Death of the Necromancer

I've been neglecting this blog for too long, but things have been really chaotic with moving, my husbands deployment, and raising my son. But alas I've come to review a book I've been wanting to share here, Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells.

The synopsis on Amazon.com: "Nicholas Valiarde is both a nobleman and a thief, perhaps the greatest thief in the kingdom of Ile-Rien, where magic is a part of everyday life. Around him he has gathered an unparalleled band of criminals, including a well-known actress, an ex-military officer, a hardened killer, and a sorcerer with a bad drug habit. Valiarde, in the guise of criminal overlord Donatien, is amassing a small fortune in gold and jewels with one purpose in mind: to take his revenge on Count Montesq, the man who leveled false charges of necromancy against Nicholas's beloved godfather Edouard, leading to Edouard's execution. But Nicholas's band of ne'er-do-wells isn't the only force stalking the dark streets of Vienne, and Nicholas is about to face a real necromancer in a battle whose outcome will affect all of Ile-Rien. Wells has created a fast-paced action-adventure story with a wonderful cast of characters and a twisting, turning plot that will keep you flipping pages well into the evening hours."

This book was incredibly good, but when people ask me to explain it I'm at a loss for words because so much is packed into this book. Much like the review stated, it really did keep me up reading until late hours at night, especially when certain intense chapters came and I couldn't put the book down because I had to know what happens.

This book takes place in the 18th or 19th century Italy in a place called Ile-Rein. It has a very Gothic undertone and is filled with Fantasy and Magic. Nicholas is not the only start character in the book. There is Madeline who helps him out and forms the disguises. It is also suggested that they are in a relationship. There is Crack, the very loyal assistant to Nicholas. There are also several others, but at the moment I am unable to recall them all. However, I must say that the downside of having so many well written characters is that I ultimately got a few of them confused towards the end.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hated having to put it down. I found a couple of the scenes a bit disturbing, but it fit the tone of the book and didn't stop me from reading on. I found the ending to be quite clever and well done as well. All in all, I'm going to give this book 9 stars! A few of the characters could have done better with more explanation or filling in. However, it was still an excellent read and I suggest it to anyone who likes a good Gothic adventure and mystery.