Magic Dark and Strange

by Kelly Powell

The Bone Witch meets Sherlock Holmes in this thrilling historical fantasy about a girl with the ability to raise the dead who must delve into her city’s dangerous magical underworld to stop a series of murders.

Catherine Daly has an unusual talent. By day she works for a printer. But by night, she awakens the dead for a few precious moments with loved ones seeking a final goodbye. But this magic comes with a price: for every hour that a ghost is brought back, Catherine loses an hour from her own life.

When Catherine is given the unusual task of collecting a timepiece from an old grave, she is sure that the mysterious item must contain some kind of enchantment. So she enlists Guy Nolan, the watchmaker’s son, to help her dig it up. But instead of a timepiece, they find a surprise: the body of a teenage boy. And as they watch, he comes back to life—not as the pale imitation that Catherine can conjure, but as a living, breathing boy. A boy with no memory of his past.

This magic is more powerful than any Catherine has ever encountered, and revealing it brings dangerous enemies. Catherine and Guy must race to unravel the connection between the missing timepiece and the undead boy. For this mysterious magic could mean the difference between life and death—for all of them.

• ISBN10: 1534466088
• ISBN13: 9781534466081
• Publish Date: 27 October 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 November 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 208
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

What a delightfully captivating tale, despite the lack of world-building. Rather than explain the magic, it just was. I have so many questions!?! While we understand the cost; we learn nothing of the world and how this magic came about. I would have liked a longer story with more depth. Having stated that, the characters and mystery were delightful, as was the twist on necromancy.

The more Catherine and Guy looked for answers, the more danger arose. Catherine was quite clever in pulling together clues, and the red herrings and twists kept me listening.

This has all the details one would expect surrounding historical graveyards, including grave robberies in the name of science.

Karissa Vacker narrates, and her voice suited this historical tale. She provided unique voices for each character and helped set the tone. I found after listening to the first chapter that the narration felt slow. I increased the speed and finally settled on 1.5x.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer