*** I received a free ebook from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*** 
 'Smoke' by Dan Vyleta is a historical fiction cross mystery novel set in a world in which people who are wicked in thought or action are marked by the taint of a strange Smoke that pours from their bodies. The lowest of sinners, those most profoundly marked by Smoke, are considered the most evil members of society, the lower class and common folk are not much better, barely able to control their corruption. This alternative history Dickensian England is governed by an elite and wealthy aristocracy who do not Smoke, proving both their virtue and superiority, and therefore their right to rule. At an elite boarding school outside of London the sons of the wealthy are taught to control their Smoke and groomed to uphold their birthright. It is here that two best friends, Thomas and Charlie, set out on a journey to unravel the secrets of Smoke and discover that everything they have been taught is a lie. 
 Full disclosure: I did not enjoy this book at all. 
 I was intrigued by the premise and it started out with a lot of promise, really capturing the feel of an almost Victorian era England and establishing a strong mystery element filled with plenty of intrigue. For me, however, it rapidly devolved into an incredibly slow and laboured plot caught up in tedious levels of details. I do, however, think that there will be plenty of other people who will enjoy this novel. If you're a fan of alternative history fiction, detail rich writing, an altogether dark and gritty atmosphere, slow burn mysteries, the stirrings of political revolution and period style language then I think you may enjoy this story. There is definitely something original and strangely smart about this book. It just wasn't for me. 
 My thoughts (ever so slightly spoilery but nothing specific or major); 
 So I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the concept of Smoke, what it would mean for a society governed by a physical representation of sin and the potential for a magical twist to an otherwise familiar historical setting. I honestly thought there was going to be this overlying fantastical vibe to the world, in which the author could explore some deeper metaphorical concepts, similar to Pullman's use of Dust in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I'm such a sucker for books heavy on themes and deeper ideas as well as mysterious and magical world building. Unfortunately, this wasn't really the case. In all honesty I felt like there was literally no other facet to this world, no other significant or intriguing or mystical aspect to this story outside of this singular idea. For me, hanging an entire book on this sole defining element is not enough to create an engaging and fully formed world. I wanted magic and mystery and something more from the world building, especially given that this novel is being compared to His Dark Materials which presents such a richly imagined, utterly unique and well crafted world. 
 I also ended up intensely disliking the concept of Smoke and the way it was utilised by the author. I didn't like the religious and puritanical undertones. I disliked my interpretation of the moral discussion posed by Smoke as a wider metaphor in this story. I resented the way sin and virtue, as well as wealth and power, was presented and explored in this society. The gritty ugliness of this world felt confused to me and at odds with the deeper meaning of the story. This is a book that blurs the lines of good and evil, and yet I found myself questioning the complexity and intricacy of the concept, in turn irritated and outraged by different components of this world. I just didn't like what I felt the author was trying to say. 
 Admittedly, my interpretation may well be wildly wrong. In some ways this book felt too complex and clever for me and I struggled to wrap my head around what felt like a fluid set of rules, with Smoke this ever changing and evolving element. In some instances the rules governing Smoke felt almost counterintuitive to what had come before. This may be due to the fact that, while the world building is centred solely (and with such narrow focus as to be almost claustrophobic) on this concept of Smoke as an entity, and trying to unravel its mysteries, it is actually quite ill defined. In fact, despite the length of the book and sheer amount of time spent discussing Smoke we literally NEVER GET ANY DECENT ANSWERS! What is it? Who knows. Where did it come from? No idea. What does it mean? Is it infection or is it sin itself, is it the consequence or the cause of actions? I don't know and stopped caring by the halfway mark. Smoke doesn't seem to play by a set of stable rules, any continuity in the world (while probably understood to the author) didn't seem to translate onto the page. 
 Honestly it was so frustrating that the entire plot revolved around a concept that we barely understand and is poorly explained. It's impossible to understand the motivations of any of the characters within the context of the plot or why the conclusion played out the way it did because we don't really understand the entity around which it is based. This book felt confused, continuously shifting in its ideas and lacking a definitive 'villain'. I'm still not sure which side I'm meant to be on in the political and social struggle that is presented, or even what one of the main characters hoped to achieved with her mysterious plotting and scheming. 
 Another issue for me was the pacing. This book was so frustratingly slow, with page upon page of absolute nothingness, chapter upon chapter that advances us exactly nowhere in the plot. There was so much detail, but no action to back it up. It was such a tedious slog to make it all the way through and I was so bored that I started to skim read, desperate to just get to the end and get some answers. There was way too much dense description and not enough momentum in the plot. I quickly became disengaged, which also meant that I struggled to relate to or connect with any of the characters. This book could have easily been half the length, simply by removing the series of random first person chapters focused on secondary characters. While for some people these chapters may serve to build on to the wider world, I didn't think they added anything to the story and in fact seemed to take away from any sense of tension or suspense in the narrative, stretching out the book unnecessarily for no real gain. 
 So, on the whole this one was just not for me due to a slow and dragging plot, an overly complex concept and a lack of satisfying answers. I'm honestly just glad this book is done. Better luck to you if you're reading it. 
 My rating 1.5 stars