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I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way affects my rating or the content of my review.
Nicolette is her mother's daughter: she loves working on different mechanisms, and books on explorers and engineering are what occupied her free time as a child. But after both her parents' death and the take-over by the Steps, even the smallest passions are taken away from her. But everything changes on her sixteenth birhtday, when she discovers the remains of her older life, carefully preserved for this special moment.
Ah, how I love retellings! And ah, how I love this particular retelling!
Firstly, the world where Mechanica takes place is incredibly fascinating. We have Estinger, a kingdom torn between its need for magic and its hate for it, and a far-away land, Faerie, who provides splendid and dreamy objects, that are not wanted anymore. I especially loved the stories and the small glimpses we get into the population and habits in Faerie, magical in their own way. The word-building was the first thing that made me adore this book, it gave the fairy-tale vibe, and if we add the steampunk elements, I was in love from the very first details.
But Mechanica is more than a simple retelling, it was inspiring and hopeful. Subtle feminist themes are everywhere, and combined with the wonderous thing that Betsy Cornwell's writing is, it made me feel motivated. Nicolette is so much more than a simple servant, she's a girl who dares to dream big, despite all the things opposing her wishes, she's a girl who doesn't want or need anyone to come and save her, because she's working out a way of escaping herself. It was such a great thing to see such an amazing female character, who puts down every stereotype the people around her might have about her.
Same with themes related to social justice. The population of Faerie, taken as servants to Estinger, is always put down by those who think themselves better, and there are lots of pages dedicated to explaining the wrongs of a privileged society.
I also adored how serious friendship was taken in this book. A lot of friendship-themed discussions and the need for friends and happiness friends bring once you have them was lovely and realistically described! It's been a while since I've seen such a beautiful female-female friendship blooming, so supportive and emotional and honest in its displays. Caro, the amazing friend Nicolette makes, is so full of warm and so supportive of her friend! It's refreshing, and I adored her friendly atitude, her funny jokes and just her personality overall! She's so full of love, so ready to share it with the world, that it's impossible for the reader not to feel it as well, at some point.
The complexity of the relationships between the characters in this book is also something that blown my mind, because you don't usually get such a weird, but real feel from most of books. It was the confusion and dread and excitment of having someone you care about, poured into the hearts of fictional characters and sent to my way through well-crafted dialogues.
The story though, hit close to home. Probably because I could emphasize so hard with Nicolette's feelings, especially at the end of the book, that made me love and appreciate her even more. But oh, I loved the ending! So amazing and so unexpected, but so great in its own way. A very-welcomed variation to the black-or-white endings usually expected from these type of books.
So, if you love steampunk elements combined with magic, a likeable female main character and lovely depictions of friendship, I couldn't recommend you this book enough! It charmed me.
Nicolette is her mother's daughter: she loves working on different mechanisms, and books on explorers and engineering are what occupied her free time as a child. But after both her parents' death and the take-over by the Steps, even the smallest passions are taken away from her. But everything changes on her sixteenth birhtday, when she discovers the remains of her older life, carefully preserved for this special moment.
Ah, how I love retellings! And ah, how I love this particular retelling!
Firstly, the world where Mechanica takes place is incredibly fascinating. We have Estinger, a kingdom torn between its need for magic and its hate for it, and a far-away land, Faerie, who provides splendid and dreamy objects, that are not wanted anymore. I especially loved the stories and the small glimpses we get into the population and habits in Faerie, magical in their own way. The word-building was the first thing that made me adore this book, it gave the fairy-tale vibe, and if we add the steampunk elements, I was in love from the very first details.
But Mechanica is more than a simple retelling, it was inspiring and hopeful. Subtle feminist themes are everywhere, and combined with the wonderous thing that Betsy Cornwell's writing is, it made me feel motivated. Nicolette is so much more than a simple servant, she's a girl who dares to dream big, despite all the things opposing her wishes, she's a girl who doesn't want or need anyone to come and save her, because she's working out a way of escaping herself. It was such a great thing to see such an amazing female character, who puts down every stereotype the people around her might have about her.
It was simply a step, albeit a valuable one: a step in the right direction. But a step was all I wanted. The rest I would do myself.
Same with themes related to social justice. The population of Faerie, taken as servants to Estinger, is always put down by those who think themselves better, and there are lots of pages dedicated to explaining the wrongs of a privileged society.
I also adored how serious friendship was taken in this book. A lot of friendship-themed discussions and the need for friends and happiness friends bring once you have them was lovely and realistically described! It's been a while since I've seen such a beautiful female-female friendship blooming, so supportive and emotional and honest in its displays. Caro, the amazing friend Nicolette makes, is so full of warm and so supportive of her friend! It's refreshing, and I adored her friendly atitude, her funny jokes and just her personality overall! She's so full of love, so ready to share it with the world, that it's impossible for the reader not to feel it as well, at some point.
I couldn’t stand in the light of her friendship without feeling warm.
The complexity of the relationships between the characters in this book is also something that blown my mind, because you don't usually get such a weird, but real feel from most of books. It was the confusion and dread and excitment of having someone you care about, poured into the hearts of fictional characters and sent to my way through well-crafted dialogues.
The story though, hit close to home. Probably because I could emphasize so hard with Nicolette's feelings, especially at the end of the book, that made me love and appreciate her even more. But oh, I loved the ending! So amazing and so unexpected, but so great in its own way. A very-welcomed variation to the black-or-white endings usually expected from these type of books.
So, if you love steampunk elements combined with magic, a likeable female main character and lovely depictions of friendship, I couldn't recommend you this book enough! It charmed me.