Sunday Brunch: The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer

Title: The Last Necromancer 

Author: C.J. Archer

Series: The Ministry of Curiosity #1

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Steampunk Paranormal

Publisher: Self Published

Pub Date: August 11, 2015

Pages: 268

My Copy: E-Book That I Got For Free at Amazon

Book Summary:

Victorian London: For five years, Charlotte (Charlie) Holloway has lived as a boy in the slums. But when one theft too many gets her arrested, her only means of escape lies with a dead man. Charlie hasn't raised a spirit since she first discovered she could do so five years ago. That time, her father banished her. This time, she brings even more trouble upon herself.

People are now hunting Charlie all over London, but only one man succeeds in capturing her. 

Lincoln Fitzroy is the mysterious head of a secret organization on the trail of a madman who needs a necromancer to control his newly "made" creatures. There was only one known necromancer in the world - Charlotte - but now there appears to be two. Lincoln captures the willful Charlie in the hopes the boy will lead him to Charlotte. But what happens when he discovers the boy is in fact the young woman he's been searching for all along? And will she agree to work for the man who held her against her will, and for an organization she doesn't trust? 

Book Review:

This was deliciously fun. I totally loved the way that this book started and ended. I thought it had a great cast of characters and the heroine totally is someone who you really can identify and sympathize with through out the book. Charlotte/Charlie has a great amount of growth in this book.

One of the things is the way that this book started. I love it when our heroine gets herself in quite a pickle. Charlotte has been pretending to be a boy, but when she lands in a cell, things get very intense. There are always going to be a group/gang of prisoners who like to pick on those who they perceive to be weak. So things happen during this incident and a man dies trying to protect him/her and she brings this person back. Plus she uses the dead man to her advantage. This action of course gains her attention to quite a few people that want to use her abilities to their advantage.

Things happen. Charlie realizes that she can no longer can stay with the group of boys that she has been living with. She has to now go with a new group. Charlie/Charlotte has been doing this for nearly five years since her father, a holy man lost his wife and then Charlotte at the time didn’t know that she could raise spirits or the dead kicked her out on to the streets. She knows that it was only a matter of time before she had to leave. Charlie/Charlotte has been doing this for almost five years now. So of course things get even worse than some men kidnap her or at least think she/he is being used for something.

We get to meet some interesting characters, Gus, Seth, Lincoln Fitzroy,  and a certain Lady Harcourt are all going to be part of Charlie’s life in a way she never expected. They all think that Charlie is a boy at first. We learn that they are looking for a necromancer. They need this necromancer in order to stop a doctor whose initials are V.F. (Those who read a lot of horror know who this is) that is trying to reanimate dead corpses. If he gets his hands on the necromancer, then souls can be placed into these dead bodies, so it’s imperative in a way to find the necromancer and keep them safe in a way. They need to use the necromancer skills. 

They all belong to an organization called the Ministry of Curiosities which deals with all the paranormal and some weird things happening. It’s a secret organization dedicated to protecting England and The Queen. The Queen doesn’t even know they exist. They have done this for generations. We learn that Lincoln Fitzroy is the leader. At first they think that Charlotte is a boy. There are things that happen that one never expects. We learn that Fitzroy was chosen at birth to be the leader of this organization. People also tell Charlie that isn’t a boy but a girl.

Once Charlotte’s true gender is revealed, things change drastically for her. She is now dressing as a proper lady should dress thanks to Lady Harcourt. Harcourt is quite a strong female character that she plays well off of against. Harcourt tries to get Charlotte to come live at her home. It’s not proper for a young lady to live with three men. Lady Harcourt is somewhat dismayed by her decision. Yet Charlotte is distrustful of people because of how she has lived. It’s understandable why she turns down this woman’s offer.

We learn about what happened to her when she was first living on the streets and who real her father is. He is Victor Frankenstein. This is quite a stunning surprise to her. Victor claims he is not a madman, but just a man of science trying to help people. He makes the case that the ministry is not to be trusted. They will never understand what makes her tick and that they are just using her for their own purposes. I really like how this book takes some crazy twists. 

The way this book took a lot of twists and turns was interesting. I like how her abilities are what save the day and how Fitzroy comes up with an idea to keep her around after everything that has happened to her. Also the fact that she has started to form an attachment to these men is very different. I like how the relationships are forming, plus these characters are all starting to learn how to work together and even realize how to give trust. Plus the lead in to the next book wants me to read even more of this series. 

A great start to what looks like a promising series.

Rating:

4.5 Hearts