♥Donnie Darko Girl♥: The Last Necromancer by C.J. Archer ~ Blog Tour: #BookReview

Welcome, Donnie Darlings, to my stop on The Last Necromancer Blog Tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours! Click here to follow along with the full tour schedule.

The Last Necromancer
(The Ministry of Curiosities #1)

by C.J. Archer
Publication date: August 11th 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Historical, Young Adult

Source: Copy for honest review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Synopsis

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.

Okay, before I begin talking about THE LAST NECROMANCER, here's two facts about me: necromancers are super interesting to me, and I can't resist gorgeous covers. I mean, look at that cover! Isn't it ridiculously fantastic??

I find necromancers to be so intriguing, and the title of the book combined with necromancy combined with the lead character living as a male when really she's female had me dying to read this book. Charlotte, who has gone by Charlie to pretend she's a boy, is a character I loved immediately.

In Victorian London, she's cast out of her father's house (by her own father!!) and is forced to live on the streets. Needless to say, during that period of history, living as a girl would have been extremely dangerous for Charlie. It's dangerous enough as a boy, and she's been basically homeless as a child for five years.

I won't lie - that opening scene was a bit horrifying, but probably not for the reason you might be thinking. It would have been worse if the characters knew Charlie is really a girl. But when she learns about the secret organization, the Ministry of Curiosities, whose members want to use her secret talent, there's no going back for her. She has to make a decision whether she's going to work for the organization or not.

The Ministry operates within the government but also a bit separate from it. The fact that Charlie isn't sure if the Ministry is dangerous or not added intrigue to the novel. I looked forward to finding out how it would be revealed Charlie is in fact the girl they've been searching for. I wanted to know how Lincoln Fitzroy, the one who's been searching for Charlie, would react.

My only issue with THE LAST NECROMANCER was the first third of the novel kind of dragged for me. Don't get me wrong, the opening scene grabbed my attention and pulled me in right away, but after that, it slowed down a bit too much until Charlie learns about the secret organization. But then the story picks back up after that.

Overall, I highly recommend THE LAST NECROMANCER. It's definitely a brilliant read, and you'll love Charlie right away. Plus, necromancy!

About the Author

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 RWAustralia’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.

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