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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
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 Change 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.
It’s 1903. Elle Chance owns an airship called The Water Lily, piloting charters and errands for various clients. When Patrice, an old friend, asks her to transport a wooden box to England off the books, she finds herself caught up in the affairs of the handsome and infuriating Hugh Marsh. Marsh is a warlock and the package pitches Elle straight into the middle of an age-old battle between the warlocks and alchemists (and in turn, the forces of light and shadow).
When alchemists kidnap Elle’s father, they two must put aside their antagonism to search for him. But as their journey takes them to Venice, Vienna and Istanbul, Elle’s deepest family secrets are revealed and she learns truths about herself that she isn’t ready to acknowledge …
Liesel Schwarz’s debut novel mixes steampunk, adventure and romance to so-so effect. The world-building puts an interesting spin on the familiar premise of a battle between good and bad magical creatures in a world where science is in the ascendency. I liked the idea of the alliance between vampires and alchemists but wish that it had been executed beyond clichéd conversations between two-dimensional villains. The spark reactors are fascinating and I enjoyed how Schwarz incorporates the traditional steampunk elements of dirigibles and goggles. Unfortunately the plot and romance elements let it down. Superficially the main driver of the plot is the need to find Elle’s father and recover the wooden box after it’s stolen but the search doesn’t get going until half way through and even then, neither Elle nor Marsh bust a gut. Indeed, Elle seems more bothered about whether she’s in love with Marsh, who ticks every romance male box (arrogant, domineering and yet handsome and noble). I’m not a fan of romances where the female character is shown to be consistently wrong or imperilled, so Schwarz’s writing here didn’t appeal and the reveal that Elle is the magical world’s biggest hope if only she’d accept her destiny made me eye roll. I also found the fairy-narrated sections to be too ham-fisted in their foreshadowing. This is a shame because there’s promise here – Schwarz has clearly researched the period and it’s interesting to see steampunk that dares to leave London. I’m invested enough to want to read the sequel but hope that Schwarz can move past the cliché to stake her own claim on the genre.
The Verdict:
Liesel Schwarz’s debut novel mixes steampunk, adventure and romance to so-so effect. The world-building puts an interesting spin on the familiar premise of a battle between good and bad magical creatures in a world where science is in the ascendency. I liked the idea of the alliance between vampires and alchemists but wish that it had been executed beyond clichéd conversations between two-dimensional villains. The spark reactors are fascinating and I enjoyed how Schwarz incorporates the traditional steampunk elements of dirigibles and goggles. Unfortunately the plot and romance elements let it down. Superficially the main driver of the plot is the need to find Elle’s father and recover the wooden box after it’s stolen but the search doesn’t get going until half way through and even then, neither Elle nor Marsh bust a gut. Indeed, Elle seems more bothered about whether she’s in love with Marsh, who ticks every romance male box (arrogant, domineering and yet handsome and noble). I’m not a fan of romances where the female character is shown to be consistently wrong or imperilled, so Schwarz’s writing here didn’t appeal and the reveal that Elle is the magical world’s biggest hope if only she’d accept her destiny made me eye roll. I also found the fairy-narrated sections to be too ham-fisted in their foreshadowing. This is a shame because there’s promise here – Schwarz has clearly researched the period and it’s interesting to see steampunk that dares to leave London. I’m invested enough to want to read the sequel but hope that Schwarz can move past the cliché to stake her own claim on the genre.
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 Change 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.
It’s 1903. Elle Chance owns an airship called The Water Lily, piloting charters and errands for various clients. When Patrice, an old friend, asks her to transport a wooden box to England off the books, she finds herself caught up in the affairs of the handsome and infuriating Hugh Marsh. Marsh is a warlock and the package pitches Elle straight into the middle of an age-old battle between the warlocks and alchemists (and in turn, the forces of light and shadow).
When alchemists kidnap Elle’s father, they two must put aside their antagonism to search for him. But as their journey takes them to Venice, Vienna and Istanbul, Elle’s deepest family secrets are revealed and she learns truths about herself that she isn’t ready to acknowledge …
Liesel Schwarz’s debut novel mixes steampunk, adventure and romance to so-so effect. The world-building puts an interesting spin on the familiar premise of a battle between good and bad magical creatures in a world where science is in the ascendency. I liked the idea of the alliance between vampires and alchemists but wish that it had been executed beyond clichéd conversations between two-dimensional villains. The spark reactors are fascinating and I enjoyed how Schwarz incorporates the traditional steampunk elements of dirigibles and goggles. Unfortunately the plot and romance elements let it down. Superficially the main driver of the plot is the need to find Elle’s father and recover the wooden box after it’s stolen but the search doesn’t get going until half way through and even then, neither Elle nor Marsh bust a gut. Indeed, Elle seems more bothered about whether she’s in love with Marsh, who ticks every romance male box (arrogant, domineering and yet handsome and noble). I’m not a fan of romances where the female character is shown to be consistently wrong or imperilled, so Schwarz’s writing here didn’t appeal and the reveal that Elle is the magical world’s biggest hope if only she’d accept her destiny made me eye roll. I also found the fairy-narrated sections to be too ham-fisted in their foreshadowing. This is a shame because there’s promise here – Schwarz has clearly researched the period and it’s interesting to see steampunk that dares to leave London. I’m invested enough to want to read the sequel but hope that Schwarz can move past the cliché to stake her own claim on the genre.
The Verdict:
Liesel Schwarz’s debut novel mixes steampunk, adventure and romance to so-so effect. The world-building puts an interesting spin on the familiar premise of a battle between good and bad magical creatures in a world where science is in the ascendency. I liked the idea of the alliance between vampires and alchemists but wish that it had been executed beyond clichéd conversations between two-dimensional villains. The spark reactors are fascinating and I enjoyed how Schwarz incorporates the traditional steampunk elements of dirigibles and goggles. Unfortunately the plot and romance elements let it down. Superficially the main driver of the plot is the need to find Elle’s father and recover the wooden box after it’s stolen but the search doesn’t get going until half way through and even then, neither Elle nor Marsh bust a gut. Indeed, Elle seems more bothered about whether she’s in love with Marsh, who ticks every romance male box (arrogant, domineering and yet handsome and noble). I’m not a fan of romances where the female character is shown to be consistently wrong or imperilled, so Schwarz’s writing here didn’t appeal and the reveal that Elle is the magical world’s biggest hope if only she’d accept her destiny made me eye roll. I also found the fairy-narrated sections to be too ham-fisted in their foreshadowing. This is a shame because there’s promise here – Schwarz has clearly researched the period and it’s interesting to see steampunk that dares to leave London. I’m invested enough to want to read the sequel but hope that Schwarz can move past the cliché to stake her own claim on the genre.
