Innocent Darkness

Innocent Darkness Suzanne Lazear

Steampunk Faeries. Oh yes. And that’s all you really need to know.

Ok, you want to know more.

Noli comes from a good family that’s fallen on hard times. She’s an ace engineer and too reckless and spirited to ever be the perfect Lady her mother expects. After one-too-many brushes with the law, she’s sent to a reform finishing school.

Kevighn Silver is drawn to the school--it’s a school devoted to ridding young ladies of the Spark. The Spark may make them less-than-society-perfect, but every 7 years, the faeries in the Otherworld need to sacrifice a mortal girl with Spark in order to keep the magic going. The time is coming fast, and it’s Kevighn’s job to find the girl. A well-timed wish in the wrong place, and poof, Noli’s in the Otherworld, slated to die.

On top of all this is Noli’s best friend and next-door-neighbor, V. Noli knows V’s father would never let them marry, so it’s all very platonic, despite her wishes that it could be something else. V knows something is very wrong and tracks her all the way to the Otherworld, where he just happens to be an exiled prince. YEP.

First off, despite the awesomeness of STEAMPUNK FAERIES*, Noli is what makes this book. Noli knows who she is. She likes who she is. She struggles that who she is isn’t who her mother wants or needs her to be and how she can best take care of what’s left of her family. I like that despite the tensions between who her mother (and society) expect her to be and who she is, she still really loves her mother. There's tension, but it's not much greater than most teen daughter/mother tension. I appreciate that it's not a breaking point between them. Unlike many "modern before her time" historical heroines, she chafes at the restrictions, but kind of understands them? Also, more than many historicals, Noli and the text understand that many of these restrictions are actually the restrictions of her class rather than the time period. (She wants to work. The fact her mother won't let her isn't because she's a girl, it's because girls of their station don't work. Even though her mother (most shamefully) does.) She’s brave and bold, but will still cry when things go to hell.

As with all good faeries stories, court politics and tradition are intriguing and dark (even if this one is dressed up in crazy fashion choices and steampunk toys.)

The first in a series, this one pretty much just sets everything up, but it builds a pretty awesome world you’ll want to stay in for longer. (Just don’t eat anything.)


*This is kinda like whenever I talk about His Fair Assassins, I just end up randomly shouting ASSASSIN NUNS! ASSASSIN NUNS!

Book Provided by... my local library

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Snow

Snow by Tracy Lynn

Ok, I read this one a REALLY LONG time ago and have never gotten around to reviewing it, despite how much I liked it.

This is part of Simon and Schuster's wonderful Once Upon a Time... series (I wish they'd do more of these!) and takes on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.

Jessica's father is devastated when his wife dies in childbirth. Not only is he heartbroken, but the surviving baby is a girl, leaving him without an heir.

When he remarries, the new duchess comes to hate her step-daughter, driven to madness by the fear that her only value to society is her beauty--something that's fading as she ages.

Jessica flees to London where she meets up with an unlikely band of creatures-- humans that are part animal, and a Clockwork Man, and it takes a pretty awesome turn to steampunk. But even in London, she is not safe from her stepmother or the allure of the comforts of her old life.

This is what I remember about the book-- the "dwarves" are super cool. I love Victorian Steampunk London as a setting. I loved the way the Duchess's treachery manifested itself-- very, very cool.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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Etiquette and Espionage

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger.

In her mother's eyes, Sophronia is a failure. She's way too interested in mechanics, spying, and climbing and things just happen around her that tend to end with flying desserts landing on honored house guests. She's particularly dismayed when she discovers that a rather meddlesome honored houseguest has recommended her to attend Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Mademoiselle Geraldine's is not what one would expect-- first of all, it's a flying school, so it's harder to find. Second of all dance lessons also include lessons on how to pass messages back and forth without being noticed. Then there are the classes in fighting. And poisons. In the middle of this educational intrigue, there is real intrigue-- flying highway men are attacking the school, after something the school has, and hidden. What is it? And where? Secret late-night trips to the boiler room, mechanical dogs and more...

This is the first book in Carriger's new YA series, set in the same world as Parasol Protectorate. It's set several years earlier, but there is a bit of character overlap-- most noticeably one of Sophronia's classmates is Sidhaeg and the little boy running around helping Sophronia--you'll recognize that one, too.

This is a fun series, with fewer vampires and werewolves and more steampunk technology than Parasol Protectorate. There is no romance in this one, which on one hand-- YAY! A YA book with girls and no romance! On the other hand, BOO! Carriger writes romance so well!

