Release date: May 25 2021
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 413
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: I bought a copy of this from my local Waterstones
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Synopsis

In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters – a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerová– a widow with secrets of her own.

When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady – a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle – he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o’-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travellers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners.

After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavice that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain.

Review

The Lights of Prague is a dark and intriguing story that follows two people living in Prague, a city that is plagued with dark creatures. Domek is a lamplighter – a secret group tasked with protecting the citizens of Prague from the creatures of the night. Lady Ora Fischerová is a pijavice, one of the undead who hides in high society. When one night Domek discovers a will-o’-the-wisp, it sends him on a dark quest to uncover a terrible conspiracy among the pijavice. Domek must team up with Lady Fischerová in order to save Prague, but will they manage it in time?

The Lights of Prague really caught my eye when I saw it was a vampire story set in Prague and was for fans of V. E. Schwab. This is my first book from Nicole Jarvis and I really enjoyed the writing style, but I did feel the main plot was a little on the predictable side. I thought the setting was really interesting and Prague really came to life in the story. Jarvis does a good job creating tension and there are more than a few eerie and creepy moments in this gothic tale.

While I did enjoy this story I did think the pacing was a little uneven. The story starts off quite slow whereas the latter half of the book feels very fast paced. Our main characters are well crafted and intriguing and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop as the story progressed. I similarly liked Kaja, who was probably the character that interested me most in the story.

Overall The Lights of Prague is an entertaining and compelling gothic fantasy tale and if you’re looking for a vampire story set somewhere different, this could be just the book you’re looking for.