“A clever young woman, a contested will, and an estate that does not easily give up its secrets.
It is 1901 when clockmaker and tinker Sydney Forrester receives a most unusual inheritance. Blakely House, the island estate of an estranged uncle she's never met, seems almost alive, revealing and hiding its secrets at will. It is filled with remarkable inventions, including an intriguing unfinished automaton Sydney is itching to get her skilled hands on.
The estate is also home to a number of peculiar people--including two men intent on removing this interloper from the island. Convinced that Sydney has something to do with their uncle's death, the late master's nephews contest the will and work against their cousin at every turn.
Sydney finds a sometimes-ally in the estate's butler, an ex-adventurer who ran aground on the island years ago. But when a mysterious man washes ashore with a stunning surprise that upsets everything, Sydney must prove she has inherited the late master's brilliance as well as his property--or someone else will.”
Series: As of now, no. A stand-alone novel.
Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, & quoted; Prayers; Talks about God, His creations; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Sydney was raised in Christian households, but when God didn’t answer her prayer about her mother returning, she grew bitter towards God and thinks of praying as one-way conversations; Sydney bristles at Andrè saying that she has been blessed by God with her intelligence and complains about why “everything [has to] be attributed to some unseen divinity—or a man?” and says that her intellect came from her own head; Sydney comments that she can’t understand God and is too “practical to stand on a ledge [she] cannot see”; Sydney and her aunt have a conversation about Sydney believing in God when she was little and Sydney says that she pleaded with God for her mother and is still waiting ten years later for that prayer to be answered; Sydney thinks that she cannot accept a perfect, all-knowing, all-powerful being like God because a perfect God could not have made a broken clock like her; *Spoilers* Towards the end, Sydney starts to feel God’s presence and notices that everything is balanced in a way that could only be by a holy Creator; There is later a moment where she has to trust God and Andrè and focus on them and not the water she fears, which makes her able to walk on the water/raft on the water until she loses her focus and panics; She wishes for a glimpse of God on a mission, but has more than that and experienced Him which leaves her starving for more; She still questions why God didn’t answer her prayer, but realizes at the very end that God answered it by sending her to her aunt that loves and cares for her *End of Spoilers*; A man says that he is willing to break the sixth commandment by murdering someone if he has to because he has no choice and will not delight in it; Mentions of God, His creations, & trusting Him; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of someone singing hymns & the Psalms (written out); Mentions of a painting of a shipwreck that shows a woman looking like an “avenging angel”; A few mentions of a ceiling having plastered angels; A few mentions of providence (which Sydney comments about and her aunt says she doesn’t believe in that); A few mentions of monks; A couple mentions of those from the Bible; A couple mentions of a theologian; A mention of a rectory; A mention of a man’s parish;
*Note: Religious phrases/exclamations are said: ‘heavens’, ‘heaven’s sake’, ‘by heavens’, and ‘who in God’s green earth are you’ are all said once, two ‘thank heavens’, three forms of ‘for all that was holy/for the love of all that’s holy’, and six forms of ‘what/why/how in heaven’s name’; Sydney wonders if she’s died after a trying event and thinks that where she must be in heaven (but is confused on why a pirate would be there); Inventions are described as “magic” but all have science-related reasons for their workings and are not actually magic; A side character has an alchemy shop and is known as a wizard (in his POV, he comments about having a tonic “like a potion” for everyone’s deepest need including remedies for abusive husbands and as a wizard wasn’t “subject to the laws of nature”, but his son found out he was “in some ways, a murderer” and hasn’t spoken to him since; Another person calls him a “killer for hire”); When some men try to scare her away from Blakely House, Sydney says doesn’t believe in ghosts; Sydney wonders if it’s possible to feel someone’s presence in his house after the man has passed away; Sydney thinks a couple women look like angels; Andrè thinks Sydney looks like a saint; Sydney thinks a man has the “look of the devil about him” (referring to Andrè); Mentions of ghosts & haunted places; A few mentions of a man having a “magical” effect on everything he touched and was viewed as a “magician” to others; A few mentions of evil & sin; A mention of wizards casting spells; A mention of Andromeda and Hercules (Greek mythology); A mention of a superstitious group of people.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blamed’, a ‘blazes’, a ‘confounded’, a ‘dash it all’, an ‘idiot’, a ‘stars’, and four ‘drat’s; Eye rolling & Sarcasm; Being chased, shot at, & Pain (up to semi-detailed); Helping injured shipwreck victims & Seeing injuries and blood/bleeding (border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed); Thinking someone is dead & grief (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple hints of a side character drinking (including in his POV); Sydney is very afraid of water & tries to avoid it (at one point, she feels tremendous panic over going near water); Many mentions of deaths (including of parents), grief, possible deaths (including drownings), & a possible murder and murderers; Many mentions of criminals, crimes, thieves, stealing, & stolen items; Many mentions of shipwrecks, people dying or being injured, wreckers, and others planning to get rid of the survivors to take control of the goods; Mentions of pain, injuries, blood/bleeding; Mentions of prisons & arrests; Mentions of a snuff shop & smoking; Mentions of lies, lying, liars, & deceit; Mentions of hatred; Mentions of rumors (including one about a man beating other men senseless and shooting anyone who comes near his house); Mentions of a mother leaving her child and husband (Sydney’s mother, who she is not in contact with); A few mentions of a man being hired to kill others & committing murders (see Spiritual Content Note section for more information); A few mentions of threats; A few mentions of pubs, implied alcohol, & drinking; A couple mentions of poisons; A couple mentions of nightmares; A couple mentions of a woman who had six husbands (unsaid or it was due to deaths or divorce); A mention of a war; A mention of abusive husbands; A mention of blackmail; A mention of jealousy; A mention of throwing up;
*Note: *Spoiler, but mention of infant deaths/infertility* In the final chapter, Sydney recalls God still not answering all of her prayers, including a gentle no about "several wee babies" and later He said yes to her prayers and she now has a son *End of Spoiler*; Sydney feels like a broken clock compared to everyone else; Sydney faces some comments about her gender that she bristles at (such as a customer only wanting to talk to a man, a man saying a place isn’t safe for women, being warned that a town is “rather unaccepting of forward thinking women”, feeling like a man is looking at her in a patronizing way, thinking a household is against her because of her gender, and receiving a speech from her aunt about “a woman can pave her own path. She can do anything—especially what men tell her she cannot do”which doesn’t always empower Sydney and instead makes her feel the opposite); A mention of a book (Alice through the Looking Glass).
