It starts off pretty slow and chill, with Miles Singer working at a mental hospital. Yes there was a love story and it was very sweet and I liked it, but oh boy was there a lot of story beyond that, and it got seriously dark. I was not prepared for the wild ride this book had in store for me. I was expecting a nice chill love story between two men, maybe some sort of fantasy of manners. I know nothing of romance books, but Witchmark by CL Polk was the HEA bookclub pic for december on r/fantasy, and I’d heard only good things about it, so I went in. Even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veteran's hospital, Miles can't hide what he truly is. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn't leave his past behind. Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be a slave to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum.

Moving at a brilliant pace and pulsing with deadly intrigue and unforgettable characters, Witchmark grabs listeners and doesn't let go until the thrilling conclusion. In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a world war, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own. A stunning, addictive fantasy debut that combines intrigue, magic, betrayal, and romance in an original world with a historical WWI tone.

Witchmark cl polk