I missed the paranormal politics of the first series, but enjoyed the quick adventure of this one and want to delve more into this part of this world and see how it develops.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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God Save the Queen

God Save the Queen Kate Locke

I saw this book at ALA (how could that cover not garner a closer look?) but the rep said they didn't have ARCs. Ah well. It was pubbing shortly after ALA, so I could buy it or get it from the library then. BUT! There was a sign next to the book saying that the author was going to part of a panel on YA/Adult crossover titles. Interesting... why hadn't I heard of this panel? Because it wasn't a YALSA panel. It was hosted by ALTAFF. Have you ever heard of ALTAFF? They're the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations. In other words, our support. I will definitely be checking out their offerings at future conferences, because this panel was great-- adult authors with high teen appeal, YA authors that adults love and great ideas and conversations. And then afterwards they gave out a copy of a book from EVERY author and had a signing. I didn't take all the books but I was very happy that God Save the Queen was on offer.

I read it on the plane ride home. It's an adult title with very high teen appeal (I field-nominated it for an Alex Award.)

It's an alternate history steampunk paranormal action mystery romance.

Basically, there was a mutation of the plague that affected aristocratic blood (blue blood has a whole new meaning here!) that makes the upper class undead. Whether they're vampires or werewolves tends to be determined by geography. So, it's 2012, and Queen Victoria is still on the throne and ruling the empire. And, like Victorian times in our world, this is a very class-divided society. Aristos rule, humans aren't worth noticing and inbetween are the halvies-- the offspring of aristos and humans. They're not undead, but they have special abilities. They're mostly used as guards to protect the aristos from human uprisings and rebellions, like the one that killed Prince Albert many years ago. Below everyone are the goblins, who will eat anyone and anything. Goblins are aristos, but the mutation went horribly wrong.

Xandra is a halvie, and a member of the elite Royal Guard who lives with her siblings (different mothers, same aristo father). She's very close to them, especially to her troubled sister Dede, who has disappeared. But then a body turns out that the authorities say is Dede's. Someone's gone through a LOT of trouble to make it look like Dede, but Xandra knows it's not. When she tracks down Dede, she finds herself in Bedlam hospital (literally) and in the middle of a movement to bring down the artistos. She's also going to discover some horrifying truths about what makes the empire tick and the truth of being a halvie.

Her investigation takes her down the sewers to see the Goblins and into the arms of Vex MacLaughlin, alpha of all UK weres (who tend to be Scottish.) Of course, Xandra's relationship with Vex doesn't sit well with her teacher, mentor, and friend, the young, hott vampire Winston Churchill.

But as she discovers more and more about why lies beneath the surface (both literally and metaphorically) she has no idea who to trust or what side is right.

Xandra kicks a lot of ass (while wearing a bustle!) and definitely has some anger management issues. She's complicated and it takes her a long time to sort our her allegiances. She also has a wonderful snarky voice. I also love the world that Locke has built, the slang, and the history, and the politics at play.

Most of all, I loved the relationship Xandra had with her siblings. The book dedication reads "This book is for my sisters: Heather, Linda and Nathalie. I could list the reasons why, but that would be a book in itself." But this book, under the politics and clothes and crazy-awesome thrill ride, is a love letter to sisterhood.

AND! We only have to wait until February for the sequel, The Queen Is Dead.


ARC Provided by... the publisher, at ALA

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Timeless

Timeless Gail Carriger

You guys! This is the LAST EVER book in the Parasol Protectorate series! On one hand, kudos to Carriger for knowing when to end her story. On the other hand, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I WANT MORE!

Luckily, we have two new series coming next year set in the same world, so I think I'll be ok.

It's been two quiet years since Genevieve Lefoux destroyed large swaths of London and the Woolsey pack moved to town.

The quiet's about the shatter-- Lady Kingair arrives with a missing Beta who promptly returns, only to be murdered. Alexia and Prudence have been summoned to Alexandria by Queen Matakara, the oldest vampire. Lyall's past is catching up to him, and Alexia's father has done some very naughty things, and then there's the matter of Ivy's hats.

Alexia and her family, with Ivy and her theater troupe, are off to Egypt to flirt with mortality and get things straightened out once and for all. But, everyone has hidden secrets and then something so drastic happens that Alexia stops eating.

I love Prudence. I love how Alexia's mind work as they attempt to discover more and more about supernaturals, preternaturals, and how this all works. I love what we discover about this world right along with her. I liked the differences in Egyptian and British technology.

Lyall and Conall both take some long looks and thoughts about what happens when a werewolf gets too old and what to do about it. I like many of the changes that take place in London while Alexia is away. (I'm trying to not get all spoilery.) There was some definite OH YAY SQUEEEing happening as I read it.

I like how Carriger keeps us guessing on who is on what side and what's going on below the surface.

I'm trying not to get all spoiler-y on you guys.