Sexual Content- Two head/forehead kisses, two barely-above-not-detailed kisses, and two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering kisses (barely-above-not-detailed); Touches, Embraces, Dancing, Hand holding, Flutters, Tingles, Warmth, Nearness, & Smelling (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to be touched & kissed (barely-above-not-detailed); Blushes; Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Sydney was born out of wedlock, but raised by her stepfather after her mother left them; Sydney used to think it was a punishment to not be able to woo men like other girls, but realizes it was to protect her from “being wooed, tried on for size, then discarded several times before finding that perfect fit”; Sydney thinks about waking up to a man’s affectionate smile every morning; A man teases another man about a woman writing to him about a “surprise” happening upon her that will look like him (pregnancy, implied they are not married); Mentions of kisses, kissing, & almost kisses; A couple mentions of a woman blackmailing her married lovers (affairs); A couple mentions of matchmaking; Love, falling in love, & the emotions;
*Note: A mention of a mother dying in childbirth.
-Sydney Forrester, age 23
-Andrè Montagne
P.O.V. switches between Sydney (1st person), Andrè (3rd person), and a few others (3rd person)
Set in 1901 (Final chapter in 1910)
400 pages
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Pre Teens-
New Teens-
Early High School Teens-
Older High School Teens-
My personal Rating-
This was one of my highly anticipated releases for this year and I have to say that it definitely measured up to my hopes. At first, the steampunk elements were a little strange to me because it felt so different from this author’s normal historical fiction style, but it quickly fascinated me the more I read. It definitely had a whimsical, quirky feeling, but almost a gothic springy one as well. I can't think of another book like it, but “A Lady's Guide to Marvels and Misadventure” by Angela Bell came to mind with some of my favorite elements. Not a similar plot-line at all with these two books, but perhaps a similar font? Whichever it is, I've truly enjoyed both books tremendously.
Unlike many of her other books, this new one from Joanna Davidson Politano doesn’t start with a chapter from the middle of the book. But as normal with this author’s books, at the beginning, I’m a bit lost and questioning my IQ, but as the book continues and more details are explained and revealed, things start to make more sense.
I flew through this book much faster than I anticipated, but the story grabbed me and I consumed it within a few hours. I really adored Sydney and her curious mind; she was awkward but sincere and I loved her mission to find out more about this mysterious Emmett. Andrè was a mysterious man as well and the romance was sweet overall. I’m never sure how to feel about the opposites attract trope, but these two were good together. Sydney was a homebody and as a homebody, I loved how that wasn’t just told to us, but shown as well through her thoughts and actions. I think I highlighted many parts about her loving books with adventures and being just fine to read about them rather to go on them herself.
I think there might have been one tiny plot hole towards the end, but perhaps I just didn’t pick up on the prior hints? (*Spoiler* Regarding to Sydney knowing Hedda’s name before the girl told her? *End of Spoiler*) Other than that, this book kept me in suspense to see what would happen next. If you’re one that enjoys listening to music while reading, I highly suggest some of the Nancy Drew game soundtracks available on YouTube.
The ending and everything that happened then was so good—but I’ll admit to wishing there was a bit more at the final chapter though! I needed more information on what had happened in the last ten years. It felt somewhat like a sudden jump and I was left out and wondering. It didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the book, but I would have liked more even if it was wrapped up well enough because I wanted to see more of our main couple together. Because of this it wasn't quite a five-star book for me, but I did really enjoy it and I think many readers (especially historical mystery fans!) will truly enjoy it! No major content concerns either which was very refreshing, I would suggest ages 15/16+.
See y’all on Friday with a new review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.
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