Catherine Daly is able to raise the dead, but her magic comes at a cost. By day, 17-year-old Miss Daly works at a print shop in the city of Invercarn. By night, her employer, Mr. Ainsworth, tasks her and her roommate, Bridget, with providing a farewell service for people in the town. Catherine uses small amounts of blood magic to raise the recently deceased just long enough for mourners to say a brief, final goodbye. When Mr. Ainsworth asks her to dig up the contents of a mysterious unmarked grave in search of a magical timepiece, Catherine enlists the help of 18-year-old Guy Nolan, son of a local watchmaker. Together, they manage to not only dig up the grave in question, they also inadvertently raise the boy who was entombed there. The three of them work together to solve the mysteries surrounding the boy's death--Owen, as the boy chooses to call himself, has little memory of his previous existence. As their investigations proceed, Catherine and Guy develop a romantic relationship. Simple language and light character development make this book, set in a world that evokes Victorian Britain, a quick and somewhat flat read. The plot, while straightforward, is enjoyable and will appeal to teen readers. All characters are White. A lukewarm gothic fantasy with a slight touch of romance. (Fantasy. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 7 Up--In a deserted cemetery, on the darkest of nights, Catherine Daly is digging up a grave. Awaiting the opening of the casket is a young man hoping to speak once again with his beloved sister. Catherine steps aside and, using a magical talisman, gives him the hour he hopes for. Catherine works by day as the obituary printer for the newspaper and is often tasked to provide such services by her boss. One afternoon, she is assigned to open an unmarked grave to find the magical timepiece rumored to be buried within. Wanting help to identify the piece, she invites Guy Nolan, the son of a watchmaker known to have his own magic. When they open the grave, however, there is no timepiece, and when Catherine uses her magic to temporarily awaken the young man buried there to question him, he instead comes to life. Young Owen has no memory of his former life, but his wounds suggest murder. When Catherine returns to her boss he accuses her of stealing the timepiece, leaving her, Owen, and Guy racing to find the item before it can be used for evil. While their search takes them from the darkest corners of the cemetery to the halls of the rich, they also look for answers regarding Owen's identity, why he was murdered, and what connections they have to this timepiece and the magic it produces. Catherine and Owen are described as pale-skinned, and Guy has brown hair. VERDICT Catherine, Owen, and Guy live in a world where magic intermixes with the dark reaches of greed, wealth, and the possibility of resurrecting the dead. Gothic in its texture and Dickensian in story, this will satisfy any mystery and magic reader.--Connie Williams, Petaluma P.L., CA

Powell's (Songs from the Deep) atmospheric and leisurely tale follows Catherine Daly, 17, who has spent two years on her own in the city of Invercarn, helping to support her family by working as a typesetter. In recent months, her duties have expanded to include what's known as "the farewell service": using blood magic--and sacrificing a small portion of her lifespan--to briefly raise the dead for final visits with loved ones. When her boss requests that she retrieve a buried timepiece said to bring the dead fully back to life, Catherine enlists the help of Guy Nolan, whose father owns a watch and clock repair store known for its sideline in time-oriented enchantment. Though the pair fail to discover the magical timepiece in the unmarked grave, they witness its occupant's transformation from withered corpse to fully alive boy. As they work to uncover the mystery behind the former coffin-maker's identity and his earlier fate, Catherine and Guy begin a gentle, decorous courtship, eventually progressing to a first-name basis. Despite its abundance of wonderfully creepy details, including midnight cemetery visits and a body snatcher, the story is strangely sedate, with a detail-heavy narration that quashes the plot's urgency. Ages 12--up. Agent: Kristy Hunter, the Knight Agency. (Oct.)