Review: Book Review
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 17, 2012
This book, alongside its sibling, came to me just it time. I was in a desperate need of something interesting and different. To tell you the truth, steampunk and dystopian novels are something I love to read, but my world is full of weird creatures, that there is, simply, not enough time.About the characters:Miriam is a slightly spoiled, orphaned girl. Her world turns upside down when her guardians and their son move in her house. She has a vivid imagination and some spirit and this is something I liked about her.The Marchpanes are Miriam's guardians. They are awful to her and their purpose is mysterious, since from the moment they move in with Miriam, they try to find something specific and for an unknown reason.Simon is the Marchpanes' son. He is a rich kid, with no trace of his parents' characters. He's not ambitious for money and fame. He and Miriam dislike each other from the start, but their mutual hate for the Marchpanes brings them together.Neil is Simon's best friend. He is a simple poor boy, and smart enough to win a scholarship at the same school Simon attends.Mana is the most awesome character in the book. She is mysterious, wise and from the Islands, and she has some unique powers.The Cantwells are some rich, charming and evil people. Their full plans of whom are best reveiled in the second book of the series.And finally, Riki, an island girl that we meet later in the book. She is so nerve-breaking that, in my opinion, makes Neil a hero for tolerating her.About the book:The story is set in England and in an island called Lampala. The author is great with the descriptions of the places and the situations.This book has two parts. In the first we meet the characters until something happens and they get separated and in the second we only see Neil and Riki in Lampala, where they explore the island discovering truths and helping Mana.Although the author writes in the third person, I felt a little disappointed, because in the first part we leave Simon and Miriam in a very difficult position, and though the author was really good in capturing your interest in the current pages, I couldn't help but thinking of their fate.The steampunk element was not very present and that was another disappointment.But no matter those, the story is very capturing and you keep turning the pages with the hope that you find answers. Needless to say, that you find answers, which in their way, raise more questions.The end leaves you with many questions and you are eager to start the next one immediately.