I love love love love love this series. I am very sad that it's done and CANNOT WAIT to read what Carriger does next.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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Goliath

Goliath Scott Westerfeld

Dylan/Derwyn, Alek, and the Leviathan are off to Japan when they make a detour to Siberia, to pick up a most unusual cargo, including Dr. Tesla. Tesla claims he has a weapon that is so terrible it’s sure to end the war. The Lady Boffin thinks he’s bonkers, but Alek wants to end this war, especially as it looks like Tesla will give the weapon to the British and use it against the Austrians. The Leviathan then heads to North America where our characters get entangled with actresses, media moguls, reporters, and Mexican rebels.

The main conflict is Tesla and his new weapon. Tesla is more than a little... unhinged and he’s a polarizing figure, especially between Alek and Derwyn. His weapon to end the war is clearly parallel with the nuclear bomb and the tensions at the end of WWII and adds interesting twists to the history.

I loved all the history woven in-- the stuff we now about and remember, and the stuff we may have never learned, and the semi-obscure (like the 1908 Tunguska explosion).

A most fitting end. Just wonderful. I wanted more time in Japan than we got*, but I did like the portrayal of America and William Randolf Hearst. I also liked the history woven in of battling newspapers and Mexican politics at the time. Plus, just the right amount of Derwyn/Alek drama and suspense and some super-exciting scenes on top of the Leviathan during a hurricane.

I loved, loved, loved, loved, loved this trilogy. I might have to buy it. I want to reread all of it in the middle the night.

*I’ll admit it, I was hoping for a Chinese detour, not a Russian one. I did really enjoy the extra history thrown in with the Russo-Japanese War-- a good reminder that conflict is always larger, longer, and deeper than we remember.

Book Provided by... my local library

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Heartless

Heartless Gail Carriger

No one's entirely sure what Alexia's about to give birth to, but the supernatural set fear it. The only solution to stop the vampires from killing it (and as it hasn't been born yet, Alexia) is for Lord Akeldama to adopt it. Meanwhile, a threat has been made against the Queen. Alexia's investigating (despite her enormous size) but the clues keep pointing to a dark time in pack history and the werewolves aren't happy about where she's headed. Meanwhile, something odd is going on with Madame Lefoux and something even odder is happening with Alexia's sister-- she's wearing knitwear.

This one started a bit slowly for me. I had a hard time getting into it, but about halfway though something turned for me and it ended up being my favorite in the series (so far). I really enjoy the backstory of Woolsey pack history and things that have only been hinted at are finally explained. There wasn't a lot of Ivy in this one, but when she was around, she had more than a few surprises up her sleeve, not just for the reader but for Alexia as well. I continue to enjoy her more and more. This one's a bit different in that we also occasionally get first person narration by a ghost. Lots of little things come together in this one to solve the mystery, and lots of twists and turns kept me on my toes. Like I said, it started a bit rough-- I was actually rather disappointed and bored (!) with it, but it drew me in and held me-- I never saw where it was going. Like I said, it's my favorite so far.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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Blameless

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate) Gail Carigger

This is the third installment of the Parasol Protectorate series. The second one ended on rather a large cliffhanger. Seriously, do NOT read this review if you intend to read the series but haven't yet. If you haven't read book 3 yet, proceed, if you haven't read book 2 yet, ABORT!

So, Alexia has found herself in a family way and Lord Maccon says there is no way it can be his, due to his supernatural status (ah, werewolves).  The Queen won't deal with such immorality and has dismissed Alexia from the shadow council. Her family is suitably scandalized. Lord Akeldama has very quickly left town (without even saying goodbye!) and it's clear that the rest of vampire society is trying to kill Alexia.

There's only one thing to do-- go to Italy and get to the bottom of all of this. So Alexia is off to the heart of Italy, where they despise all things supernatural (and, it turns out, preteranatural as well) but, they do manage to introduce Alexia to the glories of pesto. (Of course, it turns out that pesto is a vampire AND werewolf deterant, because vampires don't like garlic and werewolves are allergic to basil. WHO KNEW?!)

Lord Maccon is dealing with all of this by drinking himself silly leaving poor Lyall to try to keep the pack together, keep BUR together, find/rescue Alexia, and figure out WHAT exactly is going on with the vampires.

I do love this series. I love the world and the characters and the wittiness. Alexia is great with the dead-pan one-liners. It strikes the right balance between serious and zany (I mean, really-- ticking ladybugs?) As this one involved travel outside of England, we got to see how different countries react to supernaturals and different cultural attitudes on vampires, werewolves, and the Order of the Octopus.

Overall, and excellent addition to the series.

Book Provided by... my wallet

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Behemoth

Behemoth Scott Westerfeld

I loved Leviathan. I even took a risk and recommended it to a patron that I talk to a lot* but usually don't recommend books to, as he and I read very different things. (Ok, not too big a risk. He's a steampunk kick and last year was on a huge WWI kick.) We were both very excited for Behemoth. I was even nice and let him put a hold on it before me (but I was #2 on the list, so it's ok!) And we waited. And it came in. Two days later he came in shouting and raving "JENNIE! DID YOU READ IT YET? IT WAS AWESOME! IT WAS SO AWESOME IT MAKES LEVIATHAN LOOK LIKE A PILE OF CRAP!" He was so excited that I didn't have the heart to tell him that he shouldn't (a) shout in the library (b) shout the word crap in the children's room.

