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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Interesting world, good characters. But the story felt incomplete.
4 stars: a fun steampunk train adventure.
The storyline: we follow Piper as she tries to bring Anna home, from the dangerous outskirts of the country to the dangerous capital. Along the way, they make some friends and enemies.
The worldbuilding: a downside from this railway-based book is that we pretty much only see places that are right next to the railroad. You could guess that from the map at the beginning: only places around the railway have been filled in, and the rest is "a forest or mountains or something". And of the places that we do pass, not all of them get attention while they sound interesting. The Archivist's Stronghold is only mentioned in passing while it sounds pretty rad (guess where the next book in the series is set, though). Nevertheless, the world that we do see is written with enough detail to make it interesting without saying too much. The places we visit are also different from each other, making for a well-balanced world.
The characters: I liked Piper. She is written with some negative personality traits, which makes her not a boring perfect character to read about. Anna was innocent and quirky. Gee felt a bit of a stereotype though: very ~brooding~ and ~mysterious~.
The atmosphere: It is fast-paced enough to keep you entertained, but we also spend some quiet time on the train. I read this during a time where I could read one or two pages before having to put it down again, picking it up and reading five more pages, putting it down again, and it was easy enough to jump back in.
Best part: Piper's experiences in the scrap town.
The storyline: we follow Piper as she tries to bring Anna home, from the dangerous outskirts of the country to the dangerous capital. Along the way, they make some friends and enemies.
The worldbuilding: a downside from this railway-based book is that we pretty much only see places that are right next to the railroad. You could guess that from the map at the beginning: only places around the railway have been filled in, and the rest is "a forest or mountains or something". And of the places that we do pass, not all of them get attention while they sound interesting. The Archivist's Stronghold is only mentioned in passing while it sounds pretty rad (guess where the next book in the series is set, though). Nevertheless, the world that we do see is written with enough detail to make it interesting without saying too much. The places we visit are also different from each other, making for a well-balanced world.
The characters: I liked Piper. She is written with some negative personality traits, which makes her not a boring perfect character to read about. Anna was innocent and quirky. Gee felt a bit of a stereotype though: very ~brooding~ and ~mysterious~.
The atmosphere: It is fast-paced enough to keep you entertained, but we also spend some quiet time on the train. I read this during a time where I could read one or two pages before having to put it down again, picking it up and reading five more pages, putting it down again, and it was easy enough to jump back in.
Best part: Piper's experiences in the scrap town.
Piper is a machinist, scavenging for odds and ends from the meteor fields, and fixing them better than anyone else in town. When she comes across a strange girl in the rubble of a trader's caravan, Piper feels that she must help her. When a man comes searching for Anna, Piper knows that she must protect her. Together they run away, aboard the great steam engine, the 401. Caught as stowaways, the only thing that stops them from being thrown off the train is the dragonfly tattoo on Anna's arm. But where did she get it, and why is she under protection of the king? Who is the man chasing them, and what does he want with Anna? All this and more is discovered in this exciting steampunk adventure. Recommended for grades 5-8.
Fast paced and entertaining. The ending seemed a bit abrupt.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
4 / 5
I was intrigued to read this book on the recommendation of my little cousin, who claimed it was one of her favorite books of all time. While the start of the book was a bit slow for me, I found myself drawn in about halfway through when the plot took a sudden turn. From that point on, I was hooked and couldn't put it down.
One thing to keep in mind while reading "Mark of the Dragonfly" is that it is a middle-grade book, so the romance aspect may come off as cheesy to some adult readers. However, it's important to keep in mind the target audience and that the book is geared towards younger readers.
Overall, "Mark of the Dragonfly" is a great read that will appeal to fans of fantasy and adventure. The world-building is excellent, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. I'd recommend this book to middle-grade readers and anyone looking for a fun and engaging fantasy read.
I was intrigued to read this book on the recommendation of my little cousin, who claimed it was one of her favorite books of all time. While the start of the book was a bit slow for me, I found myself drawn in about halfway through when the plot took a sudden turn. From that point on, I was hooked and couldn't put it down.
One thing to keep in mind while reading "Mark of the Dragonfly" is that it is a middle-grade book, so the romance aspect may come off as cheesy to some adult readers. However, it's important to keep in mind the target audience and that the book is geared towards younger readers.
