REVIEW: THE PECULIAR

Author: Stefan Bachmann
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: HarperCollins
UK Release date: 18th September 2012
Genre: Steampunk faery fantasy
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

Don't get yourself noticed and you won't get yourself hanged.
In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings--Peculiars--and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.
One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley--Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.
First he's noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong. (Goodreads)

In The Peculiar, Bachmann has created an alternative England where a door to the faery world was once opened. This alternative world incorporates elements of Victorian England, gothic steampunk and magical fantasy, and is both wonderfully vivid in its opulence but also darkly dangerous. Since the destruction of Old Bath and the introduction of faeries to the country, there has been an uneasy alliance between humans, changelings (half humans half faeries), and the different types of faeries from sprites and gnomes to Sidhe. Neither side understands or trusts the other. And it is unfortunately the half bloods or changelings that bear the brunt of this prejudice and mistrust. I do love this world that has been built, but I do feel more could have been done to add depth and development to the characters.

My feelings towards Mr Jelliby are a little ambivalent. He’s the kind of upper-class gentleman that doesn’t like to rock the boat and is rather ineffectual. But despite the fact that he can be indecisive and cowardly, he doesn’t just idly sit back and let events unfold without trying to intervene. I’m not fully convinced this was down to character development, and I did sometimes doubt the believability of his actions. Would such a nervous character really be able to step up as the hero without more persuasion than just thinking ‘well someone has to do it’?

Poor changeling Bartholomew and his little sister have been forced to live hidden away from everyone else. It is only when the curious Bartholomew spots a mysterious lady magically whisk away his young neighbour, that he sets out into the wide world. I felt I understood and liked Bartholomew a lot more, with his desire to have a fairy helper and yet even greater desire to protect his sister.

The story is written in third person from Bartholomew’s and Mr Jelliby’s perspectives. Occasionally the perspectives overlapped, to give an omniscient narration within the same chapter. I found this a little  disconcerting, as my preference is to keep third person perspectives quite separate. Something that also stood out about the writing was that the story gave no context straight away to what the characters' motivations were. You are plunged straight into the story and have to figure out what is going on as the characters Bartholomew and Mr Jelliby do, and decipher what Mr. Lickerish might be up to. I actually liked this though, as I had to keep guessing and wondering how their paths might all cross and come together.

Despite some of the narrative and character niggles, I enjoyed The Peculiar as a visually splendid Victorian delight, mixing up steampunk and gothic, faery fantasy to create something that children will love.

You can read an excerpt of The Peculiar on Goodreads and you can also listen to Peculiar Pieces, the music written by Stefan Bachmann to accompany the book.

Rating: 4*

REVIEW: THE PECULIARS

Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Series: No, standalone
UK Publisher: May 2012
UK Release date: Amulet
Genre: YA
Read via NetGalley

On her 18th birthday Lena Mattacascar decides to leave the safety of home and travel to the dangerous and wild lands of Scree to find her father and discover the truth behind her goblin-like hands and feet. On her journey she meets young Jimson Quiggley on his way to start a new life as librarian to Mr Beasley at Zephyr House, and he offers Lena a job and a safe haven when she needs it. But as the hunt for peculiars increases, Lena, Jimson and the eccentric Mr Beasley must flee to Scree to survive.

Lena is on a journey of self discovery as she heads off to Scree to find out who her father really is and if the rumours of her being descended from a goblin are true. As being a peculiar is a considered shameful and peculiars are treated with discrimination, contempt and mistrust, Lena tries to hide her hands and feet and who she really is. As she travels further north though, she is faced with people who accept her for who she is and others who vilify her, and she must learn to stand up for herself and accept herself no matter what. She does this with courage and bravery, and she was a great protagnoist for the story.

The most intriguing characters for me were the inventor Mr Beasley and his mysterious cat. Mr Beasley was an eccentric, missing his eyebrows, and able to invent pretty much anything; and he was constantly joined by his cat, who seems to be rather human-like and hyper-intelligent and potentially hiding some deep dark secret. I loved the mystery surrounding this unusual pair and the fact that they seemed to somehow know everything and could pretty much solve anything too.

I was intrigued to find out who the peculiars might be. Do they have special abilities? Are their abnormalities just genetic anomalies? Is Lena one or not? In fact peculiars seems to pass down unusual traits, such as wings or goblinism. I would tell you more about them, but actually these are the only two types of peculiars that were mentioned and I don't know much else about peculiars in general. I spent a lot of the story waiting and wanting to find more peculiars but it never happened, and because of this expectation I was a little disappointed at the end. From the research I've done, this seems to be a standalone book. But actually it reads like there is more to come and frankly I think it would benefit from a follow-on book as such, which could involve more peculiars and more of a definitive conclusion to the story.

