Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore (review)

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.