Review Tour & Giveaway: Time-Marked Warlock (The Chronos Chronicles, #1) by Shami Stovall

TIME-MARKED WARLOCK

The Chronos Chronicles, Book One

by

Shami Stovall

Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Capital Station Books
Publication Date: August 20, 2024
Page count: 328 pages

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SYNOPSIS:

Adair Finch is the most powerful warlock in the world, and one of the best private investigators for hire. He has dealt with corporate vampires, murderous werewolves, and even fae royalty. Everything was perfect until he lost one case—the case where he also lost his brother. 

So Finch retired. From magic. From PI work. From everything. 

Bree Blackstone, a twelve-year-old witch, doesn’t know or care about any of that except Finch’s reputation. In the middle of the night, she bangs on Finch’s door. Her mother has been murdered, and now the assassin is after Bree as well. 

Reluctantly, Finch agrees to help, only to discover something sinister has been brewing in town while he ignored the world… He’ll need to dust off all his old skills and magic before it’s too late.

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ENJOY AN EXCERPT:

It was extremely important to note that Adair Finch woke at exactly 4:34am on a cold Friday morning to loud banging.           

Finch opened his eyes and immediately reached for his phone on the nightstand. Most warlocks wouldn’t have cared what time it was, but Finch wasn’t most warlocks. He marked the time with his magic, threw off his blankets, and then stood from his bed, his vision blurred. Finch crept out of his tiny bedroom, the banging echoing throughout his otherwise silent abode. 

If a random passerby had managed to glance into Finch’s apartment, they would have assumed Finch lived with four undisciplined children. Dirty dishes covered every available surface. Clothes piles decorated every corner. The only thing missing was crude crayon drawings across the walls. 

But Finch lived alone. He had for a long time. 

The banging on the front door grew frantic. 

“Help,” a muffled voice from the other side cried. “Help! Please! I need help.” 

Panicked shouting wasn’t a common occurrence in the Applegate Apartments. Most everyone kept to themselves, which was the way Finch liked it. 

No one had come calling for Finch’s help for many years, though. Who was at his door now? 

Once close, Finch peered out the spy hole and stared out into the hallway, his vision distorted into a fisheye perspective. A young girl paced back and forth, just beyond the boundary of his apartment. She stopped in front of his door, her shoulders shaking, her dark brown hair a mess. She grabbed at the long locks, her unsteady hands twisting into a tight grip. 

How old was she?

REVIEW:

5 stars!

Inventive plot, cleverly done! 

Time-Marked Warlock is the first book in The Chronos Chronicles, a new urban fantasy series by author Shami Stovall, and it is an amazing mix of mystery, magic, and new beginnings. Engaging main characters, fresh dialogue, and an inventive plot make this a thoroughly enjoyable series debut!

 

Adair Finch, a powerful warlock, retired from the Stockton PD at the young age of 27, guilt-ridden over the death of his brother, Carter. Ten years later, he keeps to himself and his messy apartment, doing the bare minimum and ordering through Amazon and food delivery services to get by, that is, until awakened by a frantic 12-year-old Bree Blackstone at 4:34 AM one morning. Bree had just witnessed her mother’s murder and her father taken by her killer. Vera Blackstone had impressed on her young daughter long ago that if she was ever in trouble, she should go straight to Adair or Carter Finch for help. Out of the loop for the past ten years, Adair is reluctant to get involved, but he can’t ignore the little girl’s appeal. Together, they begin the search for her missing father and her mother’s murderer in ways the local police can’t match.

 

Adair’s special magic is his ability to start time over from a marked starting point. In this case, it was 4:34 AM, the moment he awoke to the sound of Bree pounding on his front door. As the pair (and eventually the trio when a mischievous spirit named Kull joins them) investigates, Adair restarts time whenever they run into a problem. They go through the same routine with each do-over, fully aware of the previous outcome, but can alter their approach to achieve different, and hopefully better, results. I was instantly reminded of the movie Groundhog Day and how its main character switched up his interactions with the townspeople he met, at first, to get what he wanted, then later, to be of service. Just like that character experiences some positive and healthy growth, so does Adair Finch.

 

Besides the clever plot, mixing the time manipulation with the suspense of the murder and missing father, the author creates a wonderful relationship to watch blossom between Adair and Bree. He’s grumpy; she’s precocious and fresh from the trauma of losing her parents. He’s in his 30s, while she’s 12, and their generational differences were played to the hilt. Throw in the trickster spirit, Kull, and the humor was delightful, even as they hunt for an evil killer.

 

I recommend TIME-MARKED WARLOCK to readers of urban fantasy and mystery readers who enjoy a paranormal aspect in their stories.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shami Stovall is a multi-award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction. Before that, she taught history and criminal law at the college level, and loved every second. When she’s not reading fascinating articles and books about ancient China or the Byzantine Empire, Stovall can be found playing way too many video games, especially RPGs and tactics simulators, or hugging John. 

If you want to contact her, you can do so at s.adelle.s@gmail.com and the following locations:

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