Review: The Aeronaut's Windlass

First book in the Cinder Spires series
By Jim Butcher
Available now from Roc (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

Jim Butcher, author of the popular urban fantasy series The Dresden Files, takes on steampunk fantasy in the first book of the Cinder Spires.  I find the cover for this one somewhat misleading.  It's clearly taking cues from the covers of his most famous series, with one man in a long dark jacket filling the cover.  But THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS is truly an ensemble novel.  Even some of the antagonists get sympathetic passages through their point of view.  More than that, the novel's two most prominent narrators are female.  There's also a cat (who speaks Cat, which some humans can understand) who is probably very insulted that he is not the focus of the cover.

The AMS Predator is a small privateer ship that was recently severely damaged.  Captain Grimm finds a way to get the repairs he needs, but it involves working for the Spirearch (the ruler of Spire Albion, the novel's setting) on a rather ill-defined mission.  With him are two mad etherealists (think wizard) and three soldiers.  Two of those soldiers are Gwen and Bridget, and the third is Gwen's cousin Benedict.  Gwen is from one of the Spire's greatest families and thus arrogant and somewhat naive, but she's also aces at getting the job done.  Bridget is also from a great family, but of the sort that has fallen into genteel poverty.  Both girls are brand-new recruits, but still have skills to offer the mission.

It's hard to pick out what my favorite parts of THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS are.  I loved everything about Rowl (the cat), even though I'm not a cat person.  I found the villains suitably terrifying, but liked that many of the Auroans (that is, the people of the opposing Spire) where essentially honorable people trying to carry out their duty and minimize the impact of the actually evil antagonists.  I loved Gwen, and Bridget, and Folly, and admired how much Butcher has grown in the way he writes women since the first Dresden Files books.

THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS presents a rather complicated world, in which the surface is uninhabitable and covered with monsters and thus people live in Spires and sail through the air in ships.  But it is delightfully inventive and it is fun to see how it all works together.  It is definitely more fantasy with a steampunk aesthetic than an alt history type series, at least for now.

The book is well paced, with plenty of action amid the worldbuilding.  There was one long battle that I couldn't believe wasn't the climatic battle until the story kept going and I realized that of course that was the battle Butcher was building up to.  It was very neatly done and gave THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS a nice sense of closure despite the many threads left dangling for future books in the series.  I'm eager for the second book, to see how those threads get picked up.

Review: Waistcoats & Weaponry

Book three of the Finishing School series
By Gail Carriger
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy
Read my review of Curtsies & Conspiracies

The penultimate book in the Finishing School series is witty and exuberant.  I love spending time with these characters, and Gail Carriger finds a way to trap all of the best ones in a small space together (wearing terrible disguises).  At the same time, while it has the best character interaction yet, the plot is a let down.  There are some vague intimations as to the ongoing supernatural struggles, but very little is actually figured out.  WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY felt like filler before the end, aside from one major development.

I don't necessarily think focusing more on the characters is a bad thing.  Because the Finishing School series is set 25 years before the Parasol Protectorate series, there isn't much mystery as to how the power struggle works out.  What Sophronia chooses to do with her life, and who she chooses to live it with, is a mystery.  On that level, WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY more than delivers.

It is always hard to review one of the latter books in a series, especially in a series that revolves around secrets.  Needless to say, if you are a Finishing School fan, you won't be disappointed.  If you aren't a fan, I recommend starting at book one (ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE) or at least book two (CURSIES & CONSPIRACIES).  In a book with this much character payoff, you need the setup.  I do recommend starting this series if you enjoy spies, steampunk, ridiculous disguises, convoluted plans, and girls determined to make the best of their options in life.  This series is excellent frothy fun.

Review: Curtsies & Conspiracies

Book two of the Finishing School series
By Gail Carriger
Available now from Little, Brown BFYR (Hachette)
Review copy

I found the idea of Gail Carriger's Soulless series intriguing, but the execution was lacking for me.  Especially after the first two books.  However, I kept hearing that her Finishing School series was much better.  Thus, I gave it a try.  I have to agree.

The second book, CURTSIES & CONSPIRACIES, finds Sophronia being ostracized after she scores the highest on their spy skills and etiquette test.  Determined not to let it get to her, she keeps spying on her own time to discover what's really going on at her school, beyond the whole training-young-women-secret-skills thing.  She's particularly intrigued by an apparent plot against her best friend, Dimity.

