Dark Metropolis (Dark Metropolis, 1) - Tapa dura

A decadent populace, a totalitarian state and a plague of vanishing people bring three young people into the heart of an anti-government plot. Thea just wants to keep her job at the Telephone Club, serving the wealthy glitterati. Her mother's losing her reason to bound-sickness, weakened by magically enhanced grief from the destruction of her illegal marriage bond to Thea's missing-in-action father. These days, it's all Thea can do to keep the two of them alive. Freddy is one of those wealthy Telephone Club patrons. By night, he woos Thea, who fascinates him; by day, he brings corpses back to life at the request of his guardians. Nan was once a Telephone Club waitress herself, but now, she's awakened-her memory magically damaged-surrounded by gray, unhappy laborers who insist she's dead. This post-war, Jazz Age inflected, slightly steampunk magical world is revealed through the eyes of these three teens as they try to save all their world's victims, even those long since doomed. It's not clear why this government is so wicked-it feels as though the villains' dastardly behavior is more a matter of convenience than conviction. Whatever the cause, what can comic-book evil do in the face of three adolescent protagonists? There's a possibility of sequels in the chaotic, untidy conclusion. There's enough original worldbuilding in this comfortably familiar dystopian fantasy to keep readers going despite the gaps. (Fantasy. 12-15) Kirkus"

Dolamore's urban fantasy introduces a city loosely based on culturally vibrant, politically repressive interwar Europe and plants a dark secret at its heart. The setting feels generically European; revolutionaries meet at the "Caf Rouge," and crowds flock to the "Lampenlight [district] on Saturday night." But the diabolical plot that entangles Thea, a 16-year-old trying to make ends meet as her mother slides into insanity; her best friend, serious and purposeful Nan; and Freddy, a magician who can revive the dead, shows substantial originality. As Freddy interacts with Thea, he discovers that his guardians are misusing his powers to enslave the dead. Meanwhile, Nan finds herself among his victims, stripped of her memories. She fights to keep her promise to rescue fellow prisoner Sigi as they navigate their complicated relationship. Dolamore (Magic Under Stone) brings the elements of her complex storyline together with flair, and an extended climax provides closure and reveals new sides to the characters-heroes, villains, and those somewhere in between all have strong motives. Though a sequel is planned, this installment stands alone. Ages 12 up. PW"

Gr 7 Up With her father missing and presumed dead and her mother becoming increasingly mentally unstable, 16-year-old Thea Holder must find work that will support the two of them. The waitressing job she finds at the Telephone Club introduces her to a mysterious boy, Freddy, and the sinister underworld with which he seems to be involved. When her best friend and co-worker, Nan, vanishes, the situation becomes increasingly perilous as Thea and Freddy discover that the city workers are literally dead men walking, kept alive through arcane magic. Reminiscent of Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis, this grim, pseudo magical world with hints of Jazz Age esque features never completely comes together. Unfortunately, what could have been an interesting premise is marred by stilted dialogue and two-dimension paper doll like characters. Two understated romances develop, including one between a zombie turned female photographer and an asexual fae teen who is willing to sacrifice herself for the cause. Teen readers would be better off reading Libba Bray's "Diviners" series (Little, Brown). Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK SLJ"

The city of Dolamore's urban fantasy has a vaguely 1920-ish feel about it, complete with dance hall girls, labor unrest, and the lingering effects of a devastating war, but here magic exists as well, and it's a dangerous and desired commodity. Three teenagers there unravel a tangled web of government lies and secrets as they search for the truth behind a recent spate of missing persons. Sixteen-year-old Thea is trying to make ends meet as a waitress at the glamorous Telephone Club; her best friend Nan goes missing one night and finds herself in an underground prison with only fleeting memories of previous life; Freddy is a teenaged, silver-haired magician who has the ability to raise the dead and with whom Thea searches for Nan. The novel is primarily driven by dialogue, providing only a sketchy outline of the surrounding world. The lack of detail makes the city and its inner workings generic and underdeveloped, but it also serves to place the teens' search and particularly Freddy's ethical dilemma-how to stop raising the dead for his politician uncle's nefarious schemes-front and center. The bad guys are easily identifiable from the get-go, and a straightforward plot, plentiful dialogue, and tidy resolution makes this a plausible choice for readers, younger and reluctant, wanting to move from middle-grade fantasies to darker YA fare. KQG BCCB"

When Thea meets Freddy at the Telephone Club, where she works, she tells him she's trouble. The reverse might actually be true, when she finds out he speaks to and revives the dead, including her father, once thought killed in a bloody battle. Her mother and her best friend have disappeared, too, and Freddy has more to do with it than Thea expects. She works with him and the secret revolutionaries bent on freeing the recently revived and keeping them out from under the oppressive government's shady control. Thea loses and gains so much over the course of this original urban adventure that readers are sure to keep the pages turning. Dolamore builds an intriguing fantasy world, vaguely reminiscent of a war-ravaged twentieth-century Europe with the glitz of the Gilded Age, old-country magic, and an underground dystopian flair. Although the uptown time and place are a little hazy, and it takes a few chapters to get a whole picture of the city and its environs, the thrilling payoff is worth it. - Stacey Comfort Booklist"

People are disappearing. Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder hears the rumors, but she can barely make ends meet, let alone worry about strangers who've gone missing. Her mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. Thea must make a living for both of them in this sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules.
Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club, attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets-even as he hides secrets of his own.

Together, they discover a new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if Thea and Freddy aren't careful, the masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.

Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, this is a chilling thriller with a touch of magic where the dead don't always seem to stay that way.