THE RESURRECTIONIST OF CALIGO is gothic fantasy in the extreme. Its pages are packed with fog shrouded streets, eerie blood magic, grave-robbing, court intrigue, bitter rivalries, shattered hearts, faded dreams, elegant clothing, and perhaps the strangest literary mushrooms since ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

The debut novel from Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga is a delight, filled with impeccable worldbuilding and compelling characterizations. I’m happy to say that every time I felt like I knew where things were headed, a new revelation came along that turned my understanding upside down. The prose is sharp and clever and kept me turning pages, while the characters -- both those I loved and those I despised! – made me care about the resolution.

I’m hopeful for a sequel, though in the meantime I’ll simply have to while away my days sipping gin in the dark and brooding… and also by making a fan-build tallycracker set.

Enjoyable book that takes many ideas from other more classical stories and intertwines them into the authors vision

'The Resurrectionist of Caligo' by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga is a cleaver and creative tale with a unique writing style and witty dialog. The premise, alone, is rather exciting and the authors pulled it off quite well. Sadly, not exactly my cup of tea, but many readers of YA, Steampunk, Adventure, Fantasy, and even Paranormal will enjoy this book.

An enjoyable read with an appealing cast of characters and interesting world building. Three and a half stars.

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is a murder mystery set in an alt-Victorian Gothic world and the story told in chapters alternating between Roger Weathersby, a sometime student of medicine and body snatcher and princess Sybil, exiled to backwater by her grandmother the queen for refusing to marry a royal cousin. Roger and Sybil were childhood friends and more before the queen put a stop to their budding relationship due to their disparate social positions. The royal family’s divine right to rule is due to the magic in their blood and one of the main themes of the book is the relationship between religion and science, as well as the social inequality between those that have magic – the nobility and everyone else. When a number of women are gruesomely murdered and Roger accused for the killings, the pair are unwittingly brought together to solve the crimes.

While some of the ideas in the book might not be the most original, I really liked how Trimboli and Zaloga brought it all together. The writing is good and the characters intriguing. I did however, wish for more courtly scheming and intrigue, more scenes with the queen and more from the Kalishkan emperor and I felt the ‘villainy bits’ (don’t want to spoil this for anyone) were slightly signposted. Still, I enjoyed the book, it felt fresh and would make a good start to a series. If there was a series, I would want to read more.

My thanks to Angry Robot and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review The Resurrectionist of Caligo.

Princess Sibylla doesn't want to gt married to her cousin, she is shipped off to the country to rethink her position on marriage. Caligo is ruled by a royal family with magic in the blood. Princess Sibylla's magic is nothing impressive but with her marriage she maintains the standing of her family. There is also a killer on the loose. Roger Weathersby is a medical apprentice with a side job of grave robbing. A childhood friend of the princess when he is caught and accused of being the murderer. The investigation is being approached from two different points will they meet? This is an intriguing mystery with politics, murder, and magic.

I was absolutely delighted by this book, since the very beginning until the last page, and have already pre ordered the paper book. I’ll be very happy to read the sequel, and will certainly re read this one first.

Curiously it’s often easier to explain why some read didn’t agree with me than explain about my enthusiasm. I will thus start with a possible trigger for a random reader: corpses.

If the story is settled is a fantasy world, with magic, and not an uchronic one, the atmosphere holds a certain historical tonality, as the theme of Resurrectionists is based on a reality of the beginning of the 19° century in many European countries. The idea is to exhume illegally some corps to sell them to medical institutes, to allow dissections and learning. The character whom activity is to be a Resurrectionist isn’t indifferent to people, quite the contrary. His dream is to be a real doctor someday and he tries to survive and to train himself. His philosophy is that learning to protect and to treat the living is more important than respecting the dead – even if he’s never disrespectful or indifferent toward the corpse he used that way.

So if you believe in medecine and for caring for the living above all, and don’t mind (or even crave) frequent allusions to graveyards, corpses and death (nothing really gore, mind you) and if you’re not shocked because of some ethical convictions of yours, you’ll have all the chances to love this book as much as I did.

The story is very entertaining, a mix between social comedy, mysteries, criminal investigation and old grievances. The atmosphere isn’t dark, even if the themes are, but rather positive and heart-warming.

