The Fourth Ruby by James R. Hannibal

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Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review The Fourth Ruby by James R. Hannibal! This sequel to The Lost Property Office finds the Buckles siblings, Jack and Sadie, relaxing by the fireplace. The siblings begin another quest with Gwen while they search for a thief together and the item the thief is after, the fourth ruby. The Mongolian history was interesting to read about and I liked how the author tied it into the Buckles’ lives. Jack continues and is determined to help his father throughout this new adventure even though many dangers are lurking. Fun steampunk mystery! 4 stars.

Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage

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Fires of Invention by J. Scott Savage is the beginning of a fun steampunk series. Trenton has always tinkered around with machines not realizing how much he enjoys it and how good he is at mechanics and engineering. He’s going against community rules- no inventing or improving technology. The authorities believe technology is dangerous and will destroy Cove. Trenton finds an interesting device when he fixes a machine and his life changes after that. He meets Kallista and together they dive into the greatest mystery surrounding their community. Fun and adventurous, this steampunk fantasy moves at a quick pace, 4 stars.

The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Keymaster Press for the opportunity to read and review The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova! This steampunk science fiction story begins in the middle of a mission. The mysterious White Wraith, Arianna, is a renowned thief and organ trader. She becomes drawn into helping a dragon, Cvareh, reach the Alchemists of Loom and the rebellion against the king that resides there. Along their way, they meet with old acquaintances, family members, help prisoner allies escape and surprise each other with the friendship and trust that grows between the two of them. Once they reach Loom, their eyes are opened to secrets and the resistance to the king that is actually occurring. The story ends on an intriguing cliff hanger. I rate this book 4 stars for the beautiful prose and intelligent and concise world building!

The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman, book two in The Invisible Library series. Irene and Kai are still working together as senior and junior librarian. This book gives more background information on the characters, which is helpful in understanding them and the story. Kai is kidnapped and Irene spends her time trying to find and rescue him. Detective Vale helps Irene in this endeavor. One of my favorite lines in the book describes a prisoner so ominous that Irene knew she could not free it because even the fae were afraid of the creature; “…so letting them out might be the sort of really bad idea that finished with a scream and a crunch.” This statement made me laugh and cringe at the same time. The “language” librarians use helps with the rescue of Kai. In fact, Irene and Vale couldn’t have saved Kai without it. I enjoyed the sections “Irene’s Top Five Book Heists” and “Legends of the Library” at the end of the book. These sections were both charming, entertaining and enlightening. The author interview, after these two sections, was insightful into the author’s mind and creativity, as well as the library background for this series. I rate this book 4 stars for an enjoyable, clean read!

The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman! Any book with the word library in the title is going to catch my attention, so I began reading with anticipation of awesomeness. Irene is part of a group of librarians who save literary works from everywhere – even alternate realms. The librarians search for library books and steal them to take to the Invisible Library. The books Irene searches for are important to language in some way and must be preserved. She is searching for Grimm’s Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm in this book. Invisible library workers travel throughout the world, throughout history and as I already mentioned, to alternate realities. The story shows true creative imagination through its details. A fantasy fiction with a bit of steampunk, this world contains dragons, vampires, library magic, much intrigue and (eww) skin in a jar – 4 stars for uniqueness!

The Fallen Kingdom by Elizabeth May

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read and review The Fallen Kingdom, book three in The Falconer trilogy by Elizabeth May! Derrick, Kam’s pixie friend, continues to give comic relief to the dire circumstances of the fae and human realms. Kam comes to life without any knowledge or memories of who she is or was. She’s lost and wanders until Derrick finds her. The overwhelming power that has been given to Kam makes her angry and extremely strong. So angry that she harms Derrick. Kam’s memories return and she learns about a book that can alter time and reverse all of the violence, destruction and killing that has occurred. She wants to bring her mother back and all the people that have lost their lives during the fae battles. No matter what choice she makes, Kam will lose someone. Complex characters, complete world building and a roller coaster of emotions make me love this fantasy steampunk series – 5 stars!

The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read and review The Vanishing Throne, the second book in The Falconer trilogy by Elizabeth May! Kam awakens from the terrible realization that the fae have been released only to find herself captive to Lonnarch, who keeps her imprisoned and takes her blood over and over so he can sift through her memories. Kam escapes and is eventually reunited with those she loves only to discover the many intricacies of their lives and her relationships with them. She also learns more about her own history and has to make decisions that will affect the light and dark fae kingdoms, as well as the human realm. My rating is 5 stars for the adventure, world building and romance!

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

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The Falconer, book one of The Falconer trilogy by Elizabeth May, is interesting from the first page! The main character, Kam, is listening to gossiping ladies talk about how she supposedly killed her mother. This intrigued me plenty, but then Faeries are introduced into the story. Kiaran is an intriguing, enigmatic and mysterious faerie. Gavin is an old friend who plunges headfirst into danger and into the fae world with Kam. I enjoyed the dynamics between Gavin and Kam and Kam and Kiaran, the banter pulled me into the story even more. I’m curious about Kiaran’s whole being, past and purpose. The fae vocabulary, the detailed bestiary at the end of the book, the descriptions of the struggles Kam deals with and the beautiful characters make this book hard to put down – 5 stars!

The Lost Property Office

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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“Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review The Lost Property Office by James R. Hannibal! This book is interesting from the dedication and onward. Steampunk genre with the iridescent clockwork beetles add to the fantasy feel. The main character, thirteen-year-old Jack Buckles, lives with his mom and eight-year-old sister, Sadie. Sadie believes she sees their dad and when Jack looks down to talk to her, she has disappeared. Jack catches up with Sadie and they both end up in The Lost Property Office. They discover that their dad belongs to the Ministry of Trackers. A clerk, Gwen, becomes Jack’s guide and they follow clues to the man in black (the Clockmaker) who seems to know what happened to Jack’s father and Gwen’s uncle, who worked with Jack’s father. He tells them to find the Ember and meet him at the Great Clock Tower at midnight to find Jack’s father. I enjoy the mix of English and American characters, cultures and humor! Steampunk and fantasy combine for a fun tale of mysterious secrets, intrigue and surprises – 4 stars!

Treasure Darkly

Posted on by lynndellwatson

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Treasure, Darkly by Jordan Elizabeth Mierek is steampunk mixed with a bit of the supernatural. Clark lives with his mother in a brothel. She has a job as a Tarnished Silver. Clark drinks poison, which inadvertently gives him strange powers that can take a life or give a life. Because of this power, Clark’s mother is killed while the army is actually hunting for him. Fast forward two years when Clark meets his “half siblings” and a whole new life is opened up for him. Clark is still running from the army, but his strange powers give him very helpful abilities. This book is charming and interesting and I fell in love with the characters Clark and Amethyst. This is a fun read with more books in the series!