Indigo Donut was shortlisted for the Bookseller YA Prize and the Carnegie Award, was Book of the Week in The Times, The Sunday Times and The Observer, and was one of The Times’ top children’s books in 2017. The Elementals, however, have become increasingly displeased from the years of pollution and lack of care from the ‘Solids’ (humans who live in this world).

I just hope that Patrice Lawrence takes the time in future installments to flesh out her ideas more! Our young protagonists, Marisee and Robert, set off on a dangerous, magical mission to save London from a grim fate.

This book is very similar to Lair of Dreams, so fans of that book should enjoy seeing the action moved across the Atlantic and further into the past. This beautifully written story is set in an ancient London filled with dragons, ghosts and water spirits – it is absolutely bursting with magic, bound to enchant fans of books such as Nevermore and Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines series. This book is a must read (or listen, I loved the audio book) and I'll be working my way through the author's cataloogue. This novel would be a fantastic choice for the upper primary or lower secondary classroom to ensure that books are reflecting the lives of their readers – female and male protagonists of colour, different family structures (Marisee lives with her grandmother, Robert has been taken away from his family), friendship, making difficult choices, etc. Mortality was a problem not exclusive to the poor in the 1700s – disease, war, and childbirth were all to perilous even for the moneyed classes.

Instead, Robert's potential was wasted by a cluttered book that never really seemed to know what kind of book it wanted to be. But some are awake and chasing Marisee, controlled by a mysterious Shepherdess, who wants to find Marisee’s grandmother. A wonderfully busy cast of characters include the Cursing Boar of Fleet Ditch, versed in 83 languages (learn your London Horse!And, finally our heroes: Marisse and Robert, the latter based on the real life 18th century teenager, Jonathan Strong, a significant name in UK Black History which should be shouted much louder. A stunningly imagined, action-packed fantasy adventure for fans of Nevermoor, Neverwhere and Mortal Engines, from bestselling and award-winning author Patrice Lawrence. An investigation into everyday objects and the elements from which they are composed would be an interesting side-line study to accompany this book. This review was written by Kelly Ashley With over 20 years of education experience in both the US and the UK, Kelly Ashley currently works as an independent consultant, providing training and support for primary schools across the UK. The Elemental Detectives is a rip roaring magical adventure… Patrice Lawrence has done a marvellous job of building an imaginative and creative mythology which lurks just under the city streets.