'In the quiet streets of Prague all manner of otherworldly creatures lurk in the shadows. Unbeknownst to its citizens, their only hope against the tide of predators are the dauntless lamplighters - a secret elite of monster hunters whose light staves off the darkness each night. Domek Myska leads a life teeming with fraught encounters with the worst kind of evil: pijavice, bloodthirsty and soulless vampiric creatures. Despite this, Domek find solace in his moments spent in the company of his friend, the clever and beautiful Lady Ora Fischerová-- a widow with secrets of her own.
'When Domek finds himself stalked by the spirit of the White Lady - a ghost who haunts the baroque halls of Prague castle - he stumbles across the sentient essence of a will-o'-the-wisp, a mischievous spirit known to lead lost travellers to their death, but who, once captured, are bound to serve the desires of their owners.
'After discovering a conspiracy amongst the pijavice that could see them unleash terror on the daylight world, Domek finds himself in a race against those who aim to twist alchemical science for their own dangerous gain.'
The Lights of Prague takes readers to the beautiful city of Prague during the 1800's, where we discover that not only are vampires and other creatures of the night are real, but that there is a secret group who patrol the streets of the city keeping its people safe; the lamplighters.
Domek is a lamplighter, a man who has made it his duty to protect the citizens of Prague from the monsters they don't even know live amongst them. He, and the other lamplighters, walk the streets of the city at night, tending the gas lights, but also hunting any of the pijavice (vampires) that try to feed. It's during one of these nightly shifts that Domek kills a pijavice and discovers something strange in the belongings it leaves behind; a small ceramic jar with an inscription on on the surface.
The jar burns the markings into Domeks hand, and he finds himself in control of the entity within the jar, a powerful Will-o-the-wisp. This entity is now bound to Domek, putting its powers at his control. But Domek is not only afraid of the duplicitous nature of this demonic entity, but what would happen if he tried to set it free. With no choice but to keep the creature bound to him he tries to discover why the pijavice would have had it.
At the same time we're introduced to Lady Ora Fischerova, a young widow living in Prague. Ora, despite her outward appearance, is actually centuries old pijavice, and lives a life of peace amongst the people of Prague. However, when she's approached by some of the city officials to help look into the worrying rumours that a cure for the pijavice might exist she finds herself drawn back into a world she left behind years ago.
Both Domek and Ora are forced into a scheme that could not only put an end to Prague, but aso find themselves on a course to discover the secrets each are hiding as their relationship draws the closer together.
One of the things that immediately jumps out about The Lights of Prague is how different is feels from other vampire books, whilst still being very true to the themes and stories that have surrounded the creatures for decades. Perhaps it's the slight variation of having pijavice vampires, ones whose mythology is subtly different from what people normally think of when they hear vampires, but Nicole Jarvis manages to make the vampires in this book feel so unique.
The main plot of the book, the investigation into the vampires and their supposed cure, is something that has been done before, yes, but the method they use, the politics behind it, and how our two protagonists go about discovering it make it feel like a brand new idea. The book has a level or originality that is often missing from vampire fiction, and it makes the book an absolute delight to read.
But it's not just the way Jarvis writes her vampires that makes the book such a joy; its two central characters are a big part of what makes this such a good book too. Domek could have easily been a macho alpha-male type character, he has the physical build for it and the job fighting monsters, but he has surprising depth and gentleness to him that make him so much more than just a vampire hunter. He turns out to be a kind man, one who checks in on his mother, who works with his uncle for free just to help him out, one who's moved to wonder and tears at watching opera for the first time. There's a level of earnestness and almost childlike innocence to him that makes him so easy to love and care for.
In a contrast to him there's Ora, a woman who to look at her you'd expect a demure and physically weak widow, yet has not just an incredible physical strength but an outgoing character too. She's a woman who rejects some of the trappings of the time, who goes to talks and debates with men because she's passionate on subjects and learning. She's not afraid to make friends with people outside of her social strata, and she's been around and done so much that she's incredibly open minded. I loved that on the outside you'd expect one thing from these characters, but you get something completely different from them; and two characters that compliment each other so well too.
The love story between Ora and Domek isn't the focus of the book, so people who don't just want a romance don't have to worry that it will overtake things, and the relationship between the two of them works its way through the story in a believable way. It becomes a part of the story, one that shapes some of their choices and the plot yes, but never becomes the focus of it. Instead, it's the fight against the pijavice that is front and centre the most important part of the book.
With that in mind, I have to talk about who might be the best character in the novel, Kaja, the Will-o-the-wisp. When first introduced to this sentient ball of fire we're presented with a very clear picture of it, that it's a creature that cannot be trusted, that only exists to show mischief and pain. But over the course of the boo Domek, and the reader, get to know Kaja and discover that he's so much more than this. His story becomes one of the most affecting parts of the book, and some of the most moving moments come from him. If you'd had told me going into this that I'd come to care for a fiery ball of energy I wouldn't have believed you, but by the end I not only adored him, but wanted him to be safe and happy. Nicole Jarvis got me emotionally invested in a ball of fire, that's definitely some damn good writing.
The Lights of Prague is a book that attracted me for the setting, I was interested in seeing Prague during the 1800's, but it very quickly became a book that got me hooked on the mythology and the mystery, before ending up a book where I cared for the characters and wanted to see them all get a happy ending. I wasn't expecting the journey this book would take me on, and I'm kind of sad that it's over. But for the short time it existed I loved every moment of it.
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