Sadie Sadler lives in the big city. Takes the train to work each day. Drinks fancy coffee. Does yoga… and never, ever does magic, lest it leads Gabriel Thornber straight to her door.
Sadie’s family have used their magic to protect the small northern town of Mannith for centuries. But now, Sadie’s brother Brendan is on trial for murder, and Gabriel, the charismatic and sinister head of the Sadlers’ only rivals, is moving to take the town. Only Sadie has both the knowledge to save Brendan and the magical strength to face down Gabriel.
The trouble is, there’s a good reason Sadie left home and turned her back on she bargained away her powers and her body to Gabriel to save her damn brother the last time he got in trouble. If she comes home, Gabriel will try to collect… but there’s no way she’ll allow her brother to rot in jail or her family’s strength to wane.
Returning in disguise, Sadie’s plan to save Brendan and get out is tested as she’s dragged back into a world of magic and power, with Gabriel at its centre. Battling both her long-standing terror of him and a growing, dark attraction, she must decide who Mannith’s real villains are and how far she’ll go for her family.
A promise made… a magical debt unpaid. This is a fight that could cost Sadie everything.
I originally read this book and rated it three stars, but on my re-listen, I found myself enjoying it more. The same issues still bother me, particularly the poor choices Gabriel makes and how they affect Sadie. He has a steep hill to climb to win me over in the next book.
What drew me in this time was the magical worldbuilding. I loved the idea of characters being able to speak with their dead relatives when visiting their graves. Sadie's conversation with |gabriel's mother was genuinely moving. At the same time, there’s a very dark side to this magic, and the cost required to maintain it is quite horrific. I was surprised that more characters weren’t actively searching for an alternative, given how brutal the consequences are.
The enemies‑to‑lovers thread worked well for me, and despite my frustrations with Gabriel, I’m invested enough in the relationship and the wider mystery to want to see what happens next.
The twisted Mark is a dark fantasy with a compelling magical concept and a romance I’m curious to follow further.
Buy link- Audible UK Amazon UK
