This book has a distinctly gothic and adventurous tone. The pacing is wonderful and the action set-pieces iconic.

My video review: https://youtu.be/FECvX3A3Yro?t=196

In 1882, the Cairndale Institute collects talented children. These children have necromantic abilities, and are always inexplicably orphans. But the detectives of Cairndale aren’t the only ones searching for the children, and the stakes are much higher than the lives of a few gifted youngsters.

What blew me away about this book was that the moral twists continued to surprise me all the way to the end. As soon as I thought I knew what was going on, the rug was pulled out from under me. I had to confront a new worldview, as I realized that I was looking at this fight of Good VS Evil too simplistically. And then it happened again. And again. It’s stunningly complex, and an adventure all on its own.

The next best thing in this book are the many relationships (particularly the mentoring relationships). The friendships in this book are so real and tender. You get to watch them blossom, and deepen (and then sometimes be destroyed though betrayal).

AUDIOBOOK:
If you have any opinions on American accents, you will likely not enjoy the audiobook. Though the narrator (Ben Onwukwe) does great with the English accents and general storytelling, the American accents (for several of the main characters) are painfully off. I kept hoping that I would get used to it and enjoy the audiobook anyway, but it only seemed to become more annoying. It was so bad that when I played a clip for my sister, she recoiled and wailed, “Why are they talking like that?” Additionally, the narrator has a large amount of vocal fry in his voice, making all the characters sound old and grizzled. I wish that I had experienced this book without the audiobook, because I think I would have liked it much more.

Thanks to Macmillan and Netgalley for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.