 Another ripple comes when the school takes a trip to London, accompanied by the boys of Bunson's (a school for mad geniuses).  It's highly unusual, and Sophronia is determined to get to the bottom of things, all while flirting politely with Lord Mersey.  I feel that the love triangle is overused in YA, but I do like both points of this triangle.  Soap is of lower social status, but Sophronia respects his skills and he respects hers.  Lord Mersey is to be a duke, which makes him act rather entitled, but his attraction to Sophronia is honest and he has no desire to squash her eccentricities.

At the same time, Sophronia's focus really isn't boys.  It's putting the pieces together.  Doing so also makes her think more about what her future means.  Who will she work for?  How will she know she's doing good?  She's being made into a tool, and if she's not careful, she could be wielded in ways she does not approve of.  Carriger doesn't flinch from depicting the darker side of spycraft.

If you're looking for a steampunk series with humor, adventure, and romance, give the Finishing School a chance.  The third book, WAISTCOATS & WEAPONRY, comes out tomorrow.

Review: The Brothers Cabal (and giveaway)

Book four of the Johannes Cabal series
By Jonathon L. Howard
Available now from Thomas Dunne Books (Macmillan)
Review copy
Read my review of The Fear Institute

THE FEAR INSTITUTE ended with the surprising revelation that Horst Cabal was once again alive.  (In a sense, given that he is once again risen as a vampire, and technically he's just undead again.)  For the first two thirds of THE BROTHERS CABAL, the focus is on Horst's resurrection and his adventures before reuniting with Johannes.

While I missed Johannes' dry impatience, I did relish getting the chance to see this world through a different point of view.  Horst is more social and affable, if inhuman in his own way.  He certainly makes friends and allies easier, including monster hunters and a barnstormer circus.  Once more Leonie Barrow doesn't make an appearance, but a wide range of female characters are introduced.  It's an aspect I appreciated.

The plot starts simply, with a supernatural society that wants to take over the world.  There is a long chase, and a big battle, but it's just big set pieces illuminating that Johannes Cabal's enemies are starting to work together for a bit of revenge.  I liked that there turned out to be a personal motive behind everything and that the bad guys were much smarter than they first appeared.

Some of the action was a bit hard to follow.  There are a lot of people with different powers on the scene, which means sometimes there are giant, fierce bugs with little explanation of how that happened.  The humor, however, is more than intact.  I can turn to almost any page and find a gem that made me laugh.  Let me try it right now.

"Does my little brother have a crush?"
Cabal started to deny it, but then instead blushed a little, and a small, perhaps even shy smile appeared on his own face.  He leaned towards Horst and said in a lowered voice, "She told me where to find the fifth volume of Darian's Ocusculus." - ARC, pg. 58-9

The humor is best whenever Horst and Johannes banter with each other, but really, many of Jonathon L. Howard's characters give good banter.  Thanks to the multitude of new characters and POV change, THE BROTHERS CABAL is fairly welcoming to new comers.  The climax slightly less so, although the old connections between the characters are explained.

This is one of my favorite series, and I dread the wait for the next book. 
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Review: The Diamond Thief

By Sharon Gosling
Available now from Switch Press (Capstone)
Review copy

THE DIAMOND THIEF is a British import and one of the first books from Switch Press, a new YA imprint from Capstone.  It switches between the points of view of Rémy Brunel, a trapeze artist and thief, and Thaddeus Rec, a policeman.  Both of them are after a diamond - Rémy to steal it and Thaddeus to recover it.

I loved the premise of THE DIAMOND THIEF and was very fond of the characters, although I think the whole book could've been from Rémy's point of view.  My favorite character was probably J, a younger urchin who befriends both protagonists.  But I thought that the book was a little lacking.  It is historical fiction with a bit of steampunk and of fantasy, with no real limits on what was possible in the world.  There was magic and impossibly advanced science with little explanation of how either worked.

Going back to the characters, I love the idea of two basically good people working at cross purposes with each other.  Thaddeus is almost impossibly good, a truly honest cop who will sacrifice himself to save others.  Rémy is a bit more complicated.  She steals to survive and understands that there are shades of grey in the world, but at the same time she, too, will sacrifice herself to save others.  She understands that there are more important things in the world than her individual happiness.  