The characters are great, with colourful interactions, strong personalities but never stereotyped thanks to some clever nuances: the young princess, quite rebellious, is just dragging out things, she knows that she’ll have to marry the right person someday and not the one she’d have chosen. The young hero, intense and caring, is also impetuous and prone to premature judgement, and the perfect young man has quite a funny part. The relation between the main character and the little girl is wonderful, subtle, touching but never mushy, bittersweet and credible.

I also loved how the magic (rare and only reserved to the royal family, with assassination of all illegitimate children to guarantee the purity of the line) was treated: some rather weird and even a priori useless magic, but which have been very useful in specific circonstances. This point has driven the population to worship their royalties, alive and dead alike, in a colourful way.

Speaking of the past, the manner used to draw the background is faultless: if you’re an intolerant info-dump reader you’ll be delighted! Many hints and very short stories are told during the book, quite naturally, bringing all the required informations while painting a vivid and substantial background. Really outstanding writing.

One of my best read of the year, I’m looking forward reading more of the authors!

"The Resurrectionist of Caligo" is a mystery in a fantasy setting. We are transported to the land of Myrcnia, where the royal house of Muir has ruled for hundreds of years based on their divine magical gifts. We are introduced to Princess Sybilla. We find her secluded, having defied her grandmother the Queen too many times. She is betrothed to her cousin Prince Edgar, whom she loathes and refuses to marry. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Roger Weathersby, a resurrectionist, better known as a grave robber. Sybilla and Roger share some history together. They were childhood companions at the palace and had crush on one another. Unfortunately for Roger, the romance was beyond his station. The Queen saw to it that this budding romance was crushed.

Roger's life is one of squalid conditions with barely enough to eat. It is reminiscent of Oliver Twist or some other Dickensian scene. There is a great deal of separation between the classes. The haves and the have nots. It is amongst the small middle class that something is amiss. During one Roger's outings, he discovers a body with strange markings on its throat as well as some other distinguishing marks. While trying to discover the cause, he is arrested for the murder of the woman he exhumed as well as several others that have fallen victim to the strangler. He proclaims his innocence but is swiftly found guilty in a kangaroo court.

Meanwhile, Sybilla's time in isolation has finally come to an end and she is summoned to the palace to take up her duties as a member of the royal court. There is plenty court intrigue and secrets a plenty. We are provided with gossip and rumors and truth. The Emperor of Kalishka is coming to pay a state visit and the city is a hive of activity. There is something brewing just below the surface. Something that could the royal house of Muir. Can Roger find a way to escape the gallows and help Sybilla protect her royal house?

These are the adventures that await in "The Resurrectionist of Caligo".

Roger Weathersby is a man of science who makes a poor living by robbing the graves of the newly deceased and selling the fresh corpses to the medical schools. He dreams of becoming a Doctor but the dream is shattered when Roger is framed for a string murders that he didn't commit.
The only one that can save him is his old friend Princess Sibylla and her blood magic ritual.
I loved this, my heart was in my mouth on more than one occasion.
I hope there will be more in the series.

Initially, I really didn't like Roger as a main character, as he's a bit of an arrogant dick. However, my sympathies for him grew as the story went on, and I really liked Sibet, and Harrold and all the characters at the Palace. There's a lot going on in the novel, but it gives you small morsels of the plot and allows you to put them together, and I found myself drawn in to the hunt for the killer, and how the were related to Sibet and her impending marriage. I also liked how magic was part of this world, but was minimised and seen suspiciously by the scientific-minded. The ending, while I felt was a bit rushed was satisfying, and laid the groundwork for a sequel, which I would definitely read. An enjoyable, yet darkly atmospheric tale of murder and magic.

When I read the synopsis, I thought that Roger and Sybilla would be a detective duo for a big portion of the book. I was surprised to find that this was not the case, and they only actually meet eachother around 75%. The synopsis gave too much away of the book in my opinion.

That aside, this book was very fun to read. Roger is a fun perspective to read from. Some of the twists I saw coming, but most of them I definitely didn't! The magic aspect was fun, and I enjoyed that it played a part in the ending. For sure recommend this one! 3.75 stars.

