3.5 stars

Dark Metropolis has an sort of attractive yet disturbing dark feel to it; it reminded me of the darker parts of "His Dark Materials." At least my discomfort with the topics mirrored each other.

Thea lives in a 20s-esque alt-world where magic is both needed and reviled. She struggles to care for her magic-sick mother, while keeping the illness secret. When her mother is taken from her and a friend goes missing, Thea is determined to discover what is truly going on in her city.

I love that the author write zombies without calling them zombies. I love the alt-world she created. I definitely will read a second book.

What keeps me from giving this a solid 4 stars is that the books relationship, which really should be the heart of the book, are not very fleshed out. I look forward to seeing how these might develop in a second book.

( )

Thea's mom is slowly going insane. Bound to her husband, she insists that he is not dead. Forced to make a living, Thea works at the glamorous Telephone Club. One night, Freddy comes in and they are instantly attracted to one another. Nan, Thea's best friend vanishes, Thea's Mom is taken to a mental institute and she is left alone.

The story alternates between a few different viewpoints. I don't want to give any of the book away, so I won't go into more detail. Although this was an interesting story, I felt that the characters were lacking. I typically do not like all powerful, unique, one-of-a kind magical creatures stories, and this book was no exception. I wanted to know more about the magic system and world government and felt that the author could have given us more information. Overall, this wasn't a bad book, I just wanted more. ( )

Well, Dark Metropolis was okay. My expectations were definitely too high, having enjoyed Dolamore’s Magic Under series. This is one of those times where I’m most definitely whelmed. I don’t really have any strong feelings about this book either way, and I’m probably going to completely forget it in no time. Dark Metropolis is a decent read with a cool concept, okay characters, and a meh execution.

Read the full review at A Reader of Fictions. ( )

DNF'ed at 25%.