I don't know.  I liked these characters so much, yet there world lacked a snap to pull me in.  I felt like the plot was a pretty basic progression from point A to point B, and the romance a touch tepid.  I liked Rémy and Thaddeus individually, but they were pretty quickly passionately in love with each other for little reason.  It's hard for me to remember the specifics of THE DIAMOND THIEF already, because there weren't many memorable details (aside from J).

I think THE DIAMOND THIEF will appeal to younger YA readers who like circuses, thieves, and curses.  Older YA readers who think that sounds interesting would do well to look into PANTOMIME by Laura Lam.

Review: The Mark of the Dragonfly

First in a series
By Jaleigh Johnson
Available now from Delacorte BFYR (Penguin Random House)
Review copy

Piper is a scrapper.  Where she lives, you survive by mining debris fields right after a meteor shower and selling what you find.  She makes a better living than most since she's skilled at repairing machines, a skill that is in high demand.

Then, she comes across a girl, the sole survivor of a group stuck in the middle of a meteor shower.  Piper takes her home to recuperate, at which point she's already gotten herself involved in something more complicated than she could ever guess.  Piper and Anna set off for the capital, because Anna bears the mark of the dragonfly - and that means the king has some interest in her fate.

THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY is a terrific introduction to a new middle grade series and author.  (Jaleigh Johnson has written some tie-in novels for Wizards of the Coast.)  You might not guess it from the cover, but this novel is steampunk and features an awesome train guarded by a dragon.  I don't even know why that's not on the cover, because it is the best and the people on the train are the best.  And Johnson knows how to make a train journey exciting and dangerous.

Some of the adventures in THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY felt like setup for future books rather than part of the current story.  For instance, there's a group of raiders just determined to get their hands on the train's young head of security.  But for the most part, the story is self-contained and completely satisfied.  I'm excited that this is a series, since I like the characters, but I wasn't left disappointed by a half-hearted ending.

There is plenty of the world left to explore.  There's tensions between the world powers and the upper and lower classes, for instance.  Certain species of people are discriminated against.  There's slavery, which is obviously bad.  There's Piper and Anna's growing friendship, a true sisterly bond.  There's Piper's potential romance, which is kept low-key for the intended audience.

I think that THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY will appeal to fans of fantasy and adventure stories, particularly ones with great girl heroes.

Review: Emilie and the Hollow World

By Martha Wells
Available now from Strange Chemistry (Angry Robot)
Review copy

Prolific fantasy author Martha Wells ventures into young adult territory with EMILIE & THE HOLLOW WORLD, a steampunk adventure inspired by Jules Verne's JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH.  When Emilie runs away from home, she ends up having to stow aboard a different ship - one headed to the world inside the world to save Lady Marlende's father.

Lady Marelende's father is an inventor and explorer, but he's fallen afoul of another scientific-minded lord who wants to be the first to journey to the hollow world and back.  Her only hope is Lord Engal, another rival of her father's.  Oh those scientists, always wanting to be the first to publish.  Of course, things go awry and the explorers must accomplish their quest before they're able to return home safely.

I loved the way Wells described the strange people and places Emilie and the others discover.  She's not besmirching the legacy of Verne by any means.  In fact, I'm surprised there hasn't been more steampunk that ventures into his territory.  Character-wise, Kenar, a Cirathi from the hollow world, is one of my favorites.  I was a little disappointed that he was already in a happy relationship and not a love interest for Emilie.  Not too disappointed, however, because Emilie is supposedly sixteen but reads younger.  (And her actual love interest is perfectly nice.)

Emilie was a touch underdeveloped.  She's definitely the character the reader is supposed to identify with, a complete outsider who knows less than everybody else.  What the reader does learn about her is positive.  She stands up for herself, she knows when to keep quiet and be sneaky, and she's good at coming up with a plan on the fly.  But this is an adventure story and character development is secondary.  Most of the characters are exactly who they appear to be on the surface. 

It works because EMILIE AND THE HOLLOW WORLD is quite an adventure.  I loved learning about the different societies of the hollow world along with Emilie and watching her attempt to prevent a war.  (Or, at the very least, avoid being personally involved with the war.)  The second novel, EMILIE AND THE SKY WORLD, should be available from Strange Chemistry in 2014.  I'm excited to follow along with Emilie's future exploits.

