London, 1897: Maia and her brother Tyler find themselves in the midst of a war between the Faerie Courts on Christmas Eve. Accompanied by a talking dog, a clockwork kitchen servant and Fox the stable boy, they embark on a quest to save their lost parents and find the Bluebird.
The palace of Night and the Land of the Dead. Skyships. The Goblin Market. A black wolf and the Huntsman who pursues him. A gang of clockwork-enhanced children living in the lost Underground tunnels under the city.
What do you get if you mix the fantasy adventure of Alice in Wonderland, add in some clockwork and airships and put in some fairy queens and talking animals? The answer is The Clockwork Bluebird... this book is a mixture of all the things I would have loved to read when I was twelve years old and reading this book took me back to that age where I didn't need any romance, all I needed was a good adventure with some fun characters and a slightly scary bad guy.
I felt a little bit out of the loop with this book because I haven't read the children's book that this was based on, so I think that I missed out on a few references and stuff that made it a tiny bit less awesome for me. I did really enjoy the story on it's own though, it was short and a complete story and the writing and descriptions were absolutely beautiful, I was really impressed by how Ravven managed to combine the whole steampunk and the fantasy together in this amazing London setting.
Maia and Tyler were both tough, adventurous characters. I loved spunky Maia from the start, but by the end she was such a tough fighter, the type of character I really would have connected with as a younger reader. Tyler started out more meek and mild, but he got a lot braver during this story - I loved him to pieces. The other characters were also fantastic - the treacherous Zazu, the loyal Pip, the faithful Bread and the cunning Fox - every single one of them added a dynamic to the story.
Overall, fans of classical children's books by Lewis Carroll and C.S. Lewis and Enid Blyton will love this book, it will take you back to your younger years. This is one book that you would like to read and then give to your kids in the future.
Book released 4th June 2013
Book received from the author in exchange for an honest review
You had me when you mentioned Alice in Wonderland. I love everything that has to do or give me the feeling of fairytales. This one is definitely going on the list :D The characters sound great!
ReplyDeleteMel@thedailyprophecy.