An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jack

The super-rich control everything—including magic—in this thrilling and brilliant, contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.

The wealthy seem to exist in a different, glittering world from the rest of us. Almost as if by… magic.

Stephen Oakwood is a young man on the edge of this hidden world. He has talent and potential, but turning that potential into magical power takes money, opportunity, and training. All Stephen has is a minimum wage job and a cat.

But when a chance encounter with a member of House Ashford gets him noticed by the wrong people, Stephen is thrown in the deep end. For centuries, the vast corporations and aristocratic Houses of the magical world have grown impossibly rich and influential by hoarding their knowledge. To survive, Stephen will have to take his talent and build it up into something greater—for only then can he beat them at their own game.

I was both worried and excited to start reading this book when I received it in the mail a few weeks ago. I went through a phase where all I was reading was urban fantasy, so I think I burned myself out on the genre. I also love the Alex Verus books and was worried that a new Benedict Jacka series wouldn’t be as good. I’m happy that I can say I was worried for no reason at all. An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka was a fantastic read from start to finish. I’ve never really been a big Grimdark fan, but books like this are why I find myself reading the genre more and more.

With this book, I think it’s evident that Benedict Jacka invested a considerable amount of effort and thought into crafting an immersive world. The characters are more than just words on a page; they almost come to life as fully developed and relatable people, exhibiting a depth and complicit that adds an extra layer of authenticity to the series. Additionally, it’s impossible to discuss this book without talking about the fantastic magic system that Benedict Jaka meticulously created. I found it to be both intriguing and well-developed, leaving me eager to explore it more as the series unfolds.

The only thing I was disappointed with in this book is that instead of explaining certain things naturally via the story, we got a few fairly large info dumps instead. However, I do think this was a fairly minor drawback and didn’t overshadow my overall enjoyment of the book at all. The richly developed characters, intricate world-building, and interesting story held my fascination throughout the whole book. I’m eagerly anticipating the next book because I can only see this series getting better. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a new book to read.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.