I had to admit I also had trouble placing the time and setting of the story. At first I thought it was set in a completely new fantasy place with Scree as a wilderness at its north. But as references were made to Darwin, Lister, and historical authors, I realised it was set somewhere in the late 1800s to early 1900s. I always get thrown a little when fantasy and reality are mixed together this way, and whilst other readers might not find it an issue I prefer historical and fantasy genres to be kept pretty separate.

The Peculiars is a steampunk infused, historical fantasy. Although I didn't necessarily enjoy some of the different aspects of the story, I think there is still plenty of potential for character development and more involvement from peculiars which could be better harnessed in a second book.

Rating: 3.5*

ON MY WISHLIST (7)

On My Wishlist is a fun event now hosted at Cosy Books. It's where you can list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

My choices for this are both 2012 debut authors and due out in August 2012. What do you think? Would they go on your wishlist?

Innocent Darkness (The Aether Chronicles #1) by Suzanne Lazear 

To be published 8th August 2012 by Flux

Wish. Love. Desire. Live.

Sixteen-year-old Noli Braddock's hoyden ways land her in an abusive reform school far from home. On mid-summer's eve she wishes to be anyplace but that dreadful school. A mysterious man from the Realm of Faerie rescues her and brings her to the Otherworld, only to reveal that she must be sacrificed, otherwise, the entire Otherworld civilization will perish.

*****

The Sinister Sweetness of Splendid Academy by Nikki Loftin

To be published 21st August 2012 by Razorbill

When Lorelei's old school mysteriously burns down, a new one appears practically overnight: Splendid Academy. Rock-climbing walls on the playground and golden bowls of candy on every desk? Gourmet meals in the cafeteria, served by waiters? Optional homework and two recess periods a day? It's every kids's dream.

But Lorelei and her new friend Andrew are pretty sure it's too good to be true. Together they uncover a sinister mystery, one with their teacher, the beautiful Ms. Morrigan, at the very center.

Then Andrew disappears. Lorelei has to save him, even if that means facing a past she'd like to forget – and taking on a teacher who's a real witch.

What Lorelei and Andrew discover chills their bones – and might even pick them clean!

DEBRIS

Debris (The Veiled Worlds)

Author: Jo Anderton
Series: Yes, #1
UK Publisher: Angry Robot
UK Release date: October 2011
Genre: Science fiction
Kindly given by the publisher for an honest review

In Movoc-under-Keeper, there are two types of people. Those who can see and work with pions, and those who work with the dirty by-product of pions, debris. Tanyana is a talented architect and pion binder, but when she falls from the grand statue she is building she also falls in status; losing her ability to see pions, she becomes a lowly debris collector, robbed of rank and career. As she adapts to her new life, Tanyana discovers that there may be more to the debris than she realised, and more to the Veche council than she suspected.

Review: First off I have to say I absolutely adored Debris and found it full of surprises. The futuristic setting and science fiction premise of Morvoc-under-Keeper was absorbing and enthralling – I could almost imagine that in our own world there are invisible pions driving the electricity and water that we rely so much on, and not far behind is the debris wreaking havoc. Whilst I'm not a huge fan of purely science-fiction books, Debris didn't feel like a heavy, overly descriptive sci-fi novel because I was swept away with the engaging characters and compelling plot.

Having fallen, both literally and socially, Tanyana’s situation is both pitiable and unjust. Whilst she hangs onto her former life staying in her luxurious house with little way of paying for it, I still admire her courage to ask for help and understand her feelings of injustice. She can be stubborn and proud, but if you’ve spent you’re life striving to create buildings of beauty, I can imagine that to be cast to the lowest levels of society would be hard to adjust to at first. The fact that she learns and grows makes the story so much more interesting than if she had taken everything in her stride. And to be honest, if I was her I would probably have the spent the first few months after the accident wallowing in self pity in my bed!

The idea of tagging or shackling to distinguish groups isn't new, but the suit that debris collectors are horrifically implanted with is intriguing and slightly gross. With a steampunk feel to them the suits connect to the body through physical bands at the wrists, ankles, waist and neck. Beyond this the suit also reflects her entrapment in society and her lowly job working with debris, acting almost like a badge of shame and reminding me of the old striped prison jumpsuits. There are implications that there is more to the suits and debris than anyone knows, and I hold out hope that in the rest of the series debris collectors won't always be as discriminated against as they are now.

Lad was one of my favourite characters, with his childlike openness and honesty and concern for 'Tan' as he calls her. The changes in his personality when he is confused or overcome with anger or sadness, meant that he wasn't just a static, flat reflection of someone with learning difficulties. Whilst most people saw Lad as damaged or crazy, I really admired the way his team fiercely protected and looked after him. In particular Kichlan, his brother, who selflessly sacrifices so much for him. Despite his initial gruffness towards Tanyana, I instantly liked Kichlan. You can tell a good man by the way he looks after his family and friends! There is also a very subtle hint of something developing between him and Tanyana, and I can't wait to see what happens.

