I was as enamored by The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga as I thought I would be when I picked this up. I wasn’t blown away and I wasn’t underwhelmed. It simply hit the exactly spot that needed itching! There was adventure, body-snatching, science, and interpersonal drama.
Characters were solid and smart. We have two main viewpoints, both equal, yet different. With Roger, we have the poor, working class character with noble aspirations and a practical mind. His foil, the lovely Princess Sibylla, who is the embodiment of magic. Sibylla didn’t diminish herself to prop up Roger, and he didn’t fold to her every whim or lose his intelligence or common sense. They were both strong characters that alone could support a novel, yet by working together, connected two worlds and stories. I’m actually super excited to see how the characters evolve going forward in the series thanks to… certain spoiler events that happen toward the end.
The mystery itself was quite clever. A nice mix between steampunk modernity with Victorian worldbuilding and a dash of magic, all of these elements come into play, influence the plot and mystery. This is actually one of the few YA books where I didn’t know what the outcome would be. I didn’t realize who the culprit was and didn’t even guess at the second, side mystery brought forth by Sibylla. Once both were revealed, I could see the crumbs of clues which made the resolution very satisfying and earned.
With just the right amount of modernity, magic, and Victorian, with a set of mysteries that leave you guessing, The Resurrectionist of Caligo by Wendy Trimboli and Alicia Zaloga is fun, fast-paced, and well-written. This is definitely a series I’m looking forward to continuing when the second in the series is released!
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