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A review by librariancarina
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear
2.0
I was surprised when I read all of the negative reviews that were issued on Innocent Darkness, at first. The book hooked me from the beginning, even though it was simply written. This book was to be my first venture in to steampunk and I was eager to give it a try.
Unfortunately, the book was unable to maintain my interest. After Noli left the reform school it just went downhill from there. The pacing slowed tremendously, the grammatical errors increased, the actions of the characters didn't always make sense or match who was speaking at the time, and the POV switches rarely led to new insight and were therefore unnecessary. By the point to which I had read (which was about page 265 out of 391), Noli had gone from a powerful, intelligent, eclectic and willful girl in to a simpering, whiny, helpless "princess" that just waited around to be rescued from her proverbial tower.
What happened to the trouble-making mechanic who was so dedicated to marching to the beat of her own drum that she forsook all other paths? And for that matter, what happened to the steampunk? It almost felt like the author decided one day to do a steampunk story just for the sake of calling it steampunk and despite the fact that the story went in a different direction, refused to give that up. Noli could have just as easily been only a gardener and all references to mechanization completely removed and the story still would have worked.
If you have reluctant readers who are looking for romance, faeries, and a "save the princess" adventure, they might like this. But I wouldn't value this highly on your readers advisory lists.
Unfortunately, the book was unable to maintain my interest. After Noli left the reform school it just went downhill from there. The pacing slowed tremendously, the grammatical errors increased, the actions of the characters didn't always make sense or match who was speaking at the time, and the POV switches rarely led to new insight and were therefore unnecessary. By the point to which I had read (which was about page 265 out of 391), Noli had gone from a powerful, intelligent, eclectic and willful girl in to a simpering, whiny, helpless "princess" that just waited around to be rescued from her proverbial tower.
What happened to the trouble-making mechanic who was so dedicated to marching to the beat of her own drum that she forsook all other paths? And for that matter, what happened to the steampunk? It almost felt like the author decided one day to do a steampunk story just for the sake of calling it steampunk and despite the fact that the story went in a different direction, refused to give that up. Noli could have just as easily been only a gardener and all references to mechanization completely removed and the story still would have worked.
If you have reluctant readers who are looking for romance, faeries, and a "save the princess" adventure, they might like this. But I wouldn't value this highly on your readers advisory lists.