A Judgement of Powers

Inheritance of Magic #3

by Benedict Jacka

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.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Fiction

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 4, 2025

Reviews

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

One thing I definitely know about this author is that his ability to craft unique universes shine in this series and in this latest. Poor Stephen can’t catch a break, and he has so many avenues for his future, and none of them are a great prospect. His family, a shadow organization, and his path to a career are his only way to freedom, and he is forced at the end to choose one…what a great addition to the series, and I love how Stephen just makes lemonade out of lemons when everything is his world seems to keep him from peace. This is an action-packed, well-written, captivating urban fantasy book at its finest. Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a confusing episode in this series. I enjoyed myself, but this felt like so much background material and not much action that moved the story forward in a meaningful way.

There was so much time spent in exploring the history and worldbuilding. If this helped me or the main character Stephen understand better what's going on, it might be forgivable. However, we get SO much background and still are so confused at the end of this book.

I've really enjoyed getting this series as advanced reader copies. I liked this but I didn't love this one.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full RTC

[TheADHDreader · Rating 3 out of 5]

really a 3.75 ⭐

This series is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Benedict Jacka is offering us a fresh take on the urban fantasy genre. Fans will certainly find a good entry to the series. We finally have closing threads from the first 2 books and the world and story is finally opening up. Astute readers will know where this is going, but Jacka certainly doesn't answer much on what should be coming up next. The pacing was a bit slowler that the last few entries but the action delivered was fantastic. A Judgement of Powers does suffer a bit from middle book syndrome. With the plot being left open towards the end. The direction of the story feels a bit uncertain other than the few clues we are being given. A move probably done on purpose to keep fans wondering, but part of me thinks this may make the series lose some people who want qastronger hook to keep them around.

However, I'm looking forward to see what is coming next for Stephen. Things are shaping up to be very exciting.

[Kat]

I received a free copy from Berkeley Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. Publish date November 4th.

Review held until October 27th by request of the publisher.

[Patrick Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book, but I keep waiting for the series to become something more. I liked the first book and thought it did a good job of setting up the world. Then when I read the 2nd book, it seemed like it was only half of a book and that it was all just setup for this book. So when I started this book, I expected a lot of excitement and action or some kind of big payoff. But that didn't really happen. Instead, this was pretty slow moving for the first 80% of the book and really just focused on doing more of the same training/skill development he's been doing throughout the series. No big reveals or major changes in Stephen's life. There are even moments where Stephen says he expected something to change, but the world just kept going on like normal.

I enjoy spending time with Stephen and learning about the world, and the fights he gets into are always exciting, but to me the story lacks suspense and drive. There hasn't been a goal of taking down the Winged or taking over House Ashford or anything concrete like that. Simply he wants to reach some vague level of personal strength so he can stop being used, but most of the time he has been generally left alone.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smooth urban fantasy. Benedict Jacka is one of my favourite authors. I’m thoroughly enjoying his new series An inheritance of Magic. This is the third installment with I believe lots still to come.
Again we have a part of the story of Stephen Oakwood’s story. Even though the pace at times is slow, I really enjoyed spending time within these pages.
We meet Stephen’s father, though lots of questions remain. Stephen is having to make a decision about his future, forced on him by outside players. Some of whom want either to recruit him or are equally happy to totally remove him from the board. Which in some ways is surprising because in all honesty Stephen is really at the bottom of the pile. So why the interest?
Though there are suggestions he is on the rise, if he can survive long enough. But his main problem is he wants to be in control of his own direction. So gaining a crew to go on heists is high on his agenda. So begins the fun and hurt.

Thank you to Little, Brown Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Benedict Jacka raises the stakes in this second Stephen Oakwood novel, blending corporate intrigue, magical politics, and plenty of danger. What started as simple goals: find his dad, pay the bills, care for his cat, spirals into assassination attempts, shifting alliances, and a ruthless world of Houses and cults.

I really enjoyed how the magic system continues to feel fresh and dangerous, and Stephen’s struggle to figure out his own gift (and who he can trust). The pacing is sharp, the world-building rich, and the mix of everyday humor with high-stakes tension makes this series so bingeable.

Tropes

🏢 Corporate magical intrigue

🐈 Cat dad energy

⚔️ Assassination attempts

🧩 Hidden powers

🤝 Shifting alliances

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group | Ace for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Fuzzles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mild general spoilers

Another exciting novel in An Inheritance of Magic, Benedict Jacka’s newest urban fantasy series, after the stunning conclusion of his Verus series. The stakes are still high in the third book in the series, A Judgement of Powers, while the mysteries keep coming. Stephen has to figure out who is trying to kill his family members, while still trying to remain independent from both his aristocratic family and a sinister secret cult. Both sides want to control him, and both have hidden motives. Great action scenes and strong characterizations, as always with Benedict Jacka.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available for my review.

Still enjoyable, but this book suffers from being toward the middle of this series with less action and more worrying about who is friendly, who is not, why he got his "extra" powers, and what to do next. The pace does pick up very nicely toward the end of the book and I look forward to seeing where this all leads.

[Sarah Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. I have loved this series from the beginning and while this latest instalment was perhaps not as exciting as the previous two, it is clearly setting the scene for the next phase of the story. Highly recommended for urban fantasy fans.