and the politics make for a strong conflict. I also liked the rich vs poor theme which dominates the story.

I loved Miles, who is the least selfish man out there, but who struggles with his past and his worth. But his bravery and persistence are what make him a great character. He suffers from what he is trying to cure in his patients – PTSD (or what he thinks is PTSD, but spoilers!). He struggles with the demons of his past and comes out at the end of the book stronger and yet still the same unselfish man who was awarded medals during the war.

I also liked Tristan, Miles’ love interest, although I found he wasn’t as well-rounded as he could have been. If you asked me who he was, I could give scant details beyond what he looked like and where he lived.  I like the differences between his beliefs about magic versus Miles. I only wish he’d been fleshed out more.

Miles’ sister, Grace, is an interesting character, although we don’t see much of who she is either. It’s as if the story is so centered on Miles, we can’t see much of those around him. She makes mistakes and learns from them, but while also failing to see what is in front of her.

The PTSD of those soldiers returning and the explanation for what is causing it is unique. It is not something that would explain it in our world, but it blends our reality with the reality of the book really well.

I would’ve liked it to be longer. Once we get to the third act, the unveiling of the mystery and breaking it down is mere pages compared to the rest of it. It’s as if the author was more focused on Miles and his arc than the external plot. It is part of a series, so that could be why the author cut the end short, but it was still not as satisfying as I would have liked, with all the threads too easily tied up.

To Sum Up (Too Late!)

If you like a mystery with a caring, unselfish hero, you’ll like this tale. If you like urban fantasy or speculative fiction with an interesting world, you’ll like this story. Because I didn’t really know Tristan or Grace and because the ending felt too neat, I knocked it down a star. I still recommend it as great book to read about mental health, LGBTQ+ love, and a true hero. For all that and more, I give it 4 stars.

About the Author

C. L. Polk (they/them/she/her) wrote the Hugo nominated Kingston Cycle, beginning with the WFA winning novel Witchmark. Their Subjective Chaos Kind of Award winning novel The Midnight Bargain was a Canada Reads, Nebula, Locus, Ignyte, and World Fantasy Award finalist.

After leaving high school early, they have worked as a film extra, sold vegetables on the street, and identified exotic insect species for a vast collection of lepidoptera before settling down to write fantasy novels.

Mx. Polk lives In Calgary on Treaty 7 land, among the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, and the Métis Nation (Region 3). They dwell in an apartment the same age as they are with too many books, not enough cats, and a yarn stash that could last a decade. A city person at heart, They menace the streets on rideshare scooters and ride a green bicycle with a basket on the front.

If you wish to purchase this book, pick your vendor of choice, or just cave to the man and get it from Amazon.

This fills in the Mental Health square on my Fantasy Bingo 2022 card.