Jess is living an unconventional life in Victorian England with her mother, who dupes clients as a supposed spiritualist. But on the day Jess receives a real and threatening supernatural message, her mother whisks her to London, where she meets Balthazar, who, she learns, fought such evil with her parents. The evil entity " o has been contacted was, in fact, the cause of her father's death. Balthazar inducts Jess into the League of Ravens, joining his other wards, Emily and Gabriel, who each have their own powers. Now, Jess too might fight to stop the horror M has planned. Both the innocuous cover and the title may draw readers who aren't expecting something as graphic as this is. That M is trying to blame Jews, gypsies, and other "undesirables" for the epidemic he plans needs much more explanation; indeed, the whole book could use more connective tissue as it often skims the surface. But the writing is solid, and for kids who relish some blood and gore, this should fill the slot.

Jess, assistant to her sham-spiritualist mother, is surprised when she receives an authentic--and sinister--message from the spirit world. Jess, a gifted mesmerist, must use her visions and thought-reading skills to defeat a bloodthirsty villain who wants eternal life for himself. Smith's plot-driven tale, set in Victorian London, plays on horror and the supernatural for its drama; the first-person, present-tense writing is involving.

Jess and her widowed mother eke out a genteel living in Victorian England as spiritualists, claiming to communicate with the dead; when a cryptic message replaces the fake they've prepared for a grieving client, her mother—terrified—insists they flee to London. There, sheltered by her parents' wealthy, half-faerie associate, Balthazar, Jess learns the three were members of the League of Ravens, using their genuine occult powers to defeat Mephisto, a diabolical gang reanimating the dead. Balthazar tells Jess she's a mesmerist, able to enter the minds of those around her. Joining the reconstituted league, Jess moves into a house in London's impoverished East End. Residents include Emily, who can conjure light, and Gabriel, whose gift relies on music—both plucked from a dismal orphanage to combat Mephisto. Jess is stunned, too, by the brutal poverty she sees. Her gift helps her empathize with its scarred victims, now threatened by a mysterious, deadly plague, its rapid spread blamed on communists and immigrants. Fear once prevented Jess from aiding Deepa, an Indian friend victimized by bias and hatred (Jess and the other characters appear to be white); now, she fights injustice in two worlds. Exploring fictional terrain far from the 1930s Alabama so powerfully conveyed in the award-winning Hoodoo (2015), Smith continues to display a deft mastery of worldbuilding and creepy, atmospheric plotting. A gripping tale enhanced by a convincingly detailed setting and drawing on classic fantasy memes. (Fantasy/horror. 10-12)

Smith-s second novel (after Hoodoo) opens in 1864 England, where 13-year-old Jess and her mother have been running supernatural scams ever since her father-s mysterious death some years earlier. One séance goes badly astray when Jess returns from her supposed trance with a message she hadn-t intended: -Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies. Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down!- The handwritten message, signed only M, terrifies Jess-s mother, who immediately takes them to London, looking for help from the eccentric (and not entirely human) Lord Balthazar. Jess learns that he and her parents were part of a secret organization, the League of Ravens, which has fought evil for centuries. Now, that evil has returned and Jess, who unknowingly carries the enormous powers of a mesmerist, must lead the fight. The shape of the story is familiar, but Smith deftly brings Jess and her fellow Ravens to life and ramps up the violence to a fever pitch at the climax. This tale, though not for the faint at heart, is certain to please young horror fans. Ages 10-12. Agent: Adriann Ranta, Foundry Literary + Media. (Feb.)