Showing posts with label steampunk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label steampunk. Show all posts

Monday, September 7, 2015

Review: REBEL MECHANICS by Shanna Swendson

Title: Rebel Mechanics
Author: Shanna Swendson
Published: July 14th, 2015
Series: Rebel Mechanics #1
Genre: YA steampunk/historical
Pages: 320
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Format: Print ARC
Source: Publisher
Rating: Really Liked

A sixteen-year-old governess becomes a spy in this alternative U.S. history where the British control with magic and the colonists rebel by inventing.

It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family—but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister—but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause—but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.
Highlights: Rebel Mechanics plays with history and gives it a delightfully alternate twist, where magic powers nineteenth century life and the wealthy families who wield it will do anything to keep the normal citizens from using more creative, mechanical methods to gain some power of their own. An incredibly fun and magical steampunk story, Rebel Mechanics is sure to entertain readers with its many curious inventions, secrets, and deceptions (not to mention Lord Henry, he is quite charming and I wish there had been so much more of him in the story). 

Lowlights: I wanted to love this book - steampunk! Rebels! Magic! But despite all the pros, I felt like something wasn't quite there. As a narrator, Verity can be pretty naive, which can get a bit frustrating at times. Characters, overall, while interesting, were not developed enough to really have a spark - there wasn't enough about them to capture my interest or attention. I think it's merely a matter of writing style, and this book being enjoyable enough but not entirely to my preferences. Additionally, the story was incredibly predictable, so all of the "surprises" were not very surprising.

Final Thoughts: My lowlights make it sound like I didn't enjoy the story - quite the opposite, I was entertained throughout the entire novel. But, as much fun as the story proved to be, it didn't make a memorable impression. However, many readers are falling head-over-heels for this story, so I'd recommend checking it out if you're a YA steampunk / historical fan! 


I received an advanced copy of this novel from the publisher for review consideration. 
This is no way affected my opinion of the novel. 

Monday, June 24, 2013

Review: SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY by Susan Dennard

Title: SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY
Author: Susan Dennard
Published: July 24th, 2012
Series: Something Strange and Deadly #1
Genre: YA paranormal historical
Publisher: HarperTeen
POV: 1st, past tense
Pages: 388
Format: Hardcover
Source: Won from author
Rating: 4 out of 5
"The year is 1876, and there’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.
Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance." 

Out of all YA novels that were released back in the year 2012, SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY was extremely high on my will-beg-for-this-book wishlist. I may not be a huge zombie fan, but something about this story called to me and drew my curiosity. Fortunately, Susan Dennard's writing and story didn't disappoint. Eleanor Fitt is a determined, take-charge kind of gal, which immediately made it so much easier to enjoy her narration. From the beginning, this story sets off in an excited rush that never seems to dissipate – instead, it builds and grows until the story reaches its conclusion. Filled with fun, flirting, explosions, adventure, action, a lovely historical setting, a healthy dose of steampunk, and some creepy zombies (aim for the knees!), Dennard skillfully weaves it all together and creates SOMETHING STRANGE AND DEADLY – or, one fantastic story.

Highlights: I'm still surprised by one aspect of Eleanor's conclusion1. The setting is wonderfully depicted. I really felt like I was stepping into another time, and I commend Dennard for writing the setting so wonderfully and realistically. Eleanor's spunk and determination is admirable, she's a protagonist worthy of rooting for. The romance was nicely done, even if I was initially concerned that Dennard would include a love triangle since it seemed to appear that things were going that way for a bit. But, it soon became very obvious that only one intriguing young man captured Eleanor's attention. Also, the Spirit-Hunters = Awesome.

Lowlights: The villain of the story was incredibly easy to guess, right from the beginning. WAY too easy. Please give me a challenge next time, Dennard! Eleanor's mom was a bit frustrating, too. I wish the Spirit-Hunters had been in the story a bit more so I could learn more about them, but I assume there will be more of them in A DARKNESS STRANGE AND LOVELY.

1. Spoiler! She loses a hand. Some authors like to give their protagonist a magical cure where they survives with only minor injuries, so I'm grateful that Dennard didn't take the easy way out by making sure her heroine healed perfectly.