** spoiler alert ** 
 A dystopian London at the turn of the 20th century, a trio of school mates, some kind of strange magic or technology that makes sin manifest as smoke. Yes, you have my attention. 
 Smoke is an original, intriguing, and captivating novel filled with juxtapositions. The rich and poor, the moral and the corrupt, the white collars and the soot stained rags. I enjoyed the characters and their journey. The writing was unique...a number of point of view characters were employed to give a multi-faceted perspective of the effects and politics of smoke. Despite the fact the story takes place in an alternative reality, much of the political discussion is timely in this current election cycle. I found myself invested in Thomas, Charlie, and Livia's world in the same way I found myself drawn in to Phillip Pullman's His Dark Material's trilogy. 
 And yet I can't seem to give it more than 3 stars. The book is, IMO, not finished. At one point, Mrs. Naylor displays an old version of the Bible, along with some Renaissance era paintings, that serve to prove humanity did not begin to smoke until the 17th century. I was fascinated with this plot point and eagerly awaited the reveal. Who had created the smoke? Why had the past been re-written? How would the masses react to this information? 
 None of these questions were answered. Maybe smoke just happened? And then the wealthy just happened to exploit it? Maybe I missed something, and if I did please let me know. Or perhaps there is a sequel on the way. What a shame. Another chapter or two and this would have been a masterpiece.