Caffeinated Reviewer | A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka
4th Nov
Narrated by Will Watt, A Judgement of Powers by Benedict Jacka pulled me back into the world of an Inheritance of Magic. This is the third audiobook in this urban fantasy series, and our young magic wielder, Stephen Oakwood, is honing his power, learning more about the world he finds himself thrust into, and building allies. An action-packed adventure that has me itching for more.
A Judgement of Powers
by Benedict Jacka
Series: Inheritance of Magic #3
Narrator: Will Watt
Length: 9 hours and 44 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x
In a world where magic is controlled by wealthy families and vast corporations, one young man will need all the help he can get in this riveting contemporary fantasy from the author of the Alex Verus novels.
Stephen Oakwood’s ambitions used to be simple. Pay his bills, track down his father, and take care of his cat. Maybe study a little magic after work, if he had time.
Now it’s a year later and he’s got everything he wanted. But it’s come with a price.
The Winged, a mysterious group involved with his father, have noticed Stephen, and they want him to join them or else. His career as a corporate locator has hit a dead end. And his new job as bodyguard to Calhoun Ashford is proving a lot more lethal than expected due to assassination attempts from outside the House, and possibly also from within.
To survive, Stephen’s going to need allies of his own. And along the way, he’s going to have to figure out the secret of his own gift, and what it means. The cults, Houses, and corporations of the magical world are locked in an endless battle for dominance, and Stephen is beginning to realize that he’s going to have to pick a side . . . before someone else picks it for him.
I love slipping into the worlds Benedict Jacka creates, and was excited to dive into the third audiobook in the Inheritance of Magic series. Like most urban fantasies, I recommend listening to this series in the order of its release as our understanding of the world develops further with each book and time spent with Stephen Oakwood, who discovers this world of magic along with the readers.
This is the third audiobook in the series, and the pacing and action are slower, but Jacka rewards us with a more in-depth knowledge of the world, Stephen’s magic, his family and more. We see some threads close as the author prepares to take us into the next part of this series.
Like his previous Alex Verus series, Jacka creates this incredible world of magic, and our novice protagonist gains knowledge and skills with each book. This is a world where power is not merit-based and knowledge is power. The disparage between the wealthy and working class is clear throughout as Stephen and his allies struggle to make ends meet each month and the wealthy control most of the profitable magic sources.
Stephen is a likable guy who is proving to be not only smart but a skilled wielder. To survive in this world, you need to be clever, resourceful and to choose your allies wisely. We’ve got warring power families, struggles within family hierarchies and those on the street vying to survive.
The ending is wide open with limitless possibilities. While I feel like I have a sense of where and how this will play out, I am excited to continue the journey. I highly recommend listening to the audio version narrated by Will Watt. He has become the voice of these characters, and the story lends itself perfectly to this format.
About Benedict Jacka
Benedict Jacka became a writer almost by accident, when at nineteen he sat in his school library and started a story in the back of an exercise book. Since then he’s studied philosophy at Cambridge, lived in China, and worked as everything from civil servant to bouncer to teacher before returning to London to take up law.
About Will Watt
Hailing from across the pond, Will Watt is a British voiceover artist and audiobook narrator with a talent for believable characters, intelligent delivery, and writing about himself in the third person. Although American is not his native language, he speaks it almost as fluently as he speaks English! He is also a master in the kitchen and a Jedi in training.
Stay Caffeinated!
Never miss a post by adding Caffeinated to your Inbox
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
