Author: Liesel SchwarzTitle: A Conspiracy of Alchemists
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: March 5, 2013
Buy: Amazon
Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tours & the publisher
Book Blurb:
LEAVE IT TO CHANCE. Eleanor “Elle” Chance, that is—the intrepid heroine of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, historical adventure, and paranormal romance into pure storytelling gold.
In a Golden Age where spark reactors power the airways, and creatures of Light and Shadow walk openly among us, a deadly game of Alchemists and Warlocks has begun.
When an unusual cargo drags airship-pilot Elle Chance into the affairs of the mysterious Mr. Marsh, she must confront her destiny and do everything in her power to stop the Alchemists from unleashing a magical apocalypse.
Review: I have to admit I've not read anything in the Steampunk genre so I have nothing to base my judgment of this book on.
It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did, it moved along nicely and Elle and Marsh felt like The Odd Couple in the Victorian Age. It also felt a little bit like a Doctor Who episode, only with more tea and less running.
There's an awful lot of tea drinking in this novel.
A lot!
Although one of my favorite scenes involved The Orient Express, a cappuccino machine and the correct time of day. (I won't spoil it for you, you have to read it.)
I can't make a comparison to other steampunk novels as this is the first of that genre I've read, but I enjoyed the story. I also liked how the author took the historical elements and added some paranormal creatures to the mix, like the Nightwalkers (vampires).
Elle Chance was a heroine that took some getting used to. She's spunky and independent, but sometimes too much so. Her pigheadedness makes you want to hit her a few times to knock some sense into her.
It is easy to understand why she doesn't want to embrace her fate as the Oracle because of what happened with her mother, but she really has that part of her life closed off.
Then there's Mr. Marsh. He's a bit pigheaded too, but his very alpha male, and he's hard not to fall in love with. I wish Elle would have done so a bit faster. Their relationship was strained for much too long. It was a little hard to believe that they loved each other once they got around to saying it to each other, because there was more conflict between them than there was affection.
I liked how everything pulled together nicely at the end, closing the needed storylines for this book while leaving others open for the next. I will definitely be reading the next book!
Rating: 4 flowers
About Liesel Schwarz
Liesel Schwarz is a lifelong fan of nineteenth-century Gothic literature. She is ieselschwarz.com, on Facebook and on Twitter.
also a hopeless romantic who loves Victorians, steampunk, fairies, fantasy monsters, the fin de siècle, and the correct way to drink absinthe. She also likes medieval things, pirates, zombies, space operas, and all subjects in between. Connect with Liesel at her website, l
1 comments:
I'll be sure have several cups of tea ready to hand when I pick this one up. :)
Thanks for being on the tour!
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