Alex Verus is no ordinary mage in this urban fantasy world created by Benedict Jacka. He doesn't sling fireballs or cast shields. He's just a shopowner, running a magic shop in the heart of London as his livelihood. However, with the ability to see into the future, anytime, anywhere, and a dark past of his own, he's been more and more in demand lately, with every mage looking for an ally in their ongoing jockeys for power.

The second book in Jacka's Alex Verus series, CURSED is as solid as his first work. There continue to be many similarities to Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series- a tumultuous past, an evil former mentor, a Council whose aims often seem disturbingly murky, and a young female apprentice whose teaching is reluctantly undertaken and whose powers have a decided dark tint to them. Alex, however, seems a darker character than Harry Dresden. He has no faithful dog or cantankerous cat that he can dote upon. He has very limited attachments even to his own apartment and seems to get very little enjoyment out of running his shop. He has no family, few friends and no love interests. He's sure he's one of the good guys, but there's an awful lot of bad and bad-for-hire guys that he's got to kill just to be left alone.

The usual story unfolds in CURSED- some bad mages have gotten themselves access to some seriously evil mojo and it has threatened one of Alex's few friends: a 10-foot tall spider named Arachne (seriously). Teaming up with his apprentice and a mysterious enchantress, Alex will have to look far into the future (and also keep a weather eye on the past) to stop these dark activities.

A quick read and an enjoyable story, CURSED is a strong sequel and will leave readers waiting eagerly for Jacka's next release.