Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore was one of those books that drew me in with the cover. I love it and while it does represent an aspect of Thea’s story, I’m not sure that it really reflects what the story is truly about which includes magic and zombies.

The main character in this story is Thea Holder and she hasn’t had it easy. She lives with her mother and supports them because her mother is too sick to work. See, Thea’s mom and dad performed a magic spell on their marriage to bind them together forever so they would always know where the other was. Unfortunately when Thea’s dad went off to war and never returned, her mother became bound-sick and if Thea can’t hide it from the authorities, they will come take her mom away. For work, Thea works at the Telephone Club and this is where she meets Nan, her best friend, and Freddie, a mysterious patron.

As I mentioned, Nan is Thea’s best friend, even though they only know each other from the club. As the chapters switch points of view from Thea to Nan, we find out more about her. I have to say, I thought that Nan’s story doesn’t seem to be as fleshed out as Thea’s. It was unfortunate because I wanted to know more about who she is and where she came from. I think it would have added another layer to the story that helped to explain some things.

Once Thea meets Freddy things begin to move a bit more with the story and we find out that not only has Thea’s dad gone missing but others have as well…including most recently, Nan. Freddy was an interesting character. The magic is centralized around him and his part in helping Gerick and Valkenrath. I liked him and I liked seeing the friendship develop between him and Thea. He clearly respected her and wanted more than what Gerick and Valkenrath were trying to accomplish. He also wanted to do the right thing and was willing to risk anything to make things right.

I do wish that we had gotten more background on how the world came to be as it was. There is the mention of the war and the fact that Gerick and Valkenrath were working with the chancellor to keep the city running but I wanted to know more about how the city got to where it is today and why they had to rely on the people that Gerick and Valkenrath (with the unknowing assistance of Freddy) brought underground.

I do have to say I enjoyed Dolamore’s writing and she has created a solid base for developing these characters and their stories more throughout the rest of this series. I am curious to see where she goes with the next book and how things move forward.