Overall, "Mark of the Dragonfly" is a great read that will appeal to fans of fantasy and adventure. The world-building is excellent, and the characters are well-developed and relatable. I'd recommend this book to middle-grade readers and anyone looking for a fun and engaging fantasy read.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Upper middle grade steampunk!!! SO good! Review to be posted soon!!!
Wow! This has been on my radar for a while, and I *really* wish I had gotten to it sooner! It was great!! When I love a book this much, I do much better with bullet points than paragraphs, especially when I am newly returned to this world from the pages of the book. So, here we go!
• the world building! Love it! Not fully explained, leaving plenty of mystery, yet fully realized. Not at all vague.
• the characters! I fell in love with Piper and Anna really quickly. They were nicely written with surprisingly full personalities for a middle grade read. Piper especially was evolving naturally. Her goals changed through the book as she learned more and our hopes for her changed too.
• the magic / machines! Oh be still my beating heart! I came into this book thinking it was steampunk. IT IS NOT STEAMPUNK. There is nothing of Victorian Earth in this. And that is TOTALLY FINE! This is much more a fantasy with mechanical elements than anything else, and it is seamless. It does not feel cobbled together. Sometimes the magic of a world feels *too* magical. Too easy. But this does not. It is made very clear by the author that the magic is a supplement, and without brain power and know-how and practice, the magic attempted at some points in the book WOULD NOT WORK. That is *super* important to me in a middle grade book.
• the politics! I love a little politics in a book. Kingdom spanning schemes. I seem to find these a lot more in YA than in MG books, but this one has just the right touch. Not so much it gets confusing - readers won't have to continually check the map at the front to know why things are important - but enough that things *feel* important and big and the stakes are high, and rising...
• the romance! I have to mention it because it is there, and it is wonderful. It is subtle, it is slow, it is chaste in the way of puppy love, and it is real. I despise quick insta-romance. The love interest here is one that we all hope to have. It is a friendship that slowly blossoms. There is no kissing, other than a peck on the cheek, and that feels perfectly *right*. You know how in tv movies for kids, the teen love interests dont kiss, they just go in for a hug and it looks all awkward and fake cause we are all thinking "they would totally be locking lips and swapping spit right now!" ? Well, this is *NOT* like that. The hug feels sweet and true. It feels like those first touches when you are dating someone and you aren't in love yet, but you are falling there...
• the sequel! Is there one? There better be one! I haven't checked yet. But it is set up for one, and I am ready to put it on my *to-read* list.
I am putting this author on my list of favorites!!
• the world building! Love it! Not fully explained, leaving plenty of mystery, yet fully realized. Not at all vague.
• the characters! I fell in love with Piper and Anna really quickly. They were nicely written with surprisingly full personalities for a middle grade read. Piper especially was evolving naturally. Her goals changed through the book as she learned more and our hopes for her changed too.
• the magic / machines! Oh be still my beating heart! I came into this book thinking it was steampunk. IT IS NOT STEAMPUNK. There is nothing of Victorian Earth in this. And that is TOTALLY FINE! This is much more a fantasy with mechanical elements than anything else, and it is seamless. It does not feel cobbled together. Sometimes the magic of a world feels *too* magical. Too easy. But this does not. It is made very clear by the author that the magic is a supplement, and without brain power and know-how and practice, the magic attempted at some points in the book WOULD NOT WORK. That is *super* important to me in a middle grade book.
• the politics! I love a little politics in a book. Kingdom spanning schemes. I seem to find these a lot more in YA than in MG books, but this one has just the right touch. Not so much it gets confusing - readers won't have to continually check the map at the front to know why things are important - but enough that things *feel* important and big and the stakes are high, and rising...
• the romance! I have to mention it because it is there, and it is wonderful. It is subtle, it is slow, it is chaste in the way of puppy love, and it is real. I despise quick insta-romance. The love interest here is one that we all hope to have. It is a friendship that slowly blossoms. There is no kissing, other than a peck on the cheek, and that feels perfectly *right*. You know how in tv movies for kids, the teen love interests dont kiss, they just go in for a hug and it looks all awkward and fake cause we are all thinking "they would totally be locking lips and swapping spit right now!" ? Well, this is *NOT* like that. The hug feels sweet and true. It feels like those first touches when you are dating someone and you aren't in love yet, but you are falling there...
• the sequel! Is there one? There better be one! I haven't checked yet. But it is set up for one, and I am ready to put it on my *to-read* list.
I am putting this author on my list of favorites!!