The Shadow Cabinet by Maureen Johnson

Grieving, shaken, and feeling very much alone, Rory's life as a member of the Shades of London has changed irrevocably. It's only been a matter of hours since Stephen was taken from her, possibly for ever. Her classmate Charlotte is still missing, kidnapped by the same people who tried to take Rory. Rory is no longer a schoolgirl haplessly involved in the dealings of a secret government unit. She is their weapon in a matter of life and death.

With hardly a moment to think for herself, Rory is back to work. Charlotte must be found -- as must Stephen, if he is even out there. Lines must be drawn and forces rallied. Something is brewing under London, something bigger and much more dangerous than what has come before. The Shadow Cabinet holds the key to everything, and it is up to Rory to unravel its mysteries before time runs out... 

Warning: spoilers for previous books!

Third in Shades of London series, this time catching up with Rory after a hell of a shock and loss. Most of the first few chapters was spent looking for Stephen and trying not to break down and cry. It dragged on just a little bit too long before Rory could snap out of it and do something useful, but as ever Johnson never made it feel like it was wasted space. 

Like I said, a lot of time spent figuring out the next move and playing catch up to Jane's master plan. Once they gain traction, things speed up; new characters crop up to both help and hinder their investigation, we see a new side of Thorpe, and Rory and gang are piecing together clues to finally get one step ahead of Jane and the super creepy Sid and Sadie. Loved new character Freddie, a little chatterbox with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things ghost. She definitely came in handy but was rather annoying, plus was a bit of a sore spot after losing Stephen

Back to Sid and Sadie, there was a lot more spiritualist and pagan sort of approach to ghosts, which was interesting and kind of fun, especially after Callum's "they all suck, let's blast them" attitude. This background gave the book a much different feel, one that was well written but did kind of come out of nowhere, especially concerning the Oswulf Stone. And while I did like the in-depth background, it mostly went over my head! Although with all this, there was this great dramatic sense of a bigger picture. Definitely something to look forward it.

A great book with amazing character development, some of it heartbreaking, and left me wanting more drama, more Rory and Stephen, and more ghost/Side and Sadie-hunting. Bring on the next book!

Published 5th February 2015 by Hot Key Books. Thank you to the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.