Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the arc of Longshadow by Olivia Atwater in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. Having previously read and enjoyed Half a Soul it was a no brainer to request this arc.

Following on a few years after the conclusion of Half a Soul, Elias Wilder and Dora's adopted daughter, Abigail has grown into a young woman, with both mortal and faerie magic, and is now following in her adopted father’s footsteps investigating the murder of young debutants, aided by her brother’s ghost (Hugh) and a girl they meet during their initial investigations, Mercy. Their investigation points the finger towards a faerie, Lord Longshadow who rules over the Sluagh, faeries known for hurting humans.

The story itself is told with the panache and style of Atwater’s writing, leading the reader back to period London, the Ton and of course the magical land of Faerie.

This is another very enjoyable read that transports the reader from real life and I was so sad for it to end.

Once again Atwater's work was such an easy read. The world and magic was once again intriguing. There was a more indepth investigation among the characters which was a plus and more information into the magic and fantastical elements. Abigail and Mercy's relationship was fun to read , seeing their relationship grow from friendship to more. It was rather cute.

As for the previous books in this series, it’s a charming, clever, well written story in a fantasy sub-genre quite different to most of my fantasy reading. It matches the enjoyment I had of the other books in the series. Generally upbeat but not avoiding some of the shadows and injustices of life.

This book follows on a few years after the events in #1, and the odd character from #2 also appears, so it isn’t really a standalone book. It features the excellent Dora, with only half a soul (the rest in Fairie) who is unemotional in consequence and her magically proficient husband. Plus their adopted daughter, Abigail, who is the main character in this story.

It seemed to have a rather more involved plot than in the previous books, with Abigail doing some informal detective work trying to determine the likely supernatural causes of some recent deaths in wealthy Regency London Society. There’s even a significant romance (f/f) involving Abigail that gave it more of a YA feel than the previous books in the series.. No more details on the plot but I thought it was a nice blend of the snobby London society that Abigail and her family dislike intensely, and the magical, though often far from welcoming, world of Fairie.

I hadn’t realised that the Regency era in England attracted so many contemporary writers (Jane Austen’s active period) but it does, more than just this author and not forgetting a recent TV series, Bridgerton! A bit of a shame this book series has ended, it seems, as it’s created quite a coherent fantasy world that I enjoyed.
In summary, Book 1 seemed a cross between a mild spoof on Jane Austen (the same sort of society where refined young ladies look for husbands, except this author’s heroines and heroes aren’t really interested), and the magical world of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell; Book 2 was set away from that snobby world with a more Bronte country, big house, feel. Book 3 is, it seems to me, different again, a bit more complex, and more it’s own beast.

Why on Earth a reader of dark, sometimes violent, and cynical fantasies, like me, would be reading this type of book is a mystery I’ve not solved, though I’ve had a sneaking liking for Jane Austen for many years - the subversive approach of creating a glittering world of wealthy people partying and gossiping, and then adding sympathetic characters who show it to be so superficial. And also for English folklore where the Fairy world is a rival, often hostile world, to humans.

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Half a Soul so when I saw this I knew I needed to dive right in!

Here we have Elias Wilder and Dora's adopted daughter, Abigail, and if you've read Half A Soul, you'll know who she is.

Abigail has mortal and faerie magic and is on the trail to find the murderer of young girls. Along with her brother who is a ghost (Hugh) and a girl they find along the way, Mercy, they investigate and all fingers point to a faerie, Lord Longshadow.

* As in HaS, I loved the time period and the descriptions of the places they went in London, I want to go back there to soak it all up!

* The magic was magical! Loved the faeries!

* Absolutely loved Hugh. He is so sweet, I want to Mumma hug him!

* Loved seeing Elias and Dora again (especially Elias!)

*Abigail and Mercy = so cute together and made my heart sing!

I am now aware that I've missed a book in the middle of this series but I don't think it affected my ability to follow along with this book, not that I realised anyway! So I'm off to get that!

Longshadow is such a different entity to its predecessors, and I'm sad to say I simply didn't enjoy it the same. Rather than focusing on a wacky but simple premise (half a soul, fairy wager), this book is more about exploring the worldbuilding and previous characters of the series, loosely linked to a standard mystery about murders. The result is a novel that feels like a lot of fantasy books I have read, rather than the unique entities I've come to expect from the series; this also felt far more strangely structured and paced. I do appreciate the queer romance we get, but it doesn't have the same punch and personality as the previous couples, nor do the main characters (the returning characters were of course fun, but I still prefer to leave them to their happy endings). There are still charming elements and choices, and this is certainly not a difficult read, but I shan't be revisiting it (as opposed to books 1 and 2 - my admiration for them is unchanged).