Quintessence by David Walton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Despite somewhat of a slow start, QUINTESSENCE builds tension throughout and eventually builds up to a (literally) earth-shaking climax. The characters are somewhat flat, but their motivations are clear, and for the most part have a reason to act as they do. There are plenty of questions that are answered in an interesting way, and the magic is unique, if a little facile, as it suffers somewhat from the “everything is so easy now!” trope. It looks like there could be something left in this quasi-Elizabethan world, so perhaps another story is in the offing. Being a scientist myself, I liked how the scientific method was portrayed (or ignored, depending on which character the story was following at the moment). The ending is hopeful, and the bad guys get their comeuppance. This could have been a faster read, but real life intruded. Pick it up if you like science and magic fused, ocean adventure, or new world discovery.

Received as a digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.

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