Science versus magic, and political shenanigans in a Gothic/Victorianesque setting. Roger Weathersby, a man of science, is the son of a palace servant who grew up with Princess Sibylla, magical granddaughter of the current queen. (The royals all have magic of one sort or another.) He wants to be a doctor, but has never been able to afford the tuition fees, so he learns what he can, when he can, and in the meantime ekes out a poor living as a bodysnatcher in the city of Caligo, digging up corpses to sell to medical schools, and also doing the occasional dissection. There's a murderer (a strangler) on the loose in the city and when Roger digs up a disturbing corpse, he realises that not all is as it seems with the victims. Strangulation is not the primary cause of death. Determined to find the killer, he's soon in over his head.

Sibylla fell in love with Roger when she was a girl, but after he took a payoff from her family to get out of her life, they have lost touch. She still remembers him as her first love, but is bitter and the manner of his leaving. She's desperately trying to avoid marrying her wimpy cousin in order to strengthen the magical royal line, so she's been sidelined for a couple of years in the care of a naval officer who is actually Roger's half-brother. She's summoned back to court to impress the Emperor of a powerful neighbouring country. There's court intrigue and magical goings on combined with a murder-mystery

Pros and cons. Pros first. Intriguing story, engaging characters, interesting worldbuilding. Cons, a bit of a slow start, but stick with it. I wish the name of the country, Myrcnia, was pronounceable. There's a family connection which is deliberately withheld by the author (long after the reader has worked it out) even though one of the viewpoint characters knows it all along. I'm not sure the information needs to be kept from the reader.

I enjoyed this, though I'm not sure what the future looks like for our main protagonists. There's no indication that there will be a sequel.

Fun read which was pretty enjoyable. New to me author but I will look for more. The story telling was told alternating between Roger and Sybyl.

Great read and thanks to netfalkey for letting me read!

The Resureccectionist of Caligo interested me since I am not usually a reader of fantasy thriller. The wold building of the author was competent and imaginative. I was most interested in the examination of the differences in class structure in the society based on magic. I always like books that delve into the deeper themes of life and human interaction while simultaneously entertaining. Fans of gothic fantasy will not be disappointed..

Roger Weathersby barely scrapes by making a living out of stealing corpses for medical schools, dreaming that one day, he’ll be a reputable doctor that saves lives. But when he’s framed for a murder of one of his steals, he is forced to reunite with an old friend to save the city and, hopefully, clear his name. The old friend in question is none of than Princess Sibylla, who returns to her childhood city on request of her Queen grandmother, who is keen to see she is married off to her cousin to further their magical bloodline. But when her own suspicions tie in with Roger’s situation, it’s up to them to save the country before it’s torn apart.

I’m not going to lie, this was quite a surprising read. The Resurrectionist of Caligo is quite intriguing. The royal family of Myrcnia rule by divine right due to their magical skills that comes from their bloodline. Everyone has a different ability, and due to it only being manifested in a person’s biology, the reigning Queen is quite hellbent on making sure it stays in the family. And that means killing off any illegitimate children and only allowing marriages within the family. And this has Sibylla on edge because her half-brother is hidden within the city and she is sure Queen is close to discovering his identity. Roger is in a strange position where in the town, the people are restless, and science is growing and questioning the supremacy of the magical users. A Resurrectionist is simply a cooler term for grave snatcher in the name of science. And Roger begins to notice a pattern in the corpses he has been collecting and the victims of a well-known strangler who has been terrorising the women of Caligo.

I loved the magical features and the development of the political intrigue of this universe. But, the world-building is a hit or miss situations where within Myrcnia, and its capital Caligo, it is quite packed with a lot of detail. I was quite impressed with the quasi-Victorian design that is set up. Trimboli and Zaloga draw on the challenges of the Victorian-era lifestyle, echoing a steampunk design, which creates the Myrcnia’s landscape. A pivot part of Sibylla’s arc is her interaction with the neighbouring country, but I was disappointed how bland they were in comparison. You get a lot of rich detail within the city, but they’ve resorted to merely being the outsiders, and it just didn’t sit well with me.

I personally loved Sibylla and Roger as characters in their own right, but the story really hinges on their childhood connection and, personally, I never really caught on to what drew them together. And a lot of their communication is passed between Roger’s half-brother, who is also Sibylla’s warden. They appear to despise each other, and there’s little given to understand their connection, aside from their forced situation.

