In an alternate Victorian London, night time is the dangerous time. Wolves, serial killers, and nightmarish creatures called wych-kin roam the streets and lurk in the shadows, savaging all who dare brave the city after dark. However, there are those who stand against the demons and monsters, fearless wych-hunters like Thaniel Fox, a teenager trying to live up to the legacy and legend of his father, one of the greatest wych-hunters ever. When Thaniel, on a routine wych hunt, finds a lost girl in the most dangerous part of London, he feels obligated to take her home and help her regain her senses, dignity, and memories. However, this happenstance discovery plunges him fully into a web of secrecy and violence, for a secret society known as the Fraternity has set its sights fully upon this young woman and the knowledge she alone possesses. Can Thaniel Fox keep Alaizabel Cray alive when her death could spark the destruction of the entire city? As if that wasn’t bad enough, the bizarre serial killer called Stitch-Face still roams the streets, taking his victims with impunity. But now someone’s mimicking his style, and the territorial madman doesn’t take too kindly to imposters. In the end, it may spell the end for London after all, if Thaniel can’t rally his allies in the underground society of the Beggar Kings to stand against the unleashed armies of the night.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray is a Gothic fantasy as chilling and twisted as any you’re likely to see anytime soon. It draws upon the staples of the Victorian era without relying upon them; Jack the Ripper and Mister Hyde would feel right at home here. Atmospheric and suspenseful, its multiple plot threads tie together neatly as secrets are revealed and strange alliances made and broken. There’s a lot of potential in this setting, a world where decades ago the airships of the Prussian Empire crushed the spirit of the English and inadvertently released magical horrors into the night, and where secret societies plot ruin upon civilization. I’m hoping Wooding has more planned for this world and its characters, as there’s a lot left to be explored even after the events of this book.