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Marek #2
Shadow and Storm
Never trust a demon…
…or a Teren politician
Book 2 of the Marek series
…or a Teren politician
Although the city-state of Marek is part of Teren, the Thirteen Houses and Guilds have long been protective of their de facto independence. So Marcia, Heir to House Fereno, expects the annual visit for the Council opening by the Teren Throne’s representative to be nothing more than the usual symbolic gesture. But this year the Lord Lieutenant has been unexpectedly replaced. As Marcia is showing the new Lieutenant, Selene, the view from the top of Marekhill, she suspects that Selene has her own agenda. After all, Teren has politics too, just like Marek.
In Marek, magic is mediated by the cityangel. But elsewhere in Teren magic is enabled by bloodletting. A Teren magician will invoke a demon to do their bidding and bind them with blood. But demons are devious and will take advantage of any flaw or loophole to avoid being bound. An unleashed demon is dangerous and sure to create havoc, and the Teren way to stop them involves the letting of more of the magician’s blood – often terminally. But if a young magician is being sought by an unleashed demon, their only hope may be to escape to Marek where the cityangel can keep the demon at bay. Probably.
Once again Reb, Cato and Jonas must work with Beckett to deal with a magical problem, while Marcia must tackle a serious political challenge to Marek’s future. But of course magic and politics never seem to remain separate for long, especially when Teren politics are involved.
Book 2 of the Marek series
Visit bit.ly/ShadowAndStorm
Once again the cover artwork is by renowned artist Tony Allcock
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 3, 2020
About the author
Juliet Kemp
38 books10 followersJuliet Kemp (they/them) is a queer, non-binary, writer. They live by the river in London, with their partners, child, and dog. The first book of their fantasy series, The Deep And Shining Dark was on the Locus 2018 Recommended Reads list; the fourth and final book, The City Revealed came out in 2023. Their short fiction has appeared in venues including Uncanny, Analog, and Cast of Wonders; they were short-listed for the WSFA Small Press Award in 2020 and 2023; and they had a story in the 2021 Lambda Awards shortlisted anthology Trans-Galactic Bike Ride. They've also written non-fiction.
When not writing or child-wrangling, Juliet knits, climbs, indulges their fountain pen habit, and tries to fit an ever-increasing number of plants into a microscopic back garden. They can be found on Twitter as @julietk, on Mastodon as @juliet@zirk.us, and on Bluesky as @julietk.bsky.social.
When not writing or child-wrangling, Juliet knits, climbs, indulges their fountain pen habit, and tries to fit an ever-increasing number of plants into a microscopic back garden. They can be found on Twitter as @julietk, on Mastodon as @juliet@zirk.us, and on Bluesky as @julietk.bsky.social.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 6, 2021
Content warnings: Gaslighting by a parent, blood magic
I remember having read an earlier version of this book, and I really had a blast reading the finished product. Marek is, on paper, part of a larger realm called Teren, whose magic comes from demon contracts and blood-letting. There’s a demon on the loose and one of their sorcerers seeks out help from Reb and/or Cato, the two sorcerers in Marek. This magical conflict isn’t so simple because there’s a Lord Lieutenant visiting with her own intentions in mind.
The most powerful moments in this book are the conversations between Marcia and her mother, and Jonas and his mother. Maybe because it hit so close to home to me. There are so many layers, from parents having to see their children as adults and their own individuals to ideals not lining up with the same tangible goals to the subtle refusal of acceptance. I love these characters. As a reader in their late twenties, it feels painfully relatable to me. So, this is also a perfect read for fantasy readers who want that sense of coming-of-age but with older characters.
With that said, my favorite has got to be Cato. He’s just so smarmy, but not without justification for his morally fluid attitude towards, well, everything. A lot of it is spoilers, but it kind of all starts with his politician mother disowning him as a youth for not abandoning sorcery.
I remember having read an earlier version of this book, and I really had a blast reading the finished product. Marek is, on paper, part of a larger realm called Teren, whose magic comes from demon contracts and blood-letting. There’s a demon on the loose and one of their sorcerers seeks out help from Reb and/or Cato, the two sorcerers in Marek. This magical conflict isn’t so simple because there’s a Lord Lieutenant visiting with her own intentions in mind.
The most powerful moments in this book are the conversations between Marcia and her mother, and Jonas and his mother. Maybe because it hit so close to home to me. There are so many layers, from parents having to see their children as adults and their own individuals to ideals not lining up with the same tangible goals to the subtle refusal of acceptance. I love these characters. As a reader in their late twenties, it feels painfully relatable to me. So, this is also a perfect read for fantasy readers who want that sense of coming-of-age but with older characters.
With that said, my favorite has got to be Cato. He’s just so smarmy, but not without justification for his morally fluid attitude towards, well, everything. A lot of it is spoilers, but it kind of all starts with his politician mother disowning him as a youth for not abandoning sorcery.
December 17, 2022
There is a bit of advice about writing, 'show, don't tell'. Show the plot developing, rather than telling the reader about it. Ms. Kemp ignores this. The novel consists mainly of conversations. People tell each other what they want to do, and how they intend to achieve it. The lead character wants to change the constitution. An ambassador makes veiled threats.
When a character is asked to deliver a message, and runs through the streets to deliver it, you realise that's the most active thing you have read so far.
The characters are interesting, with strong personalities, but they spend most of their time bickering. This novel is as much family drama as fantasy. In the first chapter, one character tells us about a dangerous demon, but you spend the rest of the novel waiting for it to arrive.
When a character is asked to deliver a message, and runs through the streets to deliver it, you realise that's the most active thing you have read so far.
The characters are interesting, with strong personalities, but they spend most of their time bickering. This novel is as much family drama as fantasy. In the first chapter, one character tells us about a dangerous demon, but you spend the rest of the novel waiting for it to arrive.
December 12, 2020
A fun read, although there was way too much trade-related politics for me. I was interested in the broader questions of the Teren/Marek political relationship, but the politics went too trade-oriented for me here. I would've liked more magic stuff throughout, so the finale paid off for me. :D
Marek really shines here: I like stories that are strongly tied to place, and I get a very clear feel of Marek from the books.
As with the first book, much love for the queernorm world and multiple nonbinary characters. (Also appreciation for "themself" as the reflexive form of the pronoun they! Themselves for a single person just doesn't feel logical to me especially considering the analogy with plural you - yourself...)
Marek really shines here: I like stories that are strongly tied to place, and I get a very clear feel of Marek from the books.
As with the first book, much love for the queernorm world and multiple nonbinary characters. (Also appreciation for "themself" as the reflexive form of the pronoun they! Themselves for a single person just doesn't feel logical to me especially considering the analogy with plural you - yourself...)
January 19, 2020
I really enjoyed this. Exciting plot, believable characters (mostly incidentally queer), nice chewy politics.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews