You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Originally posted here at In the Senter of it All
Genre: Science Fiction
AR level: 5.6
Grade appropriate: 5th and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 3/5-- This is not my favorite kind of Fantasy. See my notes on the writing.
Creativity: 5/5-- Unusual. Not like any story I’ve read before.
Characters: 4/5-- The characters were fine, but not endearing. There is growth throughout the book for all the main characters.
Engrossing: 2/5-- I really had to push through this one. I listened to the audio version so that helped me not give up on it.
Writing: 3/5-- There’s so much that the narrator has to explain to the reader when we are plopped down in the middle of a world so different from our own. Some authors do it in such a way that you don’t even realize and it feels effortless. That is not the case with this book. It is very labor intensive trying to learn the ins and outs of this world.
Appeal to kids: 4/5-- While not my favorite, this does strike me as one of those books that our hard core Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers will enjoy.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 3/5-- Too long
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none-- the girls are almost trapped by slave traders and they are rough with the girls.
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Genre: Science Fiction
AR level: 5.6
Grade appropriate: 5th and up
RATING BREAKDOWN:
Overall: 3/5-- This is not my favorite kind of Fantasy. See my notes on the writing.
Creativity: 5/5-- Unusual. Not like any story I’ve read before.
Characters: 4/5-- The characters were fine, but not endearing. There is growth throughout the book for all the main characters.
Engrossing: 2/5-- I really had to push through this one. I listened to the audio version so that helped me not give up on it.
Writing: 3/5-- There’s so much that the narrator has to explain to the reader when we are plopped down in the middle of a world so different from our own. Some authors do it in such a way that you don’t even realize and it feels effortless. That is not the case with this book. It is very labor intensive trying to learn the ins and outs of this world.
Appeal to kids: 4/5-- While not my favorite, this does strike me as one of those books that our hard core Sci-Fi/Fantasy readers will enjoy.
Appropriate length to tell the story: 3/5-- Too long
CONTENT:
Language: none
Sexuality: none
Violence: none-- the girls are almost trapped by slave traders and they are rough with the girls.
Drugs/Alcohol: none
Piper is scrabbling to survive in a small village. When a turn of events brings a young girl with the king's Mark of the Dragonfly into her life, everything changes. Piper knows she can get a huge reward for returning the king's property, but the only way to do that is a train journey that she cannot afford.
Great characters and setting. A bit predictable in places, but a thoroughly enjoyable read.
Great characters and setting. A bit predictable in places, but a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I'm not so much into the steampunk thing, but this novel was still a fun, vibrant read with well drawn characters and love pulsing through every chapter. Johnson successfully weaves subtle commentary on poverty, the environment, and violent conflict into her narrative without it overwhelming the rest of the writing. Her action scenes are much less subtle, detailing daring fight scenes and escape plans. Her setting is a vivid, dimensional world of unique magic, and the 401 comes alive on the page. There's an interesting twist at the end that I didn't see coming, though I should have. Kudos to Johnson for pulling the wool over my eyes the whole time. I'll being suggesting this to middle grade readers immediately.
Really enjoyed this one. Steampunk, fantasy, strong female characters...what's not to like?
Finally! Some really well-written, inventive tween steampunk. With spunky girls, interesting world. The only thing that threw me was the description of the kingdoms at war. It's a little weird, but I mostly got over it because the plot kept moving along. I'm not one to resist a good train story, and the ending doesn't disappoint if you're a train fan. Great read-alike for this year's other train book, The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel.
Upper middle grade steampunk!!! SO good! Review to be posted soon!!!
A gorgeous tale with fantastic world building and wonderful characters.
I enjoyed this book. It's sort of a sci-fi/steampunk hybrid, which isn't something I've really read before. The world Johnson created is interesting and nuanced. I liked all the characters and felt the author did a good job giving them unique personalities and stories. I'm not sure if this is meant to be part of a series, but I sincerely hope it is since Jaleigh has created a really interesting world that I would love to know more about.
I received an advance review copy of this book and really enjoyed it. The plot is constantly moving and the author introduces some very likeable characters, some of whom are magical creatures. The author also created some different species that brought the book into a cross genre mix of sci-fi/ fantasy/ post apocalyptic fiction that worked well.
I really enjoy strong female characters in YA and this book has a nicely constructed one who discovers her true abilities throughout the course of the story. She's a girl who has strong instinctive mechanical talents and can fix almost anything. She also has a strong sense of loyalty, and this makes her both likeable and vulnerable, as there are kingdoms at war and she's caught in the middle.
I really enjoy strong female characters in YA and this book has a nicely constructed one who discovers her true abilities throughout the course of the story. She's a girl who has strong instinctive mechanical talents and can fix almost anything. She also has a strong sense of loyalty, and this makes her both likeable and vulnerable, as there are kingdoms at war and she's caught in the middle.