A Dangerous Magic

Gr 8—Frank Sampson is a 15-year-old forensic sorcerer for the Criminal Investigation Department of Doughnut City, a fictional place in England. In this supernatural murder mystery, magic is known and feared, but not understood. And most who practice it become blind by the time they reach 30. "What we've got here is a world where kids do all the seeing." This dystopian urban fantasy has an intriguing magic system heavily influenced by Catholicism, bureaucracy, and politics—none of which Frank has respect for. The teen survives an abusive father, abandonment issues, as well as "self-harming: one of the useful skills they taught me at Saint Cyprian's," all while trying to figure out why the Bishop of Oxford was beheaded. He has no people skills whatsoever and none of his social challenges are magically fixed by the end of the story, making this gritty but realistic. The Briticisms combined with terms specific to Frank's world might make the work a challenging read for some teens. There are unrequited romantic overtures but no sex scenes. There is, however, a lot of gore due to the nature of necromancy. It is also not always clear who is speaking, making it difficult to maintain a grip on the plot and dialogue.