Death & Mirrors: All Things Dark & Deadly, Book One by S.F. Benson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Evaline Wainwright is the daughter of a well to do gentleman, who is also a practitioner of magic and Evaline has inherited this talent as well, although in London in 1888, this is frowned upon and can lead to a whole host of problems if it is discovered that you practice magic without a license and as a woman, Evaline is not likely to be able to procure one any time soon. As well as practitioners of magic, her parents are occult archeologists and have spent most of their lives researching into and finding artefacts of great power, that is until Evaline’s mother passed away and her father retired from the field because of it, but Evaline wishes to follow a similar path and become a great detective, but this is frowned upon as well.

As Evaline starts her day in the usual manner, she is about to start helping her father with some work when a strange woman clothed all in black with a severe countenance requests a meeting with him. Her father ushers Evaline out of the room so that the discussion can be held with privacy, however, Evaline cannot help herself and listens in. This is where she overhears the woman asking her father for help to retrieve an artefact which can not only save her world, but the one the mystery woman inhabits as well. This news of alternate worlds is news to Evaline, however, she just cannot resist a mystery and a chance to prove her skills, so when she overhears where the woman will be staying, she makes up her mind to go and speak to her herself, even though it is against the wishes of all those around her.

While all this is happening, Evaline is also trying to avoid an arranged marriage and spend time with her beau without the watchful eyes of her father and the staff whom he employs, however, when the two of them end up being transported to the mysterious world of Londinium by the mystery woman, the decision as to whether to investigate is taken out of their hands. As they learn more about their surroundings, Evaline and her beau realise that the sun never shines there, the weather and the purple are perpetually miserable and Doctor Death is the one pulling all the strings, but how does this all connect to the strange woman’s request of Evaline’s father?

This is a historical mystery which will keep you on the edge of your seat as you explore Londinium and solve the clues in this fast paced fantasy, with elements of Sherlock Holmes and the paranormal throughout.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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