Title: Dark Metropolis
Author: Jaclyn Dolamore
Series: Dark Metropolis #1
Genre: YA Historical Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 304 pages
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: eARC received from publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Cabaret meets Cassandra Clare-a haunting magical thriller set in a riveting 1930s-esque world.

Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder's mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a 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 while he hides secrets of his own.

Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they're not careful, the heartless 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.


I went into this book with no real idea of what to expect. I was drawn in by the cover and the setting because it seemed so different than most of the other books I have read this year. I will say that I really enjoyed the first half of the book. It was fast paced and I really enjoyed the setting. It was extremely detailed in the beginning  and at times I felt real. I also really enjoyed the characters in the beginning, they were easy to relate to and great to read. But as the book wore on, I felt like everything kind of fell apart for me.

For one, the type of narration was not for me. It was an all knowing kind of narrator and I am more of a first person kind of reader. I felt very disconnected from everything I was reading. Also, because there were so many characters that were introduced over the course of the book (which in an of itself was very confusing) I found that this type of narration confused me as a reader. I couldn't connect with many of the characters, and since we got so many different POVs I felt like I was confusing some characters with others.

Honestly, I felt like the second half of the book was quite slow and i felt like it dragged in many places. I went into this book expecting one thing, and about half way through the story took a turn I was not expecting. I felt like it was too different from the tone of the beginning of the story. I honestly felt like I was reading two different stories matched together.

The end, although action packed, was not as engaging as I was hoping. so much happened in the end, a lot of action and suspense, but I think because I didn't have a great connection with any of the characters, I didn't feel the gravity of the deaths and injuries. In the end, I felt like this book was not for me and I was a little disappointed with the outcome.