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A review by maggie_daydreaming
Venturess by Betsy Cornwell
5.0
I loved this book even more than I loved [b:Mechanica|40963299|Mechanica (Mechanica, #1)|Betsy Cornwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532734417l/40963299._SY75_.jpg|18982957]... and I loved Mechanica! It just... ahhhhhh... the characters, the setting, the plot, the Fey! This is the kind of book that enthralls you the entire time, leaves you both sad and satisfied when it's over, and keeps you thinking about it all night long.
Let's start with the Fey, because I absolutely love the concept. They're magical, elegant, and caring. And, they don't have genders! They all use fe/fer pronouns. It sounds weird out of context, but I love creative uses of pronouns, and I was a huge fan. I also think their family structures are really cool: family units all have multiple parents, and they wish a child into being together. (Obviously that doesn't work at all scientifically, but they're magical! What can I say?)
I also continued to love all the machines. I love steampunk of all types, as well as magic that has limitations and doesn't overwhelm. This book had both! I was fascinated by Jules (the mechanical horse) and the buzzers (clockwork insects) and the sewing machines and darning thingamabobs and the glass slippers (with gears) and all. the. things.
And the awesome characters! And their weird but cool relationships! And their compassion toward other awesome characters! And their distinct personalities even in the minor characters! (Sorry, I just... er... love this book.)
The entire world was also really cool, especially Faerie. The descriptions were wonderfully evocative, like the honeycomb cities, dense jungles, and pure blue oceans. (Not that I'm doing the actual descriptions justice.)
Oh, and did I mention the plot? It was delightfully twisty, with lots of secrets and little clues that came back later to surprise and amaze you. In the end, everything worked out to make sense; no little things left hanging. Although...
As anyone who's read my reviews before knows, I find it much easier to write about all the things I didn't like about a book than the things I did. So you'll be surprised to know that I can't come up with a single thing to complain about in this book!
Seriously. Read this.
Let's start with the Fey, because I absolutely love the concept. They're magical, elegant, and caring. And, they don't have genders! They all use fe/fer pronouns. It sounds weird out of context, but I love creative uses of pronouns, and I was a huge fan. I also think their family structures are really cool: family units all have multiple parents, and they wish a child into being together. (Obviously that doesn't work at all scientifically, but they're magical! What can I say?)
I also continued to love all the machines. I love steampunk of all types, as well as magic that has limitations and doesn't overwhelm. This book had both! I was fascinated by Jules (the mechanical horse) and the buzzers (clockwork insects) and the sewing machines and darning thingamabobs and the glass slippers (with gears) and all. the. things.
And the awesome characters! And their weird but cool relationships! And their compassion toward other awesome characters! And their distinct personalities even in the minor characters! (Sorry, I just... er... love this book.)
The entire world was also really cool, especially Faerie. The descriptions were wonderfully evocative, like the honeycomb cities, dense jungles, and pure blue oceans. (Not that I'm doing the actual descriptions justice.)
Oh, and did I mention the plot? It was delightfully twisty, with lots of secrets and little clues that came back later to surprise and amaze you. In the end, everything worked out to make sense; no little things left hanging. Although...
Spoiler
I'm still not entirely sure of the meaning of the Fey leader's story. Hmm...As anyone who's read my reviews before knows, I find it much easier to write about all the things I didn't like about a book than the things I did. So you'll be surprised to know that I can't come up with a single thing to complain about in this book!
Seriously. Read this.