In the mysterious, shadow-wreathed city of Lavorgna (setting of "City of Shadows"), something monstrous and otherworldly is terrorizing the citizens, and it's up to Katya, a 16-year-old girl, to stop it -- or else. Fans of Jim Butcher, Mike Mignola (creator of Hellboy), China Mieville and pulp fiction in general should enjoy the story of young, brazen Kat as she mixes with mad scientists, mobsters, the undead and horrors from other dimensions. After fleeing her abusive stepfather, Kat plans to climb out of the gutter the only way she can: join the mob. She has bad timing, though. The strange horrors plaguing the city are bizarrely focused on the mob outfit that controls her sector, run by Boss Koral.Kat has only one choice. To prove herself to the Boss and earn a position in his outfit, she must investigate the source of the horror and put a stop to it. But it won't be easy. In a city where the undead walk the night and mad scientists give discount prices, there's a mob war brewing -- and much more -- and Kat's stuck right in the heart of it.