Overall, I found The Resurrectionist of Caligo quite entertaining. It was quick, easy to read. The characters are great, I enjoyed the mix of comedy and mystery, and it was quite heart-warming in most scenes. The magic system is by far the most exciting aspect of this novel, but not as utilised as you would expect. But I would definitely be interested in checking out in any future sequels.

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is a gothic fantasy with Victorian England overtones, Jack-the-Ripper type murders, political intrigue, a bit of romance, and some magic tossed into the mix. It’s a delight to read with an original plot, inventive vocabulary, unique world-building, and compelling characters. I was immediately drawn into this world.

Roger Weathersby scrapes out a living by robbing graves to give to medical schools while he dreams of becoming a doctor. (As a physician who’s dissected cadavers, this was quite appealing. There’s his junior side-kick, Ada, who he calls Ghostofmary. Then there’s the headstrong Princess Sibylla, a distant-heir to the throne of Myrcnia. The royal family rules by divine right and the aid of their magical skills.

I loved the magic, the struggle between science and magic., and the political intrigue that develops when the Emperor of Kalishka pays a state visit to Myrncnia. The descriptions of the capital city of Myrcnia, Caligo, are excellent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world building and the characters, especially Roger, Ada and Princess Sibet. It was so good I read it in one sitting. If you like Victorian gothic mysteries you'll enjoy this one. I hope that this becomes a series because I would love to revisit this world again.

A fantastic tale of science and magic. Set in a Victorianesc world, the two points of view of Sybilla and Roger twist together in numerous ways with both of them fighting back against the position that society has put them in. Roger in particular was relatable with his desperate desire to become a surgeon through any means. I really liked the way that in this world, science and magic really do combine. The book as a whole was compelling and well written. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys their fantasies with a splash of humour and a dash of history.

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is the debut novel of Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga, and it was pretty good.

Our boy Roger is a “Man of Science” – or pretends to be one at least. At night, he digs up recently diseased people to sell to doctors to do science on. Sibylla is our local magic princess that glows in the dark and can make your skirt dirty. They loved each other once and still kinda do, but can’t be together. There’s a mysterious royal bastard and someone’s walking around murdering prostitutes.
Sounds great, right?

It was.
The characters are very memorable, even though, while I write this review, I have forgotten all of their names already. Aside of Ada. Ada is my daughter and I love her.
But, even if I don’t remember their names anymore, be assured they’re interesting.
The Resurrectionist of Caligo wasn’t about the kind of resurrection I thought it would be, but I’ll take it. It wasn’t bad, I just, for some reason, assumed there’d be some kind of zombie creatures or undead people in this and there weren’t.
But it had another one of my favourite tropes: The Resurrectionist of Caligo combined magic with science. It was dope. I love scientific approaches to “unexplainable” fantasy elements. If it’s done well, it can give your world so much more depth, and Trimboli and Zaloga have done an excellent job in this. It wasn’t filled with made-up scientific vocab or too in-depth, but it gave the world just this extra twist of reality (even though we’re talking about people spouting bubbles) that I appreciated.

Plot wise, it wasn’t the strongest I’ve ever read, but as a debut, it was pretty good. It felt stretched out too long for some parts (especially in the beginning) and some scenes didn’t make sense to me. But overall, it was not bad.
I have to say, I was very confused by how the emperor man just went along with everything. It gave me the feeling Trimboli and Zaloga pushed him along the adventures and regularly forgot he was even on scene.


All in all, this was a solid debut. I liked it a lot while reading it.
Had I written this review right after finishing it two weeks ago, this would have been a five-star review. But now that I thought about it a bit longer, I’ve started to question a lot of plot points.
Still, very enjoyable.

I find hard to describe this book because it somehow reminded me of Gail Carriger, I think the simil Victorian setting, the witty dialogues and how Sybil is written reminded me of the Parasol Protectorate (I adore it).
At the same time there're some gothic part and I also love them.
It was like eating a big cake, one of those case full of colourful decorations and with the right taste. A cake you cannot stop eating and enjoying.
This book is excellent, entertaining, enjoyable and wasn't able to put it down.
It was not love at first page but the kind of love you develop reading and that will last.
The world buidling is incredible, the humour, the well written cast of characters. I can say I loved it all and I hope this is the first in a series because I want more cakes like this.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

3.5/4 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/09/23/the-resurrectionist-of-caligo-by-wendy-trimboli-alicia-zaloga/
I have to say straight up that I had a good time with The Resurrectionist of Caligo. I had a few little issues but they were only minor and didn’t spoil the read at all for me.

