This book was recommended to me by an old friend from high school. I have never heard of this book before but was feeling in desperate need (a result of finishing Fablehaven and being left wanting more) to read something with a really good and satisfying love interest in it. I'll say now that this book left my need for a tender and TASTEFUL love story satisfied.
So the story is set in the late 1800's in London and we follow a group of 6 people who have been given the task to protect the city from evil spirits and demons. Upon being given abilities to help them protect the city they were also given a prophecy telling of a seventh person who will join them and be a totally awesome and powerful member of their group. They are told to watch for specific signs in order to know who the right 7th person is because if they choose wrong then bad stuff will happen. The quasi leader of the group is named Alexi and when he's not protecting the city he is a professor of alchemy at a private school. At this school Alexi meets Percy, a 19-year old albino girl who can see and talk to ghosts, has visions, speaks tons of languages, and is terrible at alchemy. Percy has to take individual tutoring lessons with her professor to improve her abysmal math and science skills and the two begin to develop a relationship. In time Alexi becomes convinced that Percy is the prophesied 7th, even though she has no idea that she is special or why she can communicate with ghosts and has visions. The two fall in love (yay!) and it's all very sweet and tasteful. Only problem is that the rest of the group thinks they've found the real 7th and make Alexi sever all ties with Percy (shoot!). Well when they try to initiate this other girl (Lucy) into the group they find out that she's an evil form of Medusa (at least I think she was supposed to be Medusa, I was a little confused with the particulars) who tries to let loose a bunch of evil creatures from the Underworld into London. Percy shows up in the nick of time and has sweet powers that baffle even her and saves the day! Alexi convinces Percy that he loved her all along and knew she was the real 7th and they live happily ever after for all I know at this point since I haven't read the sequel.
This book was definitely not something I would have picked out for myself had it not been recommended to me. It was a different kind of story for me, gothic style with lots of chanting and praying and demons and spirits, but I really liked it. The beginning is kinda confusing because she (the author) just starts the story so fast with no explanation as to what's going on, but after getting through the first couple chapters I was completely hooked. I started the book on Saturday reading the first few chapters and then I couldn't put it down all day Sunday after church at noon until bedtime at 10:30 and then I finished it after work today. Chris even mentioned that he hasn't seen me so engrossed in a book like that since the first time I read Twilight, which I beg any of you who read this to not judge me too harshly by: I really do enjoy reading Twilight! It's a fun story. And you know, I don't think I'd have to defend my liking those books if the movie madness didn't get so out of hand. In fact, I think it'd be better if they'd never made the books into movies. The books are so much fun and the movies are stupid. Plus the fact that now everybody is obsessed with vampires makes those of us who are normal and like the books look bad.
Hmmm...where was I??? Well to sum up, I really enjoyed this strangely beautiful tale. The love interest Alexi reminds me of Mr Rochester in Jane Eyre, whom I have always had a secret crush on, and Percy is a sweet and gentle character that any girl who has ever felt shy can relate with in some way. Plus reading this book gave me strange/cool dreams both nights I read it; the first night I dreamed of dragons! even though there are no dragons in the book... but it was still pretty cool.
Final consensus: good book! Refreshingly different and a satisfying love story intertwined with ghost stories and inexplicable phenomena. Definitely recommended!
4 out of 5 stars
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