Venturess is the second book in the Mechanica series by Betsy Cornwell; a steampunk fairytale retelling. I absolutely loved Mechanica and was so excited to finally dive into the next part of Nicolette's story.

One of the things I love most about this series is Nicolette's strong conviction about being her own heroine and how love, as defined by society, plays a lesser role. Her version of love comes in the form of her two best friends: Fin and Caro. These three characters share such a unique bond that speak directly to my soul.

Love is such a diverse and ever adapting facet and my own unique family dynamic reflects that. Maybe that's why I am so drawn to these characters. My home consists of me, my wife, our daughter AND our daughter's father. We share a bond that is unprecedented and to see something similar reflected in the pages of a young adult novel makes me all warm and tingly inside.

Aside from the relationship these characters maintain, the imagery and world building that Cornwell created in Venturess are just as stunning as the first novel. While I wish that there were even more steampunk themes addressed here, I know that many of Cornwell's readers begged for the Faerie side to be more predominant and in that, she delivered.

I love seeing what Nicolette has in her repertoire when it comes to her inventions including the modifications to Jules which is revealed simply by looking at the phenomenal cover of the book. I also loved the quick sneak peak into the premise of Cornwell's next book, The Forest Queen. I can only hope to get my hands on it ASAP.

Venturess is truly a one of a kind story and I implore you to pick it up.

Xx
LenaMay