Cursed

Alex Verus, Book 2

By: Benedict Jacka

Narrated by: Gildart Jackson

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Since his second sight made him infamous for defeating powerful dark mages, Alex has been keeping his head down. But now he's discovered the resurgence of a forbidden ritual. Someone is harvesting the life-force of magical creatures-destroying them in the process. And draining humans is next on the agenda. Hired to investigate, Alex realizes that not everyone on the Council wants him delving any deeper. Struggling to distinguish ally from enemy, he finds himself the target of those who would risk their own sanity for power...

©2012 Benedict Jacka (P)2014 Tantor Audio

Critic reviews

"Jacka follows his urban fantasy debut, Fated, with an even more impressive tale of gunplay and spellcraft in present-day London...Jacka keeps the emotional tension high with a series of wakeup calls for Alex regarding his relationship with Luna, his place in London's magical social circles, and his image of himself. [Listeners] will savor this tasty blend of magic, explosions, and moral complexity." ( Publishers Weekly)

I'm hooked

This is just the second book in the series and I know I'll want to read/listen to all the rest.
The characters and the narration are quite interesting. I would recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy, mystery and magic.
Now I'm on to the next book

Love the book; still think its the wrong narrator

Any additional comments?

I love this book & love this series. But I still thing Gildart Jackson is the wrong voice. Not that he's bad, he just conjures up an image closer to David Niven than Alex Verus.
That said, I strongly recommend this book and of course, read the first book before you read this.
For those who have read the first, be prepared to want to slap Luna...she's very annoying in this installement.

crap audio quality

The story is great and the narrator delivers, but, the audio is tinny and fuzzy with occasional bits of an echo.

Yes! Great series.

I'm a Harry Dresden fan, and this is another great series like that one, but British and a totally different story, yet connected. Loving it.

Not a bad series so far

it's been a good series but it's something that goes in bursts. not anything that I can do all in a go. this one and the one before it were like that. but this one I finished faster.

another fun listen

Second book in the series, and I am hooked. On my way to download book 3 now.

Wow...another great performance of a Great read!

Do u believe in magic? Well take a seat and listen to this series. It’s almost like you’re there. And the author and the narrator makes it all seem real. I enjoyed this one and can’t wait to get started on the next one.

Fun urban fantasy with lots of magic

This is the second book in the Alex Verus series. This was another entertaining and well done investigative urban fantasy set in London. I really enjoyed it a lot.

I listened to this as on audiobook and the audiobook was extremely well done. I was very impressed with the narration; the narrator sounds exactly like I imagine Alex would and does an excellent job with other character voices as well.

A few months have passed and Alex has gained a bit of notoriety for his actions in the first book. Alex is hired for a seemingly simple job; accompany some white mages and help them dispose of a werewolf that has been killing people in the area. However, when they arrive the werewolf is already dead and the circumstances around this death are mysterious; it looks like someone has drained the magic from this creature and Alex must find out who and why before humans are next.

Meanwhile Alex has in his possession (and tightly locked away) a powerful magic item called The Moneky’s Paw. Luna has a new friend named Marten that ends up taking this magical item and nothing good has ever come of someone using the Monkey’s Paw.

There is a lot of humor in here as well as magic and action. I enjoy Alex as a character and how he walks the line between white and dark magic. I was irritated at how selfish and stupid Luna was in this installment, but I do understand why she did what she did. I continue to really enjoy Arachne as a character and I loved some of the other monsters we met throughout.

The plot is somewhat similar to the first book. Basically a dark ritual has been discovered and Alex ends up trying to stop it being used for evil. Some of the plot threads from the first book continue and some are new. There are some good twists and turns and this is very much an investigative urban fantasy.

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and thought it was a fun read. I would definitely recommend to fans of The Dresden Files or The Iron Druid Chronicles; although so far this series isn’t quite as good as either of those ones. I plan on continuing reading this series; it’s been a high quality urban fantasy that is fun, entertaining and has some interesting magic in it.

A Hero not Afraid to do What he Must

Any additional comments?

There is something different about this series that I can't quite peg. I like it though.

Maybe it is the lack of current event nods, jokes, and satire. I divide books into two categories, "good" books, ones that make me think or have a purpose, and "entertaining" books that let me have fun and forget life. Urban fantasy tends to fall into the "entertaining book" category. However this one falls more into the good book category. It doesn't quite reach the level of literature, but it definitely plays with themes.

In this book, Alex is back and more popular than ever after the rumors of the events from the previous book leaked out to the magic community. So of course this means he is going to get pulled into the machinations of the council of light mages again in all their evil, Machiavellian ways. You heard that right, that's one of those themes I mentioned, the light mages aren't much better than dark mages. Luna is also back and gets much more page time and character growth. Frankly speaking, she is my favorite part of the series, I like seeing how her character grows.

Beyond this, the story is very well trodden ground. It is how the story is told that makes this book stand above all the three star urban fantasies.

This is not a series you will want to binge, but it is an enjoyable series that I will continue. I love that Alex isn't afraid to do what must be done, unlike so many other protagonists. So if you liked the first book, I recommend this one.

enjoying it

so glad I stumbled upon this series, cute, fun, smart, amusing 😁😁 😁😁😁 😁😁 😁