Review: The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon

Book One of The Expeditioners
By S. S. Taylor
Illustrated by Katherine Roy
Available now from McSweeney's McMullens
Review copy

I think steampunk now has a cousin.  I'm not sure what you would call that cousin - explorationpunk? - but THE EXPEDITIONERS AND THE TREASURE OF DROWNED MAN'S CANYON definitely shares blood with steampunk.  There's the alternate history aspect.  In the Expeditioners world, there was a certain machine that never existed in our world.  The machine eventually led to the discovery of new lands and a longer-lasting age of imperialism.  There's the fashion aspect.  Explorers wear vests equipped with all sorts of nifty gadgets.  But The Expeditioners is a different beast.  No steam in sight.

Kit, Zander, and M. K.'s father, Alexander West, recently went missing and is assumed dead.  But they knew where their father intended to go, and it wasn't where the government told them he died.  When a mysterious man delivers a book to Kit, government agents start poking around the kids' business.  In turn, they decide to investigate their father's belongings more closely.  There's half of a map that's clearly important, and no one can decode Alexander West's secrets better than his children.  They set out to find the other half of the map and go to where it leads.

THE TREASURE OF DROWNED MAN'S CANYON will appeal to fans of adventure stories.  There's a nice balance in genders - once the children meet up with Sukey, there are two girls and two boys.  Sukey and M. K. are just as tough as the boys and both have important skills that aid the group's quest.  (No, neither of them are medics.)  Kit, the brainy one, is also the narrator.  Thus, I think girls and guys can enjoy the book.  But THE TREASURE OF DROWNED MAN'S CANYON goes deeper than most adventure stories and asks questions about who owns the treasure.  It seems like The Expeditioners will be a series not only interested in unexplored places, but also the people who live in those places and what will happen to them if they are discovered.

But that doesn't mean THE TREASURE OF DROWNED MAN'S CANYON avoids the tropes of adventure stories.  There are lots of puzzles, and I love a story with puzzles.  There are chase scenes and crash scenes and scenes with newly discovered species that are not friendly.  I was, at points, strongly reminded of Jules Verne.  And in my opinion that is a good thing.

Katherine Roy's art will help to draw in readers who might be daunted by the size of the book.  (320 pages at a larger-than-standard trim size.)  Her style is quite geometric and stylized, but not in an offputtingly arty way.  The way she shades reminds me of topographic maps, which is quite fitting in a novel where cartography plays a large role in the plot.

I think THE TREASURE OF DROWNED MAN'S CANYON was a good beginning to the series.  I felt like the characters fit fairly stereotypical roles, but there's room for growth.  However, other parts of the novel were very developed.  S. S. Taylor spent a lot of time developing the Expeditioners' world, and I'm eager to see more of it.  The novel certainly ends with an interesting change in the Expeditioners' lives.  (The next book might involve boarding school!  I love fictional boarding schools!)  I'm also intrigued by the fact Alexander West may be alive and hiding.  The Expeditioners seems like it will have a strong story holding together the separate adventures, something I am definitely in favor of.

I liked this one, and strongly recommend it.  Partially because in addition to a fun story the book is really pretty.  And the cover turns over to become a poster!  Who doesn't love posters?

Review: The Friday Society

By Adrienne Kress
Available now from Dial (Penguin)
Review copy

When I picked up THE FRIDAY SOCIETY, I wasn't expecting a ton.  Steampunk is one of those subgenres that I kind of enjoy but often find overrated.  I was pretty into the first chapter though, wherein Cora discovers a rich guy got himself hired for her job and deals with it through explosions.  Then the book kept getting better.

Cora, Michiko, and Nellie are all assistants.  It's about the best job a girl can aspire to in Edwardian London.  Working in a lab got Cora off the streets.  Nellie took her burlesque skills to a higher-profile job as a magician's assistant.  And Michiko came to Japan to teach samurai skills, but found herself being exploited as a fight assistant because she can't speak much English.  But the three girls band together after a ball, when they all stumble upon a head without a body.

Basically, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY takes Joss Whedon-esque dialogue, proto-feminism, and superheroes, mixes those things in a blender, then sprinkles them over a murder mystery involving grave robbing, fog, and the destruction of a beloved landmark.  If there's one fault in the novel, it's that the explosions of the first chapter take a long time to show up again.

