I enjoyed this book more on the second reading than the first. The plot was well executed, from the moment when 'Edwards' appears in a magical semi-Victorian era universe as a captive of the local witch, to the final denouement. The characters of the tough, extroverted Edwards and her socially taciturn partner Henri are well developed, and the dialogue is nicely done and believable.

However, the plot moved much too slowly for me, and the mysterious crimes that the detectives are tasked with solving were just not exciting enough to keep me reading. There were some aspects of the plot that I had difficulty swallowing - for instance that Edwards would suddenly be transported to this world for vague but nefarious reasons, escape, and then within months be happily working in a senior position at the local police department. This is a world where - apart from it being remarkably easy to get into the police - Victorian ideas about women's dress and gentlemanly behaviour co-exist with female constables and a very 21st century outlook generally speaking. So the 'steampunk' aspect didn't quite ring true for me either. The book could also have done with professional editing to remove typos and grammatical issues.

Having said that, the character were likeable and well drawn, the plot generally hung together well, and the book did improve on a second pass.