As a debut novel, Debris is impressive; Jo Anderton has managed to maintain a balance that often tests science fiction and fantasy authors, by being able to describe such a wonderfully rich world without losing any of the plot or character development. Jo is very quickly becoming one of my new favourite authors!

Rating: 5*

You can read sample chapters from Debris here.

ON MY WISHLIST: LADY OF DEVICES

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where you can list all the books you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

My choice this week is steampunk Lady of Devices. I saw this book a few weeks back on Books and Things blog. You can find Melissa's review of Lady of Devices here. I checked on Amazon, and it is currently only available to download, so I may have to wait until I've saved enough up for a Kindle before I can read this one.

Lady of Devices: A steampunk adventure novel (Volume 1) by Shelley Adina
Published May 2011 by independent publisher CreateSpace

London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices . . . 

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .

MINI REVIEWS: THE PARASOL PROTECTORATE SERIES

As I was given all 3 of Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate books as a gift from my lovely boyfriend, and read them one after the other, I thought it would be appropriate to do mini reviews of all 3. I must however give you a WARNING: SPOILER ALERT - reading the reviews will give away spoilers for the other books. I.e. if you don't want to know what happens at the end of book 1, don't read the review for book 2.

The Parasol Protectorate Series (#1-3)

Author: Gail Carriger

UK Publisher: Orbit

Genre: Steampunk, Paranormal Romance

Soulless

When she accidentally kills a vampire, Alexia Tarabotti becomes embroiled in the mystery of disappearing werewolves and vampires.  Her lack of a soul, which can neutralise supernatural powers, makes her a natural enemy of supernaturals, but now she must get to the bottom of the mystery before she disappears too.

The first thing I noticed about the story and its characters was its similarities to Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice' - the main character, headstrong Alexi Tarabotti; her silly sisters and sillier mother; and the gruff but eligible love interest, Lord Maccon. I couldn’t help but like the snarky Alexia, who is determined and stubborn and on occasion very un-ladylike, and enjoyed the interplay between her and Lord Maccon.

Garriger’s comedic wit drew me in and the plot kept me guessing what would happen next. The supernatural theme has been given a new twist with Alexia's preternatural 'condition', a counter to the supernatural state, touching lightly on the issue of what the ‘soul’ is. I really enjoyed the Victorian setting and its lashings of steampunk features – who could not like the carriages, old fashioned rules to courting young men, and of course, the dresses!

Rating: 4*

Changeless

Having married Lord Maccon and become protector/investigator for the Crown, Alexia is taken to Scotland in her attempt to solve why werewolves in Lord Maccon’s pack are no longer able to shape shift. It seems however that someone is intent upon keeping Alexia from reaching Scotland and solving the mystery, and Alexia must discover who it is before it’s too late.

On the journey to Scotland, we are introduced to the mysterious character, Madame LeFoux, whose eccentricities I adore (including her wearing of men's clothes, and attractions towards Alexia). With attempts being made to kill Alexia, those around her including her best friend Ivy Hisselpenny and Madame LeFoux, become subject to suspicion.

Once again, Carriger finishes with a great plot twist at the end, and the witty dialogue continues throughout, however at some points the story lacked a certain depth. Effeminate vampires and friends with deplorable hats added humour, but not necessarily any sustenance.

Rating 3.5*

Blameless

Having been falsely accused of certain indiscretions by her husband and publicly shunned, Alexia decides to visit to Europe the birthplace of her father and learn more about the Preternatural condition. Being hunted by vampires, the journey with Madame LeFoux, and Floote,  turns into a race towards the apparent safety of the templars, who also have an interest in preternaturals. And in Alexia.

Being fond of Professor Lyall, the werewolf second in command, as well as Madame LeFoux and Floote, I was pleased that they all featured more in this book. Professor Lyall and Floote both add a sensible yet humourous element to the snarky stubbornness that surrounds both Alexia and Lord Maccon, whilst Madame LeFoux smoulders with an adventurous sex appeal. Lord Maccon’s reaction and treatment of Aleixa is rather disappointing, as he doesn’t stand beside her in a time of need, but rejects her. It will take a lot to feel their relationship is back on track.

Blameless was full of action, intrigue, as well as Carriger’s usual wit. Mystery surrounds the Templars, and what their interest in Preternaturals might mean. Hints that were dropped in Changeless come to fruition at the start of Blameless, and promise an interesting development in the understanding of supernatural conditions as well as a possible new addition to the Maccon family.

Rating: 4*

Overall, I really enjoyed the series as light-hearted and humorous: the characters are interesting, the dialogue is witty, the plot lines keep you guessing, and there’s a big dollop of steampunk thrown in to boot!