About the Book:Title: The Missing
Author: Jerico Lenk
Pub. Date: September 19, 2017
Publisher: Month9Books
Pages: 320
Rating: 4/5 stars
Synopsis:
It is 1890, and London has secrets. For sixteen-year-old Will Winchester, born Willow Winchester and raised as a young man, the safety of his own secrets rests one atop the other. Hiding his gender queerness is important. But so is hiding the ghostly voices of the Missing, which Will hears when no one else can … until the Spiritualist Black Cross Order of Occult Occurrences wants him in their service to keep peace between London’s living and dead.
The freedom to be himself may come with a price. Working alongside a patchwork team of misfits and unlikely allies, Will finds he isn't the only one keeping secrets. Someone does not want him to uncover the truth about the ghosts who aren’t just missing from the world of the living, but missing from history itself. Can he find the Missing before he ends up becoming one of them?
The freedom to be himself may come with a price. Working alongside a patchwork team of misfits and unlikely allies, Will finds he isn't the only one keeping secrets. Someone does not want him to uncover the truth about the ghosts who aren’t just missing from the world of the living, but missing from history itself. Can he find the Missing before he ends up becoming one of them?
Review:
Do you want a good spooky read just in time for Halloween? Then The Missing is the perfect book for you!! This was an absolutely fantastic story that is a standout novel in more ways than one. It's unique and fun, and set against a backdrop of Victorian England, you really can't lose with this book!
Let me start off by talking about the plot and then we'll go into the amazing cast of characters and why this book really was next level for me. The whole book reminded me of a mix between the tv show Supernatural (and how can it not when the MC's last name is even Winchester!!), which I adore, and Clockwork Angel. It was literally the perfect setting for this entire novel and it elevated the story from run-of-the-mill ghost story to something more! Wil, our MC, is clairvoyant and can interact with ghosts. Because of this, Will feels compelled to join a society called the Black Cross, who hunt down and dispel the ghosts and ghouls of Victorian England. The one thing that I really loved though was how in depth Jerico Lenk went into describing the spirit world and what it was that the Black Cross does. For example, we learn that the team investigates what actually keeps the ghosts tethered to our world. Moreover, Lenk also questioned what they do. And this is something that is honestly unheard of in ghost-themed books. By this I mean, he questioned: is it actually okay to be killing the ghosts. If they are as sentient as the society and people believe, and even befriend the living, why is it suddenly okay to dispel/kill them? I was blown away by the inclusion of this whole plot point because seriously, how many ghost books have we all read and this never has come up?! This has never once been questioned! It makes you think, and it really took this book to the next level.
Where this book truly shines though is in its characters. There is such diversity and I think it really made this book for me. This is one of the few books that I have read recently that has such a diverse character set and has done it well by normalizing it. Let me tell you how absolutely important this is. Diversity is something that should be celebrated and not be seen as this "weird" or "unique" thing to do when it's something that has always existed in society . So let's start with Wil. Wil is gender fluid, which means while Wil is anatomically female, depending on the day Wil identifies as somewhere between male and female. This is how it's described in the novel:
Let me start off by talking about the plot and then we'll go into the amazing cast of characters and why this book really was next level for me. The whole book reminded me of a mix between the tv show Supernatural (and how can it not when the MC's last name is even Winchester!!), which I adore, and Clockwork Angel. It was literally the perfect setting for this entire novel and it elevated the story from run-of-the-mill ghost story to something more! Wil, our MC, is clairvoyant and can interact with ghosts. Because of this, Will feels compelled to join a society called the Black Cross, who hunt down and dispel the ghosts and ghouls of Victorian England. The one thing that I really loved though was how in depth Jerico Lenk went into describing the spirit world and what it was that the Black Cross does. For example, we learn that the team investigates what actually keeps the ghosts tethered to our world. Moreover, Lenk also questioned what they do. And this is something that is honestly unheard of in ghost-themed books. By this I mean, he questioned: is it actually okay to be killing the ghosts. If they are as sentient as the society and people believe, and even befriend the living, why is it suddenly okay to dispel/kill them? I was blown away by the inclusion of this whole plot point because seriously, how many ghost books have we all read and this never has come up?! This has never once been questioned! It makes you think, and it really took this book to the next level.
Where this book truly shines though is in its characters. There is such diversity and I think it really made this book for me. This is one of the few books that I have read recently that has such a diverse character set and has done it well by normalizing it. Let me tell you how absolutely important this is. Diversity is something that should be celebrated and not be seen as this "weird" or "unique" thing to do when it's something that has always existed in society . So let's start with Wil. Wil is gender fluid, which means while Wil is anatomically female, depending on the day Wil identifies as somewhere between male and female. This is how it's described in the novel:
"I felt both a young lady and a young man. Not at the same time—sometimes, Will; other times, Willow. And despite how it sounds, it all felt very normal to me. My normal. A kind of bi-genderness, something fluid between the two. Simple as that."
I loved how Lenk explored this aspect throughout the book, and I thought Wil's character was incredibly well written. Additionally, the other characters featured in the story are diverse as well. But what I really loved is how the diversity of the cast is just there...no explanations, just a normal everyday thing. Because that's how it should be in all books!! For example, there was mentions of 2 women dating, and that a male character had interest in another male at a party. Can I get an AMEN for well written representation!! I also really appreciated that While Wil was more or less accepted by others, Lenk still explored the prejudices of the time and the difficulties Wil faced.
I highly recommend checking this book out if you are looking for a fantastic spooky read! With a great mix of Supernatural and Clockwork Angel (2 personal favorites), this book is an all around winner! Lenk is a very talented author and is definitely one to watch. I am excited to see what else Jerico Lenk writes because I'll definitely be checking it out!
Happy reading :)
~Cassie
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