The Resurrectionist is set in a pseudo Victorian time and place and really plays into that setting.

As the story begins we make the introduction of Roger Weathersby, a body snatcher or grave robber – or ‘man of science’ as he prefers to be called. Body snatching was, lets just say prevalent, during a certain period in history. People had no knowledge of anatomy or the inner workings of the body and cadavers were in short supply. Stealing the dead was actually a legal ‘grey’ area even though resurrectionists were generally frowned upon. For Roger, employed by an anatomy school and keen to learn more himself, the ends justify the means. So, spade and lockpicks in hand he starts the story in a graveyard which is where he receives not only a ghostly apparition (to be known affectionately henceforth as ‘ghostofmary’) but also uncovers a body that seems to have been buried whilst still alive! And this is where the mystery element begins.

At the same time we make the acquaintance of Princess Sibylla or Sibet to her friends. The Royal Family line are all bestowed with magic abilities although in recent years these are becoming somewhat diluted. It’s therefore become popular between royalty and nobles to marry within families to keep the bloodline strong. As such Sibylla was expected to marry her cousin – a fate which she had no stomach for – and has spent a good while in isolation for her dissent. This is a period of great change. A time when questions were being asked and superstitions beginning to be set aside. The divine rights of the monarch are falling under the spotlight and the last thing they need is to lose the support of the people through failing magic. Sibylla still longs for her first love, a young man who in spite of being far beneath her in station won her heart before disappearing from her life. Roger is that young man and both he and Sibylla have a difference in opinion about what actually happened to split them apart.

Let me be clear right now – this is not a romance novel at all (at the moment). Yes, there is an underlying tension between Sibylla and Roger when their paths eventually cross but this has more in common with Holmes and Watson than Lady Chatterleys Lover. Just saying.

There is plenty of intrigue going on here. A murderer seems to be at large nicknamed the Greyanchor Strangler who seems to predominantly focus on young ladies of the night! This is a part of the story that vividly calls to mind all the different theories around the Whitechapel Murderer – old Jack the Ripper himself. Was it a member of royalty, was it a doctor or surgeon, etc, and these theories and suspicions all play really well into the story.

Along with this there is some royal posturing taking place that also serves to cast suspicions and red herrings around the place.

What I really liked about this were all the little ways that this plays delves into the Victorian era and takes a spotlight to the sort of things that were intensely popular at the time – such as over the top ostentation and elaborate funerals. There is the intense disparity between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’. The Queen here seems to rule with an iron rod and certainly doesn’t seem to find much to amuse her. Some members of the royal family seem to take their responsibilities very lightly indeed. There’s the murders and the red herrings and it’s all wrapped up with a sort of light and sometimes almost absurd comedy of manners style that gives it a lovely feel – it seriously could become quite dark and gothic with all the focus on cadavers, murders, ghostly apparitions, graveyards and grave robbings, poverty and fog bound streets and so I have to say that I appreciated the injection of gallows type humour.

In terms of criticisms – very little really. I don’t think I’ve totally got on board with Sibylla yet – which isn’t to say I disliked her but I’m just not quite on side with her yet – although I really did appreciate that she grudgingly took on the pampered princess role. As it was I much preferred Roger’s chapters so that did sometimes make me race to get to those parts in particular. That being said, it was the Princess’s chapters that brought the delightful comedy of manners side to the read.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this gaslamp fantasy and I’m keen to read whatever comes next and learn more about the magic and the strange rituals such as binding criminals to members of Royalty, Given the ending here I suspect the next book will give much more opportunity to travel further afield with both Roger and Sibylla.



I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

We’ve all done some questionable things for money. I’d like to think that, anyways. Something under the table, something that made you wince a little but then think, “Man, fifty bucks is fifty bucks.” Maybe you haven’t, thought – maybe you’re this pillar of strength, held up by your rock-hard morals and five-figure bank account.

Have fun balancing your check book.

The rest of you? You know the feeling. So does one of our main characters in our book this week, THE RESURRECTIONIST OF CALIGO.

So let’s talk about it.


