The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer

I readily admit to having a penchant for the Gothic and the Supernatural and this book certainly covered both of those in spades.  What I didn't expect was how much I would enjoy this book, I was immediately sucked in to Charlie's world and was reluctant to leave it (slow night at work, Kindle on desk and a frustrated Duty Manager asking you the same question three times before you realise you aren't in a fantasy of Victorian London but in the office - whoops!).  If pushed to describe the book I would say it is Penny Dreadful Light, but I suspect this is only the case because of the appearance of a certain Doctor Victor Frankenstein.

The clash between the extreme poverty experienced in certain areas of London and the almost obscene wealth in other areas is well juxtaposed and adds to a burgeoning reality in this fantasy piece.  Charlie is a well rounded character and you immediately feel comfortable in their company, almost as though you are toasting your toes in front of an open fire with a gale blowing outside whilst they recount their adventures to you.  There is, however, an element of pantomime to the whole thing with the "baddies" being very clearly cast, so much so you have the urge to yell Boo and hiss as certain characters appear.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, at least I didn't find to to be so.

The actual Ministry Of Curiosities certainly has legs as a concept and the people harboured within it are a complicated bunch.  So far we only really though Lincoln Fitzroy and he is a bit of an enigma - he did give me shades of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins Batman though with his knowledge of fighting and you just know there is a tragic backstory there.  The rest of the Ministry remain fairly shadowy but some of them (I'm looking at you Gillingham) are undoubtedly not to be trusted.

The writing is fast paced and very engaging.  There are some quibbles about Charlie's behaviour once her true identity is outed but they certainly didn't get in the way of my enjoyment of the book.  It is a good mixture of action, fantasy and history that sucks you in and spits you out crying for more, and more there definitely is with 10 books in this series to date.  I would urge you to read it - but son't take it on the commute; you WILL miss your stop.

 I now have the second and the third in the series lined up to read and also the first of the Freak House books so I have my fingers crossed that the same sense of immersion can be found in these volumes.