All three girls have their own skills, and they complement each other well.  I liked that there wasn't much romance in THE FRIDAY SOCIETY.  There are make-outs and hints of attractions to be played out in later books, but Cora, Michiko, and Nellie aren't girls who need a man.  They're clever and determined enough to thrive in a society that deems them second-class citizens.  (Probably lower in Michiko's case.)

I honestly hope that Adrienne Kress will write a sequel (or two) to THE FRIDAY SOCIETY.  It's great fun and these are characters I'd love to hang out with again.  Plus, she uses the steampunk setting well.  (By which I mean: mad science!)  THE FRIDAY SOCIETY was not only better than I expected - it would've been better than I expected if I had high hopes.

Review: Stormdancer

Book One of the Lotus War
By Jay Kristoff
Available now from Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press)
Review copy

I couldn't wait to start reading this book.  Fantasy influenced by Japanese mythology?  Civil unrest?  Strong female protagonist?  Bonding with magical animals?  It's taken me a week to finish reading STORMDANCER and I read six other books between chapters.

The first chapter is brilliant.  Kitsune Yukiko is fighting for her life, about to be killed by an oni.  Then the second chapter kicks in, going back in time without any warning.  Learning how Yukiko reached that point is a total slog.  The narrative jumps between point-of-view without warning.  One second you're following along with Yukiko, the next you're in the head of a character who has yet to be introduced.  One of the first scenes has her wondering about a boy with green eyes, despite the fact she's in grave danger.  You'd better keep those green eyes in mind because he doesn't show up for a couple hundred pages.  I remembered them because that was a major "What the hell?" moment for me.  You wonder what in the world happened to opium and why lotus is the drug of choice.  I mean, Japan is at war with the gaijin.  Is China sitting on its thumbs or something?

But, like so many things in life, it gets better.

The mythology is a strong point throughout the novel.  Jay Kristoff throws the reader into the deep end, but I liked it.  It make Yukiko's world feel more immersive.  People without a grounding in Japanese mythology might find it more confusing, but there is an extensive glossary in the back.  And once Buruu, the arashitora (griffin), comes into play the plot kicks into gear.  I was a little disappointed by the bonding aspect of the story, since Yukiko and Buruu become the bestest of pals almost instantly.  But Buruu, and his snarky commentary, is the best thing about STORMDANCER.

Part of my problem with STORMDANCER's beginning is all the bad guys are boring.  The shogun Tora Yoritomo is crazy and violent.  The Guildsmen, who grow the lotus polluting the world, go about in big metal suits burning children for being impure (ie, having supernatural abilities).  Now, I wanted to see Yoritomo die an awful, bloody death.  But until Yukiko meets with the Resistance, the story lacks nuance.  (And believe me, the environmentalism in STORMDANCER makes Miyazaki's use of the theme look subtle.)

And yes, I did promise to move onto how the book gets better.  I love Aisha, the shogun's sister.  Now there's a character who understands shades of grey.  I would've gladly read an entire book about Aisha.  (Yukiko felt bland, like a standard spunky girl.)  I liked that the Guildsmen are obsessed with purity, since the lotus has long been a symbol of purity.  I liked the race to the finish and knowing the perfectly laid plans would somehow go asunder, because plans never work out in life or in fiction.

I intend to read the next book in the Lotus War series.  STORMDANCER picked up enough steam by the end that I want to know what happens next.  Honestly, I think STORMDANCER was a victim of its hype.  If I hadn't so many excited posts before I read the novel I might've been less disappointed.

(No place for this in the review, but some may appreciate the warning that there is extremely icky implied sexual violence.)

Review: Lost and Found

By Shaun Tan
Available now from Arthur A. Levine (Scholastic)
Review copy
Lost and Found: Three by Shaun Tan is a beautiful book. Tan's paintings vary in style, but all of them are full of interesting details. (Okay, not all of them are even paintings. There are collages, for instance.) I've noticed different things in the images everytime I've opened the book. The images stand well on their own, without the accompaniment of text.

