Alethea Lyons' Somnia continues the deeply atmospheric world of the alternative York that began in the first book in the series, The Hiding. There's a poetic flow of narrative through the exploration of this world. I was drawn in. The book is a real page turner with a wide variety of characters in the lead character's team of sleuths who seek to unravel the mystery of multiple murders seemingly linked to The Hiding and its main character Harper. I thoroughly recommend this book and its series. It is a completely original approach, blending as it does magic, mystery/crime, and personal exploration. I know that some would place it in Horror, but that restriction would be to do it a disservice. Alethea does not dwell on the gruesome, on much the same way that Shelley's Frankenstein used the genre to enter a debate of what makes each of us connect. This is a novel that all but the very young or very sensitive could read and savour. It goes deep, but it is also a cracking story.