Mark of the Witch review

Mark of the Witch by Maggie Shayne is the first book in the Portal trilogy and was published in September 2012 by Harlequin MIRA.

I enjoyed Mark of the Witch for the most part. The writing flowed well, there was enough action to keep the story moving, and a push-pull type connection between Indira and Tomas that made me want to keep reading to see if they would take the leap. However, Tomas had a tendency to push aside important issues "to think about later" but he never did so. Also, he seemed rather blind to the faults of his "mentor" to the extent that sometimes he seemed less intelligent than he was.

Indira had trust issues which were somewhat understandable but also an attitude of entitlement that grated at times. She was a witch and had power but because that power didn't deliver what she wanted as fast as she wanted it, she walked away. It seemed childish and selfish.

The rest of the cast of characters were quite interesting. The "ghosts" of the other two witches from the past, the priestess Rayne was equal parts helpful and mysterious, and Father Dom was over the top awful. All in all, the supporting cast of characters elevated the story perfectly.

Mark of the Witch is preceded by a prequel, Legacy of the Witch, that I have not read and is succeeded by Daughter of the Spellcaster, released in November 2012 and Blood of the Sorceress which is being released tomorrow. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the series.

Synopsis

From New York Times bestselling author Maggie Shayne comes the first novel in her thrilling new trilogy, THE PORTAL She was born to save what he is sworn to destroy...

A lapsed Wiccan, Indira Simon doesn't believe in magic anymore. But when strange dreams of being sacrificed to an ancient Babylonian god have her waking up with real rope burns on her wrists, she's forced to acknowledge that she may have been too hasty in her rejection of the unknown. Then she meets mysterious and handsome Father Tomas. Emerging from the secrecy of an obscure Gnostic sect, he arrives with stories of a demon, a trio of warrior witches-and Indira's sacred calling. Yet there's something even Tomas doesn't know, an inescapable truth that will force him to choose between saving the life of the woman he's come to love-and saving the world.