The Last Necromancer (The Ministry Of Curiosities Book 1)
REVIEWS
“C.J. Archer has expertly weaved fantasy, mystery and a dash of romance together to make the perfect story” ★★★★★ Cosying Up With Books
“Simply put: This book is pretty darn bad a$$. I highly recommend The Last Necromancer to all fans of fantasy” ★★★★★ My Book Addiction
“I like to be kept on my toes, but this was more like on my toe nails! Without a doubt one of my new favorite reads of 2015” ★★★★★ Mama Reads Book Blog
“An addictive read” ★★★★★ Hooked on Books
“The Last Necromancer was simply fantastic.” ★★★★★ Book and Coffee Addict
“Expertly depicted and well-paced, The Last Necromancer is a stunning novel by C.J. Archer that sweeps readers into a passionate new world” ★★★★★ The Rest Is Still Unwritten
DESCRIPTION
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.
C.J. Archer is the author of the bestselling Emily Chambers Spirit Medium and Freak House series. If you love historical novels with mystery, romance and a paranormal twist, THE LAST NECROMANCER is for you. It’s the first book in the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES series.
Books in the Ministry of Curiosities series:
#1 The Last Necromancer
#2 Her Majesty’s Necromancer
#3 Beyond The Grave
#4 Grave Expectations
#5 Ashes To Ashes
#6 From The Ashes
Disappointing,
1) If you’re looking for a book with a strong female protagonist, this isn’t the book for you. Our heroine, Charlie, sounds very promising. We’re told that she’s a thief living on the streets of Victorian London, masquerading as a young boy; she’s tough and cocky; further, she has the very rare skill of necromancy. The problem is that what we’re told about Charlie and how Charlie ACTS are two very different things. She acts like a materialistic bubblehead all of whose street smarts disappear the instant that she sees a feather mattress. We are constantly told about how little she eats and, probably as a result of surviving on a small jelly a week, she has the fighting skills of a sick budgie. How she survived a day on the streets is utterly baffling. Fortunately, Charlie quickly manages to surround herself with males who alternate between bullying, manipulating and rescuing her. Her one interesting talent, necromancy, is a bit of a scarlet letter as she hates using it and almost never does so.
SPOILER ALERT:
2) The antagonist is a stunningly uninteresting charicature of Victor Frankenstein. Gone is Frankenstein’s fear of women (one of his key motivations in the original and something that would have added a very interesting dynamic here), also gone is the moral sense that leads him to regret creating the creature in the original (he’s practically knocking them out factory style here). The author seems to have just created a somewhat shallow mad scientist type and stuck the name ‘Frankenstein’ on him as an afterthought. Disappointing.
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|same old book that is in fashion lately. the …,
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|More Than I’d Expected.,
Freebies are very much a case of hit or miss. Either they will surprise you or you’ll question how you managed to work your way through the entire story. In all honesty, I hadn’t really been expecting this one to blow me away. The reviews for this book were such a mix and match that I really wasn’t sure what I was letting myself in for, but I was still curious to give it a read.
You can imagine my surprise when I found myself addicted to the story.
Don’t get me wrong, the book is far from perfect. I can understand why some people dislike the book. It isn’t for everyone. However, if you enter with an open mind, it’s rather fun. It’s very much your classical young adult fantasy story, but sometimes we just need such a read to keep us going.
The main story is super interesting. We have two sides battling over our main character due to their necromancer abilities. Quite quickly, our main character finds themselves in a bit of a tight spot and things quickly progress in a way that does not work favourably for our character.
I’ll admit that I was tentative at first. A decent proportion of our story glosses over the fantasy aspect. We know it is there in the background – after all, we are introduced to it at the start of the book – but it never really develops. This holds true for the entire book, and I’m somewhat disappointed that we did not get more specifics. I’m sure such will change in future books, but I was left wanting a little bit more. Nevertheless, when I realised such was to be the case, I managed to accept this fact. Fortunately, I was pulled into the rest of the story.
Moreover, I’m pleased about the romance aspect of the story. Whilst it is there, it is not shoved in your face as it is in other books. It sits below the surface. Again, I believe this is something that will change in future books. For now, I’m simply pleased that the romance did not overshadow the rest of the story, as I often fear to be the case with these kinds of stories.
As a whole, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It was much more enjoyable than I’d expected, and a large part of me now wishes to go on and read the rest of the books.
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