When I started this book, I was really confused, but like any good book in this fantasy-magic-mystery genre, you have to keep reading for everything to click into place and make sense. I’m not 100% sure that everything actually did make sense at the end, but I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the sequel (which might answer some of my underlying questions about this world the author created.)
This story seems to be set in post-apocalyptic Scotland, where Ropa, a 14-year-old, has dropped out of school to earn money to support her grandmother and little sister as a ghostalker — someone who is paid (either by the dead or the living) to deliver messages from the recently deceased to their loved ones. (Magic and the spirits are an assumed truth in this world.) When the spirit of a mother finds her and begs Ropa to help her find her missing son, Ropa finds herself in over her head fighting against an evil force stronger than she understands.
Yes, this sounds really strange, but once you’re immersed in the world, it all makes perfect sense. And while there is a tentative conclusion to this book, it is clear that there is a lot more story to tell in the next one, and I can’t wait.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.