This tale is steeped in mystery as the main characters search for a timepiece that has distinctive magical properties. This search brings about certain interesting discoveries and leads to a very surprising ending. A quick read that I recommend to fans of scifi and fantasy.

A nice, atmospheric read, though I had to knock a few stars off for lack of magical world building. I understood that the magic worked in a way that reminded me of Fullmetal Alchemist's "Equivalent Exchange" a bit (in a give something up to obtain something way), but there's no explaining if this magic is available for everyone, or if it's only for certain people. Is it related to bloodline, or random?

Anyway, a fast read. Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

Magic Dark and Strange conveys its setting very very well--you can almost feel the cemetery grit and the grime of London. The magic presented is interesting but the story moves so, so slowly I found myself growing increasingly frustrated and unmoved by it. As a short novel, this is odd and by the time I reached the end I felt that Magic Dark and Strange would have been better as a short story. Still, I think Kelly Powell had promise and hope her next novel keeps the rich atmosphere and has a faster paced narrative.

This cover immediately caught my attention, but it was the comp titles and a main character with the ability to raise the dead that made me request this book from NetGalley.

I especially enjoyed the time period and setting of this novel - it has the feel of a Victorian mystery.  The opening scene in the cemetery when Catherine awakens a dead women is absolutely gripping and had me excited to dive into the story.  Then I was disappointed that she never uses her magic again throughout the book.  The magic system isn't explained, which left me with a lot of questions.  Although it's mentioned several times in the description, it actually plays a small part in the overall story. 

The characters are very charming, and the hints of romance between Catherine and Guy are sweet and accurate for the time period.  I liked how they became friends, bonded over the mystery, and helped Owen find his way.

At slightly over 200 pages, Magic Dark and Strange is a quick read and while I enjoyed this quiet mystery, I feel like a longer book could have offered more twists, higher stakes, and a deeper exploration of the magical system.  

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Initial Thoughts

I saw this book a few months back on Instagram and immediately looked it up. Pitched as Sherlock Holmes meets The Bone Witch I was instantly sold. And, NetGalley wanted me to have this one as well (as I was approved almost immediately after applying).

Some Things I Liked

Historical fantasy. I’ve talked about this before, but I just love the genre. I love historical fiction and fantasy so blending them together is just the ultimate mashup.
Normalized magic. I liked how the author made magic seem like a normal occurrence without changing the historical context too much. Magic was mainstream in Catherine’s world, but it didn’t feel vastly different than the world we know.
Halloween vibes. It’s September right now so I’m getting ready to put together my spooky reads list. Keep in mind, I am easily spooked so I only recommend mildly spooky books. This fit the bill perfectly. This book is definitely creepy and spooky in just the right ways.
One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About

The romance was a bit too understated for my liking. Guy and Catherine had moments but they were few and far between. I thought the novel was a little short so fleshing out some of those moments would have been better.

Series Value

I liked the writing here and I found the characters engaging. However, I don’t think there’s much more to say about them. I am satisfied with the conclusion and found that the nature of the magic system and each character’s abilities do not yield much sequel potential.

However, I will say that I’d like to read more of what Kelly Powell writes. I enjoyed the writing style and would keep reading.

Final Thoughts

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read for me, read in one afternoon. I think it’s perfect for the season, is of a genre that I always appreciate, and was set during a time period that I enjoy reading about.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Recommendations for Further Reading

Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok – if you enjoyed the historical fiction and magic mashup in this story, try this similar series set in Paris.
The Orphan of Cemetery Hill by Hester Fox – if you enjoyed this story but are looking for characters who are a little older, try this standalone set in Boston.

I like the premise of this book. It starts off well, but then it slows down. It just didn't pull me in after the first few chapters. So, I skipped to the last chapter. I honestly didn't feel like I missed much by skipping to the end.

Can I just say that this is one of my favorite covers from this year? It’s just so pleasing to the eye!

I actually didn’t realize before requesting this that I had read another book by this author last year. I put two and two together after looking on Goodreads. Her first book was okay but this one was much better in my opinion. There are still certain things I had trouble with but the plot kept me intrigued.

Catherine has a gift and it deals with awakening the dead for those who wish to get a proper goodbye etc. I love how the book opens with a scene for this and it reels you in. She is definitely very brave because she doesn’t let anything get in her way of finding the truth, even if it may involve a murderer. I wouldn’t be as calm as her, haha.

There are two other main characters, Guy and Owen. I did like both and really felt for Owen. He has an interesting backstory that is given to us piece by piece.

Although I didn’t mind the characters, I didn’t ever really connect to them. This could be because of the shortness of the book and so there is little time to develop feelings for them.

The magic system in this book is very vague. We do learn a bit about her gift and another type of gift but I’m still left wondering why/how they possess them. I think that it could have been expanded on. I did like what I did get to read about it though.

The plot was what kept me hooked because everything was quite mysterious. Even if it wasn’t for that, I would have not liked this book as much. As for the plot twists, some were easy to spot out while others were not. I think it was a good balance between the two. The ending felt a bit to easy for my taste.

Overall, I liked it. I do wish that this book was a bit longer so the magic system could have been expanded and that maybe I would have been able to connect with the characters better. Either way, I think that many will like this book especially for the October season.

I think this good is more for people who like slower, Victorian-style stories. This was marketed as The Bone Witch meets Sherlock, but I’ve read all TBW books & I just simply don’t see that here. The premise was very interesting, but I struggled with the pacing and didn’t find myself connecting with the characters as much as I would’ve liked. There are similarities to this & the Steampunk Chronicles, if that series had way less magic and more buttoned-up characters than the misfits it did.

I really enjoyed this book! The plot line was super unique and I liked the magical elements woven into it as well.

If you are looking for a mystery sprinkled with magic and just the right touch of romance, this is absolutely your book! I read Kelly's first book and it was just as enchanting as this title. I thought that the story was easy to follow and it was a perfect book to immerse yourself in and read in one sitting. Okay, maybe it's just me that reads books in one sitting but it was really good!

The magic was super interesting and necromancy in a way that wasn't explicitly so. There was a point to it and I liked that it just wasn't this random power that someone had which served no point to the larger story. The mystery focuses around a timepiece and one that they raised from the dead--if that doesn't intrigue you I don't know what will!

I thought the romance was so well done. I'm a sucker for head over heels love but this was slow developing and it felt organic and natural, even for a standalone novel. I didn't have it feeling rushed and that was a refreshing take on YA romance.

I enjoyed the story and the characters since this had a different take on necromancy. I found it was too short (just reaching over 200 pages) and wish the story had been lengthened to include more mystery and twists surrounding the aspect of magic.

I couldn't rate this four stars because of the magic. It wasn't explained at all and the end of the book left me with so many questions. Does everyone possess magic or only a few people? Are there different kinds of magic besides resurrecting the dead and stopping time or are those it? Can anyone perform magic with the right accessories? And magic took up so little of the story.

Despite what the summary states, there was never any dangerous enemies or powerful magic. That also reduced the rating since I kept waiting for something intense to happen. The story progressed slowly as well, due to the characters never finding answers to their questions until over the halfway mark.

Despite the unanswered questions regarding magic, I still enjoyed the story and will read the Powell's next work.