The first story in this omnibus is "The Red Tree." This one has the most experimental art; sometimes the style changes between pages. "The Red Tree" gets quite dark, which could make it unappealing to younger children. There aren't many words, but the typography interacts with the pictures in interesting ways. The words are mostly unimportant to "The Red Tree." It's less of a story than a progression through the tone of a story, with misery gripping ever tighter then eventually giving way to hope. "The Red Tree" was my least favorite of the three, but only because the other two are such strong stories.

"Without sense or reason," Shaun Tan (2001)

Next is "The Lost Thing."  I loved the scrapbook style layout of this story. The narrator collects bottle caps and it seems like a fitting layout to express his personality. I also loved the bits of type included in the borders that sometimes show up in the middle of the page. This story would be good to read to a younger child before bed or for an older child (first grade or so) to read by his or herself. While it is far more conventional than "The Red Tree," it still has a distinctive style. This one was definitely my favorite, both for the humor and the sweetness. (Note: Shaun Tan just one an Oscar for the animated version of "The Lost Thing.")



The final story, "The Rabbits," was written by John Marsden (author of the Tommorrow series). This one is definitely for elementary aged children. It's an allegory of the British colonization of Australia from the point of view of the Aborigines. It's well-told and worth discussing with older children, but toddlers are more likely to be upset by the unhappy ending. Picture book does not necessarily mean children's book. The stylized profile of the rabbits did make for some incredible paintings, and Tan makes excellent use of negative space.

I think LOST AND FOUND is a good choice for families. The adults will enjoy the story and art as much as the kids. In fact, some adults will enjoy it even without the kids.

Review: Invisible Things

Oh my goodness. You guys, I turn in my thesis on December 3rd. My finals are the week after that. Then I'm a graduate. I'm getting job and other applications together, but my plans aren't set in stone yet. It's hard to believe that I will soon no longer be a student, since that's been my identity for a long time now.

I've gotten a raise at work! I intend to keep my current job until I do find something better. Both the owner and the managers told me I'm the best closer, which is a little sad since I haven't been working there long. But it makes me happy because I prefer working closing to the day shifts. (Day shifts get to restock, which is hard on one's back.)

But on to content! Sorry I haven't been updating lately, but I prefer to be silent then bombard ya'll with crappy posts I haven't spent any time on.

By Jenny Davidson

Available tomorrow from HarperTeen

Review copy

This review is part of a Traveling to Teens tour. Jenny's last stop was The Neverending Shelf and her next stop is The Hiding Spot.

I unfortunately wasn't able to read THE EXPLOSIONIST first. I dislike starting with a sequel, but sometimes it's fun to see how well the book works when you don't start familiar with the world. INVISIBLE THINGS did manage the set-up well. I liked that it was set in Denmark and other places that aren't often seen in English literature. Plus, the places were new to Sophie, who came to Denmark by way of a school in Scotland, so new readers wouldn't be lost there. The details of the steampunk world took awhile to unfold, but one paragraph in particular played catch-up nicely:

When would the dynamiteur Alfred Nobel send word that he was ready to see Sophie? . . . When Nobel did finally reach out to her, would the message be brought by her old chemistry teacher, Mikael's older brother, Arne? Would Mikael - but Sophie could hardly stand to thing about it, the idea so thoroughly and confusingly excited and shamed her - ever want to kiss her? (ARC, p. 20)

The rhetorical questions felt like someone testing out different scenarios in their mind. It also brought in things that had happened while still focusing on future action, which prevented drag.

Unfortunately, drag did occur elsewhere. Due to my current focus on my thesis, I read INVISIBLE THINGS in bits and pieces, spare moments snatched during bus commutes and waiting for water to boil. Thus, I may not be doing full justice to the book. At the same time, I just never felt compelled to sit with it longer. I'm behind on a term paper outline because I picked up Jim Butcher's DEAD BEAT and didn't put it down for 200 pages. Jenny Davidson never managed to make me forget other responsibilities waiting.

Davidson's writing, mechanically, was lovely. The prelude to the story is atmospheric while managing to pack in some action. But it seems like the action parts got lost sometimes. Part of this is due to Sophie's intelligence, which sometimes translates as pretentiousness. She tends to think about things in ways that can be lovely, but don't create forward momentum.

I enjoyed INVISIBLE THINGS, but I somehow though a novel that revealed dark secrects, featured an eve-of-war setting, and began with an assassination would be more of a page-turner.