THE RESURRECTIONIST OF CALIGO follows two characters as they try to solve a murder in a setting described as “Edwardian London but with magic,” by its authors.

Roger is an aspiring surgeon with the heart-felt desire to one day be able to help people. In the meantime, to pay for his apartment, he resurrects bodies and sells them to medical colleges. (Which is, as my sister says, “Not very cash money,” but I want to disagree.)

Sibylla, on the other side, likes keeping her hands clean while she struggles to find a way out of marrying her cousin and assuming the role of queen.

Their paths had crossed before, and are destined to cross again as they both turn their attention to the string of murders that’s captivated the city of Caligo.

I obviously love the book. I mean, first off, graverobbing? Complicated family trees? Never before in my life did I realize that I needed something like this until it gracefully fell into my hands. (That cover is also to die for, I love how goddamn saturated it is.)

Then there’s the subtle horror that’s seeped into so many aspects of this story. The murders, the body horror (which I won’t elaborate on because I’m about to eat lunch and I don’t hate myself that much), the personal turmoil of wanting to be greater than you are (and knowing you can be) but being held back by things like social norms and class structure, Roger getting buried alive . . . This is definitely a book for the Halloween season, so it came out at the perfect time.

But what am I saying? You came here for the interview, and I shall not disappoint! Our episode BUT WHAT IF GRAVEROBBING WAS CASH MONEY is out now on iTunes, Spotify, and Podbean!

The Resurrectionist of Caligo brings together the two sides of Victorian-era society: on one side, the foggy nights of cemeteries, paupers and brothels, and on the other side a powerful royalty with possession of magic and intrigue and secrets.

Our duo of main characters come from different side of tracks and fit into the atmosphere of this novel perfectly. Roger- a resurrectionist- is a young man who wants to be a doctor and on his way up the career ladder, as well as in the name of scientific advancement, supplies the medical schools with fresh corpses fresh from the graves. Sounds pretty grim, but he goes about it in respectful enough manner.

Sibylla is the princess of Caligo’s court. Royalty in Caligo carries magic in the family line and generation after generation of sons and daughters have been born into carefully selected and paired parents. Sibylla is… well, she has her heart in the right place but she didn’t make a lasting impression on me. She just is. Magical, maiden-like, heroine… of sorts.

Interestingly, I can’t quite recall how Roger and Sibylla got involved with each other in the first place, but in the story, we get a sense that there are some undeniable feelings in between the two lingering from the past. Even though Roger and Sibylla were effectively pushed apart a while back, the current events bring the two back to each other’s lives and not in any way either of them would imagine.

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is a story of 2 mysteries: a strange and deadly illness and murder. Our amiable Roger gets the wrap for murdering the women. Naturally. He does have a motive to murder- fresh bodies for the academy, remember? But to the rescue comes princess Sibylla who through a magical ritual is able to bind Roger to herself and thus cleanse him from his crimes. Not good enough for good, old Roger though- he knows something more deadly is ravaging the females on the foggy Victorian streets and he intends to find out!

Whilst we romp through desperate attemps to keep his head attached to his body, Roger also demonstrates the side ti him that proves he would be a good doctor. I could really get behind this character and root for him in all his endeavours. Sibylla, on the other hand, brought with herself the court politics, intrigue and plenty of secrets. So, yes, while I enjoyed this book for it kept me busy with it’s revelations, twists and creepy, gothic magic, it didn’t really blow my wee socks off. Why? Well, some books just pull you in because every single box gets ticked. This one was very close, but not 100%. Maybe because of Sibylla who could have been more as a character? Not that I disliked her, but perhaps she could have shined more? I don’t know… For a princess, a magical one at that, she left me a bit cold 🙂

The Resurrectionist of Caligo is a steady-paced, entertaining read from a time that will certainly capture many imaginations and draw gasps as it unravels another Victorian Easter Egg. From an era where medical science is on the cusp of making huge advancements, the stakes are high as society’s norms need to morph into making sacrifices for the greater good. Where and by whom will the line of morality be drawn though?

I have a habit of accumulating my reading until the point that I cannot see where it began and where it ends. Then, when I use random ideas to kick start my way through the list, I sometimes stumble upon some hidden surprises. I did not remember the synopsis by the time I started this tale but did not suffer for it. In fact, it might have been the reason I enjoyed it!

