Reviewer: Roz Ann Reviews
Source: Goodreads
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ (5.0 Stars)
Review:
This book is absolutely beautiful, full of haunting illustrations introducing each chapter. I usually read fast, but I wanted to take my time to digest what I was discovering within the pages. The pacing is good and the plot was really engaging.
This debut novel is book one in The Umbra series. We follow female detective Amelia Dei who is not respected by her colleagues despite being the first female detective. Early 20th century Liverpool was not ready for a strong woman being in a man's world! Amelia is sidelined at every turn given all the lowest jobs. However, she is not deterred as she knows something sinister is happening at Brownlow Hill Infirmary and she is determined to find out what is going on.
Doctor Aaron Knight is a psychiatrist with a dark gift who tries to offer his patients a depraved deal.
The book is shown from the POV of Amelia and Aaron, each having their own chapters as the story unfolds. They are well developed and both evoked an emotional response in me. I really wanted Amelia to triumph and show her colleagues that she deserved her place amongst them. Aaron's character is dark and twisted but we get to see why he may have turned out this way...
The book explores themes such as women in the workplace, mental health, poverty, sexuality, power, control, exploitation, the occult and trauma. Some of these themes are set within the backdrop of a 1920's Liverpool. However, this gave a wider context to the story and made me think about how far some things have progressed and how some themes are prevalent today.
I thought the book was confidently written and the writing flowed with ease. I loved the historical setting and the dark, intense atmosphere. It had a nice gothic feel in places. The occult theme was an added bonus!
Overall, a great read and I will be keeping up with the series to see what happens next!
