Every family has secrets. Hers are trying to kill her.
Kaija can’t wait to dive into university and leave the wreckage of her past behind. But becoming an orphan and moving in with her weird rich uncle wasn’t on the cards. Neither was discovering she’s a mythical Mage—and something rarer that the unscrupulous ruling party would kill to possess.
Now she’s dredging up long-buried family secrets, chatting with drowned ghosts, and dodging elite assassins and a ruthless mercenary Mage. All while learning to control magic so she can rescue the sister she didn’t know she had from the clutches of an oppressive political regime.
If Kaija fails, she and her sister won’t just lose their freedom, they’ll lose their lives… or worse. And the nation will pay the price.
Cursed Mage is the pulse-pounding first book in the Catenarian Chronicles. If you love chosen one dark paranormal fantasies packed with political intrigue, high-stakes action, and unforgettable characters, hang on for the ride of your life. Start reading today!
Every family has secrets. Hers are trying to kill her.
Kaija can’t wait to dive into university and leave the wreckage of her past behind. But becoming an orphan and moving in with her weird rich uncle wasn’t on the cards. Neither was discovering she’s a mythical Mage—and something rarer that the unscrupulous ruling party would kill to possess.
Now she’s dredging up long-buried family secrets, chatting with drowned ghosts, and dodging elite assassins and a ruthless mercenary Mage. All while learning to control magic so she can rescue the sister she didn’t know she had from the clutches of an oppressive political regime.
If Kaija fails, she and her sister won’t just lose their freedom, they’ll lose their lives… or worse. And the nation will pay the price.
Cursed Mage is the pulse-pounding first book in the Catenarian Chronicles. If you love chosen one dark paranormal fantasies packed with political intrigue, high-stakes action, and unforgettable characters, hang on for the ride of your life. Start reading today!
Kaija Jokiharju plunged underwater, and from the corner of her eye, hundreds of decaying bodies jetted her way. What raggedy clothes remained hung off of their narrow shoulders and arms.
She descended into the midnight green abyss, zigzagging to avoid the onslaught. But they followed each of her movements in unison and continued their pursuit. She kicked harder and swam freestyle, plunging so deep into this body of water’s depths that everything went pitch black—
“Ugh!”
Two sets of scabbed hands seized her ankle. Kaija’s midsection jerked as they tugged but she kicked herself from their grasp. Her knee collided with something hollow, probably what was left of one of their skulls. She choked after swallowing a mouthful of water and her stomach felt like it leaped into her throat as she catapulted upward and jetted from the murky water. No, the water resided beneath her feet. It rose in a tsunami-like wave, inhaling these zombified bodies.
Her face strained as they emitted a collection of wounded screams that were so loud, they echoed through this strange, forested landscape full of lopsided, gnarled trees.
Kaija drew a breath and bolted upright, beads of sweat causing her gray t-shirt to stick to her pale skin. She cleared her throat, reached for a half-empty bottle of water on the nightstand, and shook her head.
Not again. Not freaking again. The same dream plagued her over the summer, growing more vivid every time subconsciousness dragged her back into it.
Distant voices echoed from the living room, pulling Kaija from her thoughts.
Goodness, he had to leave the freaking TV on again.
Kaija flung the dishwater-colored bed sheets off of her and padded across the room as the last vestiges of her nightmare faded. The sound of an infomercial talking about how ten minutes a day on some nifty total body home gym would whip one into the best shape of their lives in thirty days or their money back invaded her ears.
Her dad must’ve stumbled inside after his half-night of binge drinking with the riff raff he hung out with over on Main. And per usual, he left the freaking television on max volume. The third time this week.
Kaija crossed into the living room but sputtered when a powerful odor met her nostrils, forcing her to backpedal into her bedroom and press a forearm over her nose and mouth. Burnt plants. He smoked another joint before turning in. Great. That combo of booze and weed meant he’d wake up sometime between two and three in the afternoon with no idea of what he did or where he was last night.
She prayed he wasn’t scheduled to work the daylight shift in a few hours. Kaija couldn’t imagine what would happen to them if his boss called their dingy apartment’s landline and informed him, or her, really, what had already come from the previous six jobs for yet another no-show. Termination.
“Just another two months, and I’ll be free and on the other side of the country,” she whispered before drawing a breath and striding back into the living room.
Kaija passed the chipped coffee table and turned off the infomercial that now featured some sleazy-looking dude promising her that his latest nutrition regimen would lead to a ten-pound weight loss in just seven days so long as she also exercised on that total body home gym.
Kaija sneered as she struck the power button. “Ten pounds of water weight, dude. Anyone with half a brain knows that,” she muttered as the smell of weed reinvaded her nostrils.
Kaija flicked on an air freshener plugged into the pale-yellow wall, turned on her heel, and strode toward her dad’s room before pausing and thinking better of it. Half the time he returned home with some random chick from the bar, and the last thing either of them needed was for her to barge in.
Nope, she could wait.
But as she motioned to return to her room, a cold chill ran down her back and Kaija hugged herself before something caught her eye on the carpet.
No!
She ran a hand down her face and bolted toward her rune sketchbook that lay open on the floor. Beer from an overturned bottle whose label featured a cheap brand name splotched the pages and beige carpet.
“Dad…”
Kaija worked for weeks on perfecting the sketch for that spell. A thirteen-bind runic talisman that when executed with the correct visualization techniques, was said to increase the odds for its user’s success in any endeavor, like acing a college curriculum.
