What is the author's style in The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding?

The characters in "The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray" use formal language. They have a veneer of nineteenth-century politeness that is rare in the world of the twenty-first century. In the case of the love story of Thaniel and Alaizabel, their formality seems to inhibit their progress. British reserve and formality could be blamed, in fact, for inaction when wych-kin first appeared in London. And yet, the formal language adds a certain charm to the story and serves to reinforce the nineteenth-century setting.