But guess what dear reader, HE WAS TOTALLY RIGHT. Compared to Behemoth? Leviathan, which used to get a "love love love OMG love" out of me now gets a mere "meh"

AND! No sucker punch cliff hanger ending. THANK YOU Mr. Westerfeld. You clearly know how to write a second book in a trilogy. It didn't just serve to further the plot and set up the next book. NO. It is it's own perfect book that will lead nicely into the next adventure.

Deryn and Alek are headed towards Constantinople, with the lady boffin's beastie peace offering. But, of course, nothing goes according to plan. When they land, the two are soon separated as we're thrust into an Istanbul where the 1908 revolution was unsuccessful. I also loved how much of the conflict between England and Turkey wasn't of Westerfeld's making. Turkey is upset because it ordered a warship from England, but when WWI broke out, instead of shipping it to Turkey, Churchill (as head of the Admiralty) kept it "temporarily" so the Brits could add it to their navy. Turkey is caught in a between great forces on a strategic point of land** and where England failed, Germany is more than happy to give Turkey what it wants. All that is true. The twist Westerfeld adds is that in addition to a warship, the Brits also kept a beastie...

Lots of adventure and building relationships and tension***. I loved seeing a Clanker Istanbul, but one where the machines were built to look like animals. I loved how the characters worked things that are special to Istanbul into their plans (oh! the spice! so wonderful!) It was very exciting without being totally plot-driven, which is hard to do. I love how Westerfeld is writing an alternate steampunk history, but is still very true to historical detail and sense of place-- a very hard balance to strike, I imagine.

So... why is this better than Leviathan? Part of it is that the world and characters are established so they are free to grow and fill out even more. Part of it is that they are now in the middle of things, action and intrigue-wise. And part of it is just that certain je ne sais quoi.

Also, a shout out for Keith Thompson's illustrations. We need more illustrations in novels for older readers. His black-and-white pictures add a lot to the story and Deryn's facial expressions are priceless. AND! I love the endpapers (I did with Leviathan, too.)

So, if you haven't read Leviathan yet, GO! And if you've read Leviathan and not Behemoth, WTF? GO!




*Things that make me happy-- when the children grow up and leave me for the teen section, but still stop by the children's desk just to say hi and have a chat. I FEEL SO LOVED WHEN THAT HAPPENS.

**Seriously, if you ever play Diplomacy, start a large portion of your force in Turkey. It's the BEST starting position.

*** While I'm mainly referring to the political tension, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the sexual tension that is there, but isn't because Alek doesn't know that Dylan is really Deryn and Deryn's worried about Alek's desire to not marry common and OH! It's not the main focus at all, but I love that it's there and I love the plot line.

Book Provided by...

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Leviathan

Leviathan Scott Westerfeld

I'm usually not a huge steampunk fan and no matter how true the descriptor of "rollicking good adventure" is, it won't draw me in. Neither of these are things that will turn me off a book, but they also won't make me go "ooooooo" the same way saying "China" or "Fairy Tale" or "Hysterical British Girly Book" or "World War I" will. Oh, wait, "World War I?" Yeah, that's what made me pick up Leviathan. World War I will get me most of the time.

So, Leviathan is World War I, but a steampunk slightly alternate history version of it. Alek is the only child of the Archduke Ferdinand, roused out of bed and sent running for his life after his parents are assassinated in Sarajevo. Derwyn has disguised herself as a boy to join the British Air Force. All she's ever wanted to do is fly like she did with her hot-air ballooning father. There's more, of course. The Central Powers are known as Clankers, relying on intricate machinery for their armed forces. The Allies are Darwinists, combining several strands of DNA from different species to create fabricated beasts for theirs.

The action follows both of these characters before their stories collide. Beyond the intriguing premise (and the rollicking good adventure) it's just a damn fine story of people finding themselves and trying to save themselves and war and friendship and all sorts of good things. I like the conflict within the Darwinist countries-- there's a subgroup called Monkey Luddites who feel that fabricated creatures are soulless and evil. I also like how much politics comes into play, especially with Alek's plot line, which closely follow the actual politics of the day. Westerfeld's ending note is also great, commenting on what is real and what isn't, both in terms of war and politics, and also the technology used. Cannot WAIT for the sequel. (Also, due to the placement of the ending, you might actually want to wait to read this until the sequel is out, so you can read them together.)

Book Provided by... my local library

Links to Amazon are an affiliate link. You can help support Biblio File by purchasing any item (not just the one linked to!) through these links. Read my full disclosure statement.