Victorian London, Charlie has been living on the streets for the last five years, moving from one gang to another, hiding one big secret (well, two really) Charlie is in fact Charlotte Holloway.

When a theft goes wrong and she ends up in prison, the death of a man brings about her escape from rape. Being a necromancer (secret nr 2!) she raises his spirit and walks out.
Now two dangerous parties are looking for her but it's Fitzroy who manages to capture her, thinking she is a thirteen year old boy and able to lead them to Charlotte.

Will she be able to escape before they figure out she is in fact the one they are looking for?

My take on the book:

To be very honest, I was quite surprised with this one :)

World building was good. The author described Victorian London really well, slums, sewers, ... As a reader it felt effortless to imagine the scenes.

Character building was good. As this is only the first of 10 books (if I'm correct) it stands to reason there will be a whole lot more delving into the psyche of our characters. But for a first book, it was enough. We got to know Charlie quite well while Fitzroy remains a delicious mystery.

The book was well written and there were next to no errors. There is also no sex (if that is important to you).

The pacing and flow were decent. Some parts felt a tad too long and had me urging them on but I feel this was mostly due to setting things up for our cast not only for this book but for the following ones. While it was something that did bother me a bit I can understand the reasoning behind it. That being said I do hope the pacing is better in the next book. ( )

It started off strong and the concept is great. I just didn't really connect with the characters. I might check out the second book in the series at some point to give it another go. ( )

Very well done! Charlie (Charlotte) is a necromancer, one who can animate the dead. For several years she has been living as a street urchin in London's seedier neighborhoods disguised as a boy because her vicar father has thrown her out of the house as the "devil's spawn." But others are aware of her gift and are seeking to claim it - some of them are seeking to use it for good, others for evil. Charlie must unravel the truth of who is who while at the same time discovering that much of her past has been a lie. Can she unravel her true identity and maintain her own autonomy among those who wish to use her gifts? The plot is interesting but it is the characters that really draw you into the story. Archer has created compellig characters that populate a great story to create a really good read. This is the first book in a series and I am looking forward to the rest! ( )

Decent story, writing and characterization is inconsistent. ( )

I think Charlie would've been better off falling in love with Seth than Lincoln. ( )