Lost and Found: Case One by Nita Round ( The Evie Chester Files #1)

6/10

Evie Chester is a "Gifted", an individual possessing unique powers who are equally feared and revered dealing with a mixture of score and awe in the setting of Round's book. Evie's power is that she can absorb illness from a person, which in turn requires her to purge the illness from her own body.

Evie is the slave of a gangster, forced to use her power out of fear of torture. Evie is a survivalist, making the best of the situations thrust at her while keeping herself under the radar. All while Evie encounters disaster and misfortune continually.

However, thankfully the author manages to not slip into trauma porn territory: As Evie grows more aware of her gift and the possibilities of her developing strength, both emotionally and magically.

The momentum builds at a slow and steady pace until the third act, which introduces a variety of new concepts to tempt the reader into the next instalment of the series. Piquing the reader's curiosity is a strong choice over the commonly used cliffhanger.

Lost And Found works as both a stand alone novel and an introduction to this series. There is a good evocative sense of setting, which Round has planted the seeds for more exploration in future instalments.