This is a victorian/steampunk surrounding where our reality is inverted a little. Magic has more clout than science does. Considering the level at which the medical industry is depicted here, it stands to reason that that would be the case. We are allowed to better understand the two parts of the city through the eyes of two people on the opposing side of the argument while having a whole other relationship between them. The princess Sybilla has manifested a few talents from her line of magical ancestors but is kept in seclusion for failing to comply with her grandmother's wishes. She is to be brought back to society for some hidden agenda that she cannot wait to get to the bottom of. Roger has made many sacrifices to be called a Man of Science. He has to dig up bodies to further his studies and to earn enough to keep him afloat. Apart from their past, there is a new reason these two are linked (more than one, but murder turns out to be the primary one), that of a spate of killings. The deaths are attributed to a strangler, but no one questions the reasons and the common factors between the victims apart from Roger and Sybilla. There is a lot about this world and its magic that we as well as the protagonists are unaware of, but the steady trickle of information made the book a treat to read. The supporting cast is also very vivid and entertaining in their own right.

There is a lot of drama, politics, tons of secret manipulations and a lot of undercurrents of emotions. The only reason I do not give this a full five stars is because I am holding out to see what happens next to them all.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

In this fantastical version of Victorian England, magic runs in the royal family, which jealously guards the purity of its bloodline. One of the elite is young Princess Sibella, currently in disgrace at a remote, austere country estate. Her magical abilities include an inner glow and streaming ink from her fingers to create not only letters on paper but tapestries in the air. Her childhood companion, Roger, has also been expelled in disgrace and now ekes out a living as a “resurrectionist,” procuring bodies for anatomical study at Caligo’s medical school while learning everything he can about surgery. Their parting was rife with misunderstanding, hurt, and anger.

Now danger stalks the back streets of Caligo as “The Greyanchor Strangler” strikes again, just as Sibella is summoned back home to be a marriage pawn in trade negotiations with a neighboring kingdom. Eventually, of course, their paths cross again, Roger is accused of being The Strangler, Sibella navigates the tortuous schemes of the royal court, and secret plots and parentages are revealed. It’s as much a comedy of manners and switched identities as a love story, a murder mystery, and a tale of international intrigue as it is a fantasy. The characters are fresh and lively, the plot twists many and delightful, and a delicious vein of humor, while not taking itself too seriously, runs through the whole story. Verdict: an entertaining read, quirky world-building, and fun characters mark this as hopefully the beginning of wonderful series.

Roger Weathersby digs up corpses for medical schools. It is his hope to earn enough money by this means to buy his own text books and study to become a physician. Though he’s never been a man of wealth or means (he was the son of a servant) he had been childhood friends with a princess – Princess Sibylla – though that was many years ago.

For her part, Sibylla had been rather pleased when Roger left the estate. She had seen him kissing members of the staff and heard that he’d taken a bribe to leave the palace. A man like that was not needed around royalty. Now Sibylla is focused on continuing her magical bloodline, which means finding a suitable mate. (Can we guess where this might be going?)

Roger is accused of murdering one of the corpses he digs up. Since the police are sure it’s him, and he (and we) know it’s not, that means there is a killer on the loose and it’s up to Roger to find him. Roger’s only hope is his old friend Sibylla and time is running out!

I really found this book quite average. There is a slight sense of steampunk-ness given it’s mock-Victorian-era setting, but it’s not fantastically steampunk or Victorian. There is a slight murder mystery but the book is more interesting in establishing two characters to really give us a meaty mystery. There’s a slight hint of magic, which gets used more frequently as we’re about to be done with the book, but even this seems to be more a prop for a longer story arc than important to this book. And that leaves us with … I’m not sure what.

The story, such as it is, takes way too long to develop. It’s maybe two-thirds in before we start to feel like we’re getting what we came for, those pages filled with backstory and character development. But if we don’t see where it’s headed, we don’t really care where we’ve been.

This was one of those books where I could see that others might enjoy it. Romantic Victorian fantasies have a following but I rarely have ever enjoyed such myself. I was hoping for a little more on the mystery portion of the book, or perhaps even some adventure, but I found it a little too … flowery? … to provide much to interest me.

Looking for a good book? There’s a specific audience out there for The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga, but if you’re not into Victorian fantasy romances it might not be for you.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.