THE UNNATURALISTS
by Tiffany Trent
2012, Simon & Schuster BFYR
A twisted parellel world where Londoners find themselves transported to a very mystical and unnatural world filled with all kinds of mysterious, dangerous and mythological creatures. 600 years of surviving in this new world, and its new residents have created a magicked steampunk technology to thrive. But at what cost?
Vespa is a smart, inquisitive young woman. She loves spending time with her father in the musuem, exploring specimens and catologing magical species (thus, The Unnaturalists). But she soon discovers her own past is about to collide with a very surprising future.
Along the way, she must learn to work with a mysterious scholar-turned-magician that is annoyingly handsome, and a clever young “Tinker” boy who stole her sole surviving possession that belonged to her mother.
Wizards, Empresses, Naturalists and a very Victorian society clash in an engaging story. The New Londoners control this world, often at the expense of The Tinkers. Tinkers are not unlike what we may picture as a gypsy society, but as the author fashions them, more like some of the indiginous Chinese or Tibetan peoples — a great mix.
The story really heats up when the no-nonsense, scholarly Vespa finds herself reluctantly thrown into polite, mannered society. . . where the reality behind it all is anything but mannered and polite. She must guard and nurture her secret, yet use it to protect the changing world around her. What hangs in the balance is the destiny of her friends, the man she loves, The New Londoners and The Tinkers, the magical creatures and their entire world.
This was a great read, and I enjoyed that it mixed intrigue, romance, mythology and magic. It’s an evocative and very well-built world the author has created. And I can’t wait for the sequel, The Tinker King.
~Shephard
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