A Spark Unseen

Author: Sharon Cameron

Series: The Dark Unwinding # 2

Genres: Steampunk-lite, Romance, Young Adult

Publisher: Scholastic

Released: 24 September 2013

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com The thrilling sequel to Sharon Cameron's blockbuster gothic steampunk romance, THE DARK UNWINDING, will captivate readers anew with mystery and intrigue aplenty.

When Katharine Tulman wakes in the middle of the night and accidentally foils a kidnapping attempt on her uncle, she realizes Stranwyne Keep is no longer safe for Uncle Tully and his genius inventions. She flees to Paris, where she hopes to remain undetected and also find the mysterious and handsome Lane, who is suspected to be dead.

But the search for Lane is not easy, and Katharine soon finds herself embroiled in a labyrinth of political intrigue. And with unexpected enemies and allies at every turn, Katharine will have to figure out whom she can trust--if anyone--to protect her uncle from danger once and for all.

Filled with deadly twists, whispering romance, and heart-stopping suspense, this sequel to THE DARK UNWINDING whisks readers off on another thrilling adventure.

My Review: Those of you who know me, or who read this blog know that Sharon Cameron’s The Dark Unwinding was one of my favorite reads of 2012, and it was with much anticipation I awaited the release of A Spark Unseen, so when I was approved on NetGalley I had a little dance party.  Let me tell you – A Spark Unseen did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, this second novel is better than the first. 

First up I’m going to say the one thing I did not like about A Spark Unseen: Lane.  Where the heck is that boy.  Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that the major plot motivation in A Spark Unseen is Katharine looking for Lane, and I loved seeing Katharine grow as a character (and seeing how much she has grown in the eighteen months since Lane left).  I just really like Lane.  I liked his stoicism and his love of Uncle Tully, I liked how he grounded Katharine and never let her get away with anything, but alas.  I understand why he wasn’t there, I just would have liked it if he could have been.

Besides that, there isn’t much to do except for totally glow about this second novel.  I loved Cameron’s perspective of Paris, I loved how real she makes everything in her novels seem.  How she is able to heighten emotions in her novels, they’re so atmospheric.  I love how she is taking this incredible genre and isn’t retelling an already told story.  This is one of my favorite series because it is one of few that come close to having the same tone as Jane Eyre (which is above and beyond my favorite novel ever). I love that Cameron is exploring this genre and pushing it into the mainstream.  This is a series I love recommending to people time and time again because it has it all: there’s romance, action, adventure, mystery, and suspense (of the heart pounding variety), in addition to an excellent cast of characters.  The bad guys are worse (I found myself crying and shaking tears of anger and sadness), and the mystery is SO BIG I loved it.  There are some authors who can’t make mysteries of this size believable, but Sharon Cameron can, and she does so beautifully.  I am excited to read her future work, and I can only hope we get to see the wonderful cast and characters from this delicious series again.

(FYI: I DO understand why Lane wasn’t there, I just missed him like a hug. He’s one of my favorite YA guys, and I just didn’t like not having him around.  I understood why he wasn’t, and if he had been Katharine wouldn’t have been as incredible was she was, wouldn’t have grown as much.  What can I say, I just love me some Lane Moreau.)

This reviewer would like to thank NetGalley and Scholastic books for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dark Unwinding

Author: Sharon Cameron

Series: The Dark Unwinding # 1

Genres: Science Fiction, Steampunk, Young Adult, Mystery, Romance

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Released: 27 August 2012

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com When Katharine Tulman’s inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle’s world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it.

My Review: I actually received this as a Christmas present, and I have to wonder: why did this book not get more love than it has?  This was my first venture into Steampunk, (though I realize now, Steampunk may have been an overstatement, however, in my case I liked this “watered down steampunk”) As a matter of fact I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this novel! Sharon Cameron does an amazing job at setting the stage of a mysterious gothic house, a crazy uncle, and a quiet boy with a lot of secrets. Although the plot moved relatively slowly (for my taste) I enjoyed the description of the estate and how it was managed, as well as all of the descriptions of machines her Uncle Tully made.  There were just enough spine tingling moments throughout the novel that I was on the edge of my seat.  What starts out as a distinctly Victorian gothic novel slowly morphed into something slightly more sinister, and the hint of steampunk added well to the story line.  Although I didn’t always love her Uncle’s outbursts, I felt the journey Katharine made throughout the novel, as far as her giving up her own selfish tendencies in order to take care of him, as well as the estate, was one many young adult readers (myself included) can look up to and draw inspiration from.

The thing I did not enjoy, however, was the pacing, it began slowly, which is something I don’t like personally as a reader, and built relatively slowly (as I admitted, there were spine tingling moments, though slightly inconsistent and the overall mystery was attention grabbing) then it suddenly became a whirlwind, with a cliff hanger to lead into a follow-up.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with cliffhangers, as a matter of fact there are a few books were the cliffhanger gives me an adrenaline rush akin to driving really fast or, I imagine, hanging off a cliff (hence the excellent title of “cliffhanger”) which I LOVE.  What I do not like, however, is when a book builds slowly for roughly 85% and then suddenly it’s a cliffhanger ending leaving you with more questions than answers.  Basically you go throughout the entire game thinking you’re playing bridge when, in fact, you’ve been playing blackjack. (I know it would be impossible to screw those to up, but go with me).  I’ve got all my ducks in a row, it’s pretty slow going, then I realize, I’ve got a LOT of money on the table, and one hand to win it all back.  The clock is ticking, what happened to the slow build up to the inevitable ending?  It got lost in the cards.  Though, I will admit, Cameron does a beautiful job and getting the reader there.  It's incredible in a way, because you get so lost in the world she's created you don't realize you're nearing the last page until you're there and suddenly everything is bursting at the seams.

I plan on reading A Spark Unseen, I’ve got it pre-ordered, because I loved the characters in The Dark Unwinding, and I want to see France through Cameron’s eyes (because I’ll tell you what, England was just lovely). Also I love her choice in character names.  It’s weird I’ve gotten so attached, but I find Lane, Katharine and Tully to be positively lovely names, which is superficial, but hey, I never said I wasn’t.