Review: Unusual and intriguing YA book.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 5, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this unusual and intriguing YA book. It is part of a series, and unlike me, I suggest you read this one first.The book is set in Victorian London and the heroine is a thirteen year girl called Lizzie Blaylock, with a gift she doesn't understand. She is a "materialising medium" or a bridge for the dead to contact the living.The story opens with Lizzie suffering a seizure at school. She doesn't understand why her friends seem scared of her afterwards and is perplexed the following morning when she is expelled from school for impersonating a class mate who died a few months earlier. Confused and unaware of her "gift" she takes the position of a live-in maid.All is not as it seems in her first placement. Her inability to control her ability leads to an extraordinary series of events but also brings her to the attention of other mediums working in London. Some wish to exploit her for financial gain while others wish to protect her. She is taken in by Simeon de Florence a renowned medium, where with the help of her friend Albert she discovers the truth about her predecessors.Short chapters, lively dialogue, diverse characters and plenty of action drove the story forwards at a cracking pace. Suspense built towards an explosive ending. Very enjoyable.As well as an entertaining read, there is just a subtle hint of a deeper reading of the story; the risk of exploitation of girls "coming of age."The only criticism I could make (Please bear in mind I could be completely wrong as I only read a handful of YA novels and rarely historical fiction) but to me Lizzie felt like a contemporary teenager.I've already read the second book in the series The Scarab Heart, which now makes more sense and I will be looking out for the third book, The Cat who fishes.