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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
this book is so good!! It has a special way of keeping you interested while the book is realy ( or rather, kind of) boring. I would buy it. I LOVE the plot twist and how it ends, this is a realy, realy, realy good book. I want to read the other books in the world of solace.
I ship Gee and Piper so bad!
I ship Gee and Piper so bad!
This book's synopsis & blurb nearly ruined it for me. It doesn't do the book real justice and the need to highlight romantic potential detracts from the real strengths of the book. A semi-steampunk fugitive-with-secrets novel, I strongly recommend it if you loved Firefly – one of the characters strongly reminds me of River Tam. Johnson probably could have pared down some things but the weaknesses of this novel outweigh its strengths.
Recommend for a parent/teen reading pair with Sanderson's Alloy of Law.
Recommend for a parent/teen reading pair with Sanderson's Alloy of Law.
Piper survives alone in the house she once shared with her father in Scrap Town #16. The scrap town is built around an area where meteors crash carrying items from other worlds. Piper makes the little money she has by salvaging things from the meteors and using her knack with machines to repair them to working order. Then one day, Piper finds an unconscious girl in a destroyed caravan. She takes her back to her home, where she discovers that the girl, Anna, has lost her memory but also bears the mark of the king of the Dragonfly Territories, putting her under his protection. Anna is not alone though, there is a man following her that she calls “The Wolf” and who desperately wants Anna back. Piper and Anna flee and sneak onto a slow-moving freight train with the help of Piper fooling the alarm systems. They aren’t able to stay hidden on the train for very long, but Anna’s mark gets them a free ride in luxury. Still, the train ride is not without risk and the first hurdle is convincing the young head of security that they can be trusted.
Johnson has created a rich world filled with elements of fantasy, steam-punk and science fiction. Blended together into one, they work to a certain point but much is left unexplained and unexplored. Readers will have immediate questions about the meteors but those are quickly left behind as questions about fantastical beasts arise, and still more questions about the steam punk elements. That said, the book does work and there is hope that more of the world will be understood in upcoming books in the series.
Piper is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed reading a book where a girl is the one who can handle machinery better than anyone else. She is also incredibly brave and has a huge heart that is quick to embrace new people. Her personality shines in the book. The pacing of the novel will keep young readers engaged in the story. It is near breakneck speed, rushing headlong into the next part of the adventure.
Rich and delightful, get this book into the hands of young steampunk fans who are looking for a new adventure. Appropriate for ages 10-13.
Johnson has created a rich world filled with elements of fantasy, steam-punk and science fiction. Blended together into one, they work to a certain point but much is left unexplained and unexplored. Readers will have immediate questions about the meteors but those are quickly left behind as questions about fantastical beasts arise, and still more questions about the steam punk elements. That said, the book does work and there is hope that more of the world will be understood in upcoming books in the series.
Piper is a wonderful protagonist. I enjoyed reading a book where a girl is the one who can handle machinery better than anyone else. She is also incredibly brave and has a huge heart that is quick to embrace new people. Her personality shines in the book. The pacing of the novel will keep young readers engaged in the story. It is near breakneck speed, rushing headlong into the next part of the adventure.
Rich and delightful, get this book into the hands of young steampunk fans who are looking for a new adventure. Appropriate for ages 10-13.
I enjoyed this a lot! It was an "impulse buy" from the New Books shelf at my public library. I hadn't heard of the author or the book at all, but it called out to me. I'm so glad! This is a well-written, solid story with great characters, setting, and plot. I will definitely read a sequel, should there be one. I see that this is on a list of 2015 Newbery contenders, and I would heartily agree.
Enjoyed so much and the story could have ended there but i'm glad to discover she is writing a sequel. can't wait
With an interesting worldbuilding strategy, this book had a slow start. However, I quickly became enthralled with this world and its cast of characters, who express their strength in a variety of ways. It's very much a book for children in some ways, but its unique story and strong writing (at turns emotionally resonant and funny) make this universe one I would be happy to return to.
3.5 stars
arc provided by Delacorte Books for Young Readers through Netgalley
Piper lives in Scrap Town number 16, one of the many Scrap Towns littered across the Merrow Kingdom, where scrappers gather to wait for dangerous meteor storms. These storms, in flurries of deadly dust, rain down marvellous objects - objects from other worlds - and there is money to be made trading these artifacts, machines and trinkets.
Piper's father died in a factory in Noveen, the capital city, while trying to make enough money to buy them a house so they could leave the Scrap Towns behind. So now Piper fends for herself. Luckily she has a gift for anything mechanic: as if by magic, broken machines come back to life under her hands.
During a particularly violent meteor storm, instead of a broken watch or a music box, Piper finds Anna, a girl with a dragonfly tattoo on her arm, a tattoo that marks her as being under the King's protection. And Anna seems to need it, for a shady man is intent on capturing her.
Piper and Anna's journey into the capital turns into a perilous adventure.
I really liked the concept of this book: meteor storms raining down objects from other worlds, and while it was explained and explored, I wish we'd seen more of it.
Piper was a very well written character: brave, practical, believable. She was not some Mary Sue who magically manages to fight or charm her way out of everything. Piper fought and, more often than not, she lost and had to flee. Piper didn't get things handed to her, she haggled, she was cunning, she used her brains. It's always delightful to find characters like these!
Anna seemed a bit more stilted, but still likeable and believable - and there is a reason for the way she acts...
I really, really liked the relationship between the two girls. They seem complete opposites, but they grow to care and love each other as sisters. Hurray for positive portrayals of friendship between girls!
The only thing I didn't enjoy about this book was the fact the author took a bit too much artistic license when it came to science. Yes, this is fantasy, but still somewhat grounded in reality. More often than not the trope Science at the Speed of Plot was used.
Fans of Frances Hardinge are sure to like this book, as are all fantasy lovers.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A really fun middle-grade read, with realistic and heartwarming friendships and character growth, as well as a fascinating fantasy world.
it's like a teenage Kaylee Frye and a preteen River Tam on the lam in a steam punk world.
