A good book, but again ending is mid sentence almost and a huge cliffhanger. I would have looked forward to the third book and for sure I would have read it, even if it ended in two more pages. I expected it will be same in middle of it ending like the first book, but I really hoped not.

Other then that it's a good book, same pacing and style as the first one, and the plot continues where we left it. I did enjoy the first book more, this one had a lot less about the world, though we do learn a few new things.

I look forward to the next book and I am very curious about developments at the end of the book.

An Instruction in Shadow is the second in this new series and after the events of the first book Stephen is just trying to keep his head above water and his job locating wells but then his douchey friend Gabriel opens his his gob and Stephen gets suspended. So to keep himself from sliding into debt he takes a job that’s not strictly kosher but not totally bad either, a boys got to eat. All the while shady Byron is still trying to seduce him over to the dark side and get Stephen into his secret organisation that he wont fully explain but will tell Stephen about his lost daddy if he joins. Also his estranged mother wants a chat so he’s a bit stressed, the poor lad. I really enjoyed this, I love the juxtaposition of the practicalities of trying to just live and pay rent and have normals friends to go down the pub with and all the mad magic, secret society, family dynasty chaos. I loved that Stephen had to reassure his flatmates that men with guns weren’t going to turn up again in the near future and then Stephen getting beat up by a psychotic cult member only to be saved by his bionic car. Fabulous.

Satisfying urban fantasy series. I really enjoy Benedict Jacka’s storing telling. I am always happy to spend time with his characters, his plots are engaging, and there is enough humour lighten things and keep me happy. The whole is totally believable fiction. I say this because book two in the series doesn’t move the big story on much at all. But that’s okay for me. We learn a little more about Stephen, the main character, and more about his parents and the extended family. A little more about the magic system being used. A little more about The Houses. There are little hints that things are going to continue to build up as the series continues. Next book please. Now would be nice. Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

Benedict Jacka seems to be the gift that keeps on giving. This is a really good next installation and I'm liking the direction it's going in.

Thank you NetGalley for providing an ARC, all opinions are my own.

I loved Stephen’s slow progress to gaining more power and being able to fight back against his enemies and being able to see more of the chessboard in this world now. In book 1, he was unable to gain an advantage because this was world was an unknown to him, in book 2, we see him becoming more confident and stronger- he learns to be more secure and he thinks more out of the box, finding solutions no one would expect of an individual that only recently gained more power.

I liked reading this book, I do wish there were more scenes with the Ashford family, Ivy, the priest, and the winged. They are the more interesting aspect to this story, Stephen’s interactions with these characters is always interesting. More of the Ashford family, for more political dialogue, with the priest as a mentor figure, Ivy as a potential partner, and learning more about the winged- for Stephen to deeply understand the world more.

Again, I thought book one was a perfect length, due to it being an introduction to the characters, world, and magic system- however I would have liked this book to be longer and with more action outside London.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, this was an easy read, it was continually entertaining, I would have liked more depth, but I can see the series potential to becoming exceptional, there’s all the ingredients, it just needs a special twist. I loved the cliffhanger, and I am excited to read the third book. We finally are able to move forward and take action for an issue that has been taking over Stephen’s life. This could definitely make the series a five star contender!.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I very much enjoyed the first instalment and the next chapter in Stephen's story did not disappoint. It is very much more of the things I liked in the first book, a rare combination of a fast paced read combined with a detailed magic system and worldbuilding. I look forward to the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This was an excellent continuation of the first book that threaded the needle nicely between continuing the world building required for a rich story environment and providing consequential action and character growth.

Stephen is beginning to operate more comfortably within the new world he finds himself while still being underpowered and vulnerable to many of the foes he faces. His continued growth and the expansion of his skills, arsenal, and knowledge form important parts of this book, and his creative problem solving leads to several satisfying mini-resolutions.

Several peripheral characters from the first book are given more page-time, and this helps with the world-building as explanations are well crafted and never come across as exposition dumps.

It is an enjoyable follow-up to book one that grows both character and world. The only issue I had with it is that I now have to wait until 2025 for the resolution to THAT ending