September 4, 2015

The Last Necromancer Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

http://xpressobooktours.com/2015/06/25/tour-sign-up-the-last-necromancer-by-c-j-archer/
Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer! Today I'll be sharing my review of the book with you - and don't forget to enter the great giveaways! To follow the rest of the tour, click on the banner above.


The Last Necromancer (Ministry of Curiosities #1)
Author: C.J. Archer
Genre: YA Historical/Fantasy
Release Date: August 11, 2015

Description:

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?

Because Lincoln and his ministry might be just as dangerous as the madman they’re hunting.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25942167-the-last-necromancer?ac=1
The Last Necromancer is the thrilling first book in a new young adult historical fantasy series. It follows Charlotte - an eighteen-year-old girl who has been passing herself off as a young boy named Charlie for the past five years, after she unknowingly used her powers to make her dead mother come back to life and was disowned by her father. Life on the streets is hard for both young boys and for women. Things are going as usual until Charlie gets caught stealing an apple one day and is thrown into a prison cell with four men. Without having any other options to escape, she uses her necromancer powers to raise one of the men in the cell who had died - and then barely manages to escape. Everyone is trying to find Charlie, but she's abducted by a strange man with an even stranger job for her. He knows of Charlotte, the woman, and her powers and believes that Charlie (the young boy) may be able to help find her. Little does he know that Charlie and Charlotte are one and the same. Taken to a remote mansion, Charlie is introduced to a secret organization and finds out why her captor wanted her so badly - he's hunting a madman who requires a necromancer to control his newly created creatures. But Charlotte's not sure if she trusts this organization, their supposed goals, and their leader. She must decide if working with these people is worth it or if she's actually in the company of others just as deranged as the man they're looking for.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm already looking forward to the next installment. Victorian London is the perfect setting for the book - it already has the mystical feel that the story needs and it just felt like the obvious setting for the story. Charlotte/Charlie is a fantastic lead character. She's very interesting and has several layers to her personality and self that begin to be peeled back during the novel. I loved learning more about Charlotte - her life and powers - with each new layer that was exposed. She's feisty, intelligent, stubborn, and has a strength and determination that makes it possible for her to live on the streets of London. The necromancer aspect of the story was awesome! I've always thought that the whole concept of necromancy was fascinating and I loved learning as much about it as I could throughout the book. I hope that the next installment delves deeper into the topic. It's such a unique concept with lots of potential for the series - and I can't wait to see where it takes us. 

The writing was solid and well done with vivid details and descriptions that made it easy for me to slip inside Charlotte's world right from the beginning of the book. The story is told from Charlotte's perspective - in the first person point of view - which I absolutely loved. I'm a huge fan of books that use the first person POV because the reader gets to know and connect with the character on such a deeper level than any of the other writing styles. We got to see the story through Charlotte's eyes, along with getting a peek inside her mind. Her fears, hopes, emotions, memories, internal dialogue - it all comes together to create a crisp portrait of Charlotte and we, as readers, are able to connect on a deeper level than normal with her. The plot wasn't wholly original, but the author's writing style and the unique spin she puts on various aspects of the story made it very enjoyable to read and helps to set it apart from others like it in the genre. I can't wait for the next book to release so I can see what's going to happen to Charlotte and where the plot will take us. I definitely recommend this book to fans of both fantasy and historical fiction, along with readers who enjoy paranormal fiction, action, adventure, mystery, and those looking for something different than the current trends.

C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two with her writing. Under her other name of Carolyn Scott, she has published contemporary short stories in women’s magazines, and she also writes romantic mystery novels under this name.

She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She has won and placed in romance writing contests including winning RW Australia’s Emerald Award in 2008 for the manuscript that went on to be released under the title HONOR BOUND. C.J. spent her early childhood in the dramatic beauty of outback Queensland, Australia, but now lives in suburban Melbourne with her husband and two children.

To be notified when C.J. releases a new book, subscribe to her newsletter from her website. She only sends out the newsletter when she releases a new book, and never spams.

Author Links: 
 Giveaway: (1) copy of The Last Necromancer - US/CAN winner can choose between paperback or ebook; INT winner will receive an ebook












 
 

1 comment:

  1. Great review, Steph! I love the world building in this especially - it sounds so vivid and atmospheric! Glad you liked it! :)

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