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Summary
Summary
New from Andrea Cremer, the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightshade novels, comes an action-packed alternate-history steampunk adventure.
In this world, sixteen-year-old Charlotte and her fellow refugees have scraped out an existence on the edge of Britain's industrial empire. Though they live by the skin of their teeth, they have their health (at least when they can find enough food and avoid the Imperial Labor Gatherers) and each other. When a new exile with no memory of his escape or even his own name seeks shelter in their camp he brings new dangers with him and secrets about the terrible future that awaits all those who have struggled has to live free of the bonds of the empire's Machineworks.
The Inventor's Secret is the first book of a YA steampunk series set in an alternate nineteenth-century North America where the Revolutionary War never took place and the British Empire has expanded into a global juggernaut propelled by marvelous and horrible machinery. Perfect for fans of Libba Bray's The Diviners , Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel, Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan and Phillip Reeve's Mortal Engines.
Praise for THE INVENTOR'S SECRET
* "Cremer...creates an inventive blend of steampunk and alternative history in this new series. She gives readers a fantastical world with mechanical wonders and an opulent vintage setting. The characters are interesting and well developed. Readers will be drawn to future installments."-- VOYA , starred review
"[A]n entertaining romp in a richly imaginative setting."-- Kirkus Reviews
Author Notes
Andrea Cremer is the internationally bestselling author of the Nightshade series, which includes Nightshade, Wolfsbane, Bloodrose, Snakeroot, Rift and Rise . She is also the author of the Inventor's Secret series, and of Invisibility, which she co-wrote with David Levithan. She lives in Claremont, CA. You can visit her online at www.AndreaCremer.com or follow her on Twitter @andreacremer.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-This first title in Cremer's new steampunk series takes place in an alternate 19th-century North America, one in which the Revolutionary War failed and the colonies are controlled by an industrious and tyrannical British Empire. An insurgent war continues to rage on in the present, causing the children of rebels to live exiled underground. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte, the daughter of a Resistance fighter, is the plucky heroine of this story. She encounters a new exile who has escaped from the floating city of New York, who has no recollection of his escape and has seemingly forgotten his own name. This amnesiac, of course, brings trouble for the group. The most interesting piece of this story seems to be the alternate historical setting. The plot itself is a bit muddled, bouncing around between chick lit and fantasy with the introduction of magic and a focus on the story's love triangle in lieu of the Resistance action. But teens will enjoy this fun romp, especially those who enjoy some romance in their steampunk. The narration by Leslie Bellair is very good, making the audiobook a good choice for some reluctant readers. Fans of Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel will be interested in this fun, romantic addition to the genre.- Nicole Martin, Grafton-Midview Public Library, OH (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Setting her self-described steampunk novel in an alternate 1816 in which the American Revolution failed and an insurgent war against a brutal British regime persists, Cremer (the Nightshade series) subverts the genre's typical Victorian conventions with varying degrees of success. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte lives with her brother and other exiled children of Resistance fighters in the Wildlands outside the Floating City of New York. The appearance of an amnesiac boy with apparent ties to the city provides a reason for Charlotte to join an expedition to the glittering metropolis, affording Cremer opportunities to dress her heroine in silken finery and nurture a love triangle. Though a few inventions (e.g. the Floating City's Great Wheel) inspire wonder, much of the technology feels too advanced a mere 40 years post-Declaration of Independence, distracting from the more intriguing political ramifications and cultural developments of this divergent timeline. Cremer handles the fantastical elements far better, hinting at rather than telegraphing the "secret" of the title. In revealing it, she sets herself up for a sequel that could be more cohesive than the series opener. Ages 12-up. Agent: InkWell Management. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
In an alternate-nineteenth-century America (in which England won the Revolutionary War), sixteen-year-old Charlotte lives in hiding with other Resistance children. Seeking rebel allies, she and her friends infiltrate Empire high society, where they uncover life- and potentially world-changing secrets. Charlotte is a likable, realistic protagonist; snappy dialogue, imaginative world-building, and romance will spark readers' interest. An unresolved ending hints at (welcome) future installments. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Paranormal-romance queen Cremer (the Nightshade series) tries her hand at writing steampunk with an alternative-history twist. The year is 1816. The British have won the Revolutionary War, enslaved the Americans, and turned Boston into a prison and New York City into a socially stratified power center. Giant, robotic Imperial Labor Gatherers and man-eating rats terrorize the population. A colony of teenage resistance fighters are hiding in a remote maze of caves in the New York Wilderness. Tomboy heroine Charlotte rescues a mysteriously invincible but amnesiac boy, nicknamed Grave, and brings him back to the Catacombs. The plot thickens when fellow rebel, tough guy Jack, turns out to be the disgraced son of an elite admiral who holds a powerful position in Empire society. Piloting the made-for-movies Dragonfly, a fanciful insectlike aircraft tricked out in brass and leather, Jack flies Charlotte and her companions to the multilayered Floating City. There, disguised as aristocrats and servants from the islands, the rebels attempt to infiltrate the establishment and solve the mystery of Grave. Charlotte's steamy romantic intrigues with Jack and his Machiavellian brother dominate much of the action, leaving some plot details frustratingly opaque, including the titular secret itself. The cliffhanger at the conclusion of the novel clearly anticipates a sequel. On balance, it's an entertaining romp in a richly imaginative setting. (Steampunk. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In this steampunk world, the British have won the Revolutionary War, and they are not making it easy on the losers. Deep in the forest lives 16-year-old Charlotte and her older brother, Ash, who is the leader of a group of young people, children of revolutionaries, who will move to the front at age 18. Coming in and out of their hiding place is handsome Jack, from the upper echelon of society, but who is a revolutionary at heart, and newcomer Grave, saved from the steel Rotpots by Charlotte, but with no memory of his past. Cremer does most everything right here: her fantastical colonial setting is well imagined, the characters have depth, and the adventures are heart-stopping. The romance and potential entanglements is predictable fare, but Charlotte is a lively enough heroine to keep the interest of several fellows, and readers, too. Happily, the ending, which mixes machinery and magic, and forces some characters into assuming new roles, will have readers eager to find out what happens next. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Cremer is the author of the international blockbuster Nightshade series. Her legion of fans will be waiting for this one.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2014 Booklist