Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell is a steampunk version of Cinderella. This book is about a girl named Nicolette (or Nick) whose mother is a brilliant inventor, and her dad sells her mother's inventions. Since her mom is always busy in her workshop and her dad is always selling her mom's inventions, Nick's family has a maid/ butler/ babysitter of sorts who is part Fey. Feys are magical creatures who come from a land beyond. Tensions start heating up between the Feys and Nick's homeland.  People are saying the Fey's magic is evil. The queen of Nick's homeland comes down with Fey's croup and the only cure is lovesbane. The queen dies from a lethal overdose of lovesbane. After her death, the king cuts off all trade with the fey and deports them. Shortly after the queen's death, Nick's mom gets Fey's croup but lovesbane is now illegal and unavailable.  Nick's mom succumbs to Fey's croup. Now the household income has dropped almost to nothing since Nick's dad sold his wife's inventions. Then Nick's dad remarries and Nick gets a stepmother and two stepsisters. Shortly after the marriage, a full out war with the Fey starts. Nick's dad becomes a casualty of the war.  This leaves Nick all alone with no family except her stepmother and her two stepsisters. She becomes the family's servant and takes care of the house and her stepmother and her two stepsisters (the Steps). On her 16th birthday, she finds her mom's workshop. Nick now starts inventing and following in her mothers path. As the story goes on, Nick tries to find ways to create a life away from the Steps, have her own workshop and be self-sufficient in hopes of one one buying the house from the Steps. Nick finds a couple of friends along the way. Like all Cinderella stories, there is a ball and in this steampunk version, there is also a Grand Exposition where all the great inventors and artisans are invited to create a piece and showcase it. As the plot thickens,  Nick discovers more and more about her mom's inventions, making new friends, finding her true self, and having to constantly risk everything.

I highly enjoyed this steampunk take on Cinderella. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. This book varies from a lot of Cinderella stories since Nick is more independent than other lead Cinderella characters. If you liked Cinder or fractured fairy tales, put this book on your must read list.  I received this book from Clarion Books through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Golden Sword by Rosie Morgan is a fantasy novel. This book is about a boy named Arthur and his friends Nick and Tamar. Suddenly one day Arthur notices a shady character and finds himself having mysterious visions/ thoughts when he looks at this guy. Then he finds himself surrounded by cats whenever the shady character is near. As the story goes on, Arthur just keeps on finding himself in mysterious situations and no one is providing any answers. Arthur's life is continuing to become weirder and weirder until finally he finds some answers out at the very end after narrowly escaping death.

I thought the idea behind this book was very creative and it intrigued me. However, I felt the execution was lacking.  The plot never fully developed and the book seemed like a introduction to another book. This is the first installment in this series and maybe the author did want to fully resolve the conflicts so the readers would want to read the rest of the series. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I received this book from Liscarret Creations through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Blightborn by Chuck Wendig is the second book in his Heartland trilogy. For information about the first book, read my review here.

Similar to the first book in the series: Under the Empyrean Sky, Blightborn is dystopian literature. To continue on with the storyline, this book starts with Cael and his friends on their way to the provisions station to try to catch a ride to a flotilla to reunite with Cael's sister and Gwennie. On their way to their destination, their means of transportation is destroyed and they narrowly escape being destroyed along with it. Then, they meet a character who at first seems helpful but turns out to be anything but helpful. As the plot unfolds, Cael finds himself making more enemies, learning more and more about his dad while also learning who to trust and who not to trust.  Cael goes through many life changing events which will effect him forever.

Several things that I liked about Blightborn and the Heartland Trilogy so far are the great imagery used and the character development. I always feel like I am right next to all of the action that is taking place and that I have known the characters all my life.  

I believe the audience for this book is grades 8 and up due to language, violence, and other content, but again, I felt like those items were necessary for the development of the plot and the characters.  

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars and I highly recommend reading the series in order, so that you can enjoy the full Heartland experience. I received this book through Net Galley courtesy of Skyscape in exchange for an honest review. 

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a piece of dystopian literature. To me, this book is not casual reading. To get more out of the book, you should put yourself into the story and immerse yourself in the story line. 


The Giver is about a 12 year old boy named Jonas. At age 12, the children of the community get their job assignments. Jonas is chosen to be the new receiver of memory. This job is very mysterious since there is only one receiver. As Jonas trains with the current receiver, he learns things have been hidden from him and everyone else. As the plot unfolds, Jonas and the receiver come up with a plan to reveal the truth to everybody. I highly recommend this book and rate it 5 out of 5 stars. 

I had the privilege of meeting Lois Lowry and she shared her inspiration for this book.  I recommend researching before or after reading The Giver how she developed the plot for The Giver.  This book really broadens your perspective on many things.  I wanted to share my favorite quote from The Giver:

The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.