She had just gotten the slabs of yew wood yesterday. Plus, the athame, the paints, and the necessary ingredients like incense, salt, and even consecrated water. Kaija already had matches to light the flame, and she planned on making two so she could give one to her dad.
“Okay, Kaija,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “Close your eyes and count to five. It’s not like you haven’t committed that combo to memory. You’ll just have to go into overtime mode to get the dimensions, length, and symmetry right again.”
She put herself through a series of breathing techniques, opened her eyes, and motioned to return to her room when something else caught her eye.
Her dad’s door had creaked open. And now that she thought of it, the draft sweeping through the apartment unit stemmed from the open window at the far end of his bedroom. Well, if he was in there with someone that door would be locked. That much Kaija knew.
Distant, frantic sirens met her ears as she crossed into the room, pressed the window into its latch, and locked it. At least it’d drown out the commotion to follow. Surely, she’d see the victim’s face on the morning news while she chowed down on whatever meager granola bars her dad picked up from the twenty-four-hour convenience store that sat on the street corner.
Ryse wasn’t a large town, boasting a population of roughly twenty thousand. But its downtown sector was crime-ridden nonetheless. So sirens and the occasional gunshots were just another part of the soundtrack.
She turned toward her dad’s bed, only to stifle a shuddering gasp. It was empty, and the old-school analog alarm clock that came with this crumbling apartment stated it was three-fifteen in the morning.
That was weird. He never stayed out this late. The bars closed at two, and there were no late-night hotspots in this town. At least none that she knew about.
She jumped and clasped a hand to her chest as three sharp knocks rattled the front door.
Right, of course, he locked himself out. Not that he forgot his key. He lost it while stumbling home. Heck, his knocks probably woke her up and pulled her out of that dream. She just didn’t realize it until now. Odds were, he fell asleep momentarily while she went out to turn the TV off and he’d just now woken up again.
Another series of knocks echoed. Louder this time. Proving her suspicions.
“Alright, Dad, geez!”
Kaija jogged to the door and pulled it open, where two men in black overcoats stared back at her.
“Uh, can I help you?”
The older of the two men spoke in a business-like voice. “Are you Kaija Jokiharju?”
“May I ask what this is about?”
“Are you related to Elias Jokiharju?”
“I’m his daughter. And again, what is this about?”
“I’m afraid we have some unfortunate news.”
Kaija pulled her lips inward and drew a breath. “Look, if he did something, I-I’m gonna have to request he spends the night in jail. We’re pretty much broke at the moment and there’s no way I can post a bail.”
The men exchanged dark glances.
“He didn’t do anything major, did he?”
Not that her father, even in his most drunken state, was a violent man. Well, unless someone else threw the first punch. But that happened just once when she was twelve. And after a five-day stint behind bars while she took up residence on a schoolteacher’s couch, he promised her that would never happen again. But did he forget that promise tonight?
“You might want to sit down,” said the younger of the two.
She closed her eyes, swallowed, and nodded, before inching toward the moth-eaten and beer-stained couch, the men following and sitting on either side of her.
“Kaija, there was an accident outside the Eesti Pub approximately thirty minutes ago. A car had struck the neighboring, vacant building, passenger side first. Your father was thrown from that car and killed on impact.”
Kaija’s eyes widened as realization struck her. Her father’s empty bed at just past three in the morning. And regardless of his ability to walk a straight line, he always made it back by two-thirty, two-forty-five at the latest.
The mess of a man, who, despite his flaws, was the only constant in her life since her mother walked out all those years ago. One who still put a roof over her head, bought Kaija her favorite food every time he landed a decent paycheck, and even squeaked out a few cool gifts on every birthday, plus her new watch phone when she got her acceptance letter to Fenn, was no longer here.
Kaija could do nothing but bury her face in her hands and scream. To curse the world for dealing her yet another bad hand after what should have been one of the more exciting times of her life.
What a remarkable and exciting start to a brand-new metaphysical fantasy series! The world-building and mythos the author establishes between the Mages and the magic system itself are fantastic and well-established on the page. The balance of action with character growth and story development made this feel like a gripping and well-defined world to get lost in. The compelling world the author creates gives the reader a sense of familiarity while also transporting them into a world filled with magic and wonder. The thoughtful approach to the imagery used in the author's writing style helped simultaneously elevate this setting and cement the mythos.
The heart of this story rests in the development of the protagonist and her journey. Kaija was both relatable and engaging as a character, bringing the same sense of wonder and awe that the reader felt discovering this hidden world and the power that rests in the hands of the Mages, all while layering the story with elements of mystery with her discovery of her sister and the intrigue that comes with the introduction of a potential boyfriend, with a supernatural twist. The story and the mythology the author establishes help elevate Kaija’s journey to an entirely new level.
An intense, heartfelt, and powerful dark fantasy novel that readers won’t be able to put down, author TC Marti’s “Cursed Mage” is a must-read thrill ride. The heart and emotional story behind Kaija and her evolution throughout the narrative, the well-rounded supporting cast, and the blend of action with magical suspense made the author's world feel alive and vibrant on the page. The twists and turns that the protagonist and her story go through and the epic world-building the author deploys make this feel like a concrete, engaging world that readers won’t stop getting lost in time and time again.