Release Date: May 23rd 2023
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 336
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis

A Gothic supernatural mystery for fans for The Quickening and The Shape of Darkness, featuring real-life events and people, such as George Méliès and the Moberly-Jourdain incident, where two English women claim to have seen the ghost of Marie Antoinette in the gardens of Versailles.

1902.

Helena Walton-Cisneros, known for finding answers to the impossible, has started her own detective agency. She takes on two new uncanny cases, both located in Paris – which itself is too much of a coincidence to ignore. In the first case, two English women claim to have seen the ghost of Marie Antoinette in the gardens of Versailles. The second case is the murder of a young woman working at the mysterious Méliès Star Films studio outside Paris.

As Helena and her colleague Eliza investigate, they hear whispers of vanishings at Méliès Star Films, strange lights, spies, actors flying without ropes and connections to the occult.

What is George Méliès practising at his secretive film studio? And is it connected to the haunting in Versailles? Helena and Eliza will only find the answers if they accept the natural world is darker, stranger than they could ever have imagined…

Review

The second book featuring Helena Walton-Cisneros and her work to uncover supernatural mysteries. This time Helena has started a detective agency with her friend Eliza. As the agency is opening they become involved in two mysterious cases in Paris – first two female scholars from Oxford claim to have seen Marie Antoinette in the past and the second is the disappearance of a young woman working for a film studio. As the colleagues work to uncover the truth, they soon learn that the two cases might be linked and that there might be a lot more going on at the Méliès Star Films studio than they thought possible.

I read The Golden Key a while ago and was really intrigued to see where Womack would take the story next. On the Nature of Magic is a captivating read, full of mystery and magic. The plot unfolded well and the story kept me guessing as I was never quite sure if the cases were magical or not. The story comes to a satisfying conclusion but also felt that there could be the possibility of another installment which I would definitely be keen to read.

Helena and Eliza are fascinating protagonists – they’re working together but they have very different beliefs. Eliza’s beliefs are firmly rooted in science and she is attempting to reconcile with the idea that their cases involve the occult. Helena is determined to help women in need as well as work to understand the powers that she has. I enjoyed seeing their relationship as colleagues develop as they race to uncover the truth behind the mysteries.

The story is set both in London and in Paris and I liked the depictions of both cities, particularly the dark and eerie catacombs of Paris. If you’re looking for a Gothic mystery with a dash of magic thrown in, this could be just what you’re looking for.