Book Review: The Spirit Medium Trilogy by C. J. Archer

"The Medium"
"Possession"
"Evermore"
by C. J. Archer 

So, one good thing about being sick, I had lots of time to read (and re-watch series one of "Sherlock," but mostly, read.) I heard about the first book in this trilogy, "The Medium," through the BookBub website, which I heartily recommend if you have an e-reader. You sign up, and they send you an email everyday with a list of bargain ebooks, many of them free. 

 "The Medium" is a Victorian supernatural mystery-romance starring Emily Chambers, a young woman who can see ghosts. When she and her sister accidentally release a demon at a seance, she sets out to track it down and banish it, with the help of Jacob, a handsome ghost with no idea how he died or where his body is. This book also introduces the mystery surrounding Emily's parentage and mediumistic heritage.

 In the second book, "Possession," Emily and Jacob try to stop the ghost of a murderer who's possessing high society gentlemen. To do this, they must discover who summoned the ghost in the first place, and why. And how is it connected to the mystery of Jacob's death?

 The final book, "Evermore," wraps everything up as neatly as a Victorian romance reader would want. When Emily is suddenly unable to summon ghosts to her seances, she and Jacob must discover why ghosts are disappearing from the Otherworld, and how they can stop the curse before Jacob disappears as well. This book ties all the mysteries together, and finally solves the questions surrounding Jacob's ghost. 

 All three books are quite well written. The characters are interesting, and the action flows well. Sometimes, the author gives a few too many clues, making the mystery a bit easy to figure out, but the story is still entertaining. The first book may have been free, but it was compelling enough to make me immediately buy the second and third ones as soon as I finished the first. 

 I'd recommend these books to fans of Gail Carriger's Steampunk novels - they've got the same blend of Victorian romance and supernatural action, minus the Steampunk gadgetry.