Steampunk Inventions and more to be enjoyed
Steampunk drawing from Pixabay.com |
I just finished reading the first book in a three book series written by Jamie Sedgwick that I found quite enjoyable to read. The first book is called The Tinkerer's Daughter and introduces us to Breeze the main character of the book. I loved the premise of this book that was labeled as a steampunk fantasy book but it turned out to be so much more than that.
Breeze is unique in her world. She is what we would term as a mixed race child; the difference being that her father was human and her mother was an Elf (called a Tal'mar in her world). I loved that the author touched on the difficulties that any child encounters when they are the result of a match by two people who are from different races, cultures or religions. It isn't always easy for these children. Often, they are not truly accepted by either side of the family. In the case of Breeze, she is looked at as an abomination by both the humans and the Tal'mar. That really isn't fair to any child because honestly, they had no say in the matter of being born.
We first meet Breeze as she is being taken to an unknown location by her father. She is only four years old and is confused and instinctively knows that something is not right about this trip. Her father takes her to a valley where an eccentric man lives alone. It turns out to be Tinker's home where he invents all sorts of unusual items including a steam wagon and more. Breeze's father leaves her with Tinker as he departs to report back to the war. The war of over 1,000 years is between the humans and the Tal'mar. What Breeze doesn't understand is that her father feels she will be safest with Tinker; all she knows is that she feels abandoned.
As Breeze grows, she and Tinker become as close as father and daughter. She learns so much from the brilliant loner who accepted her into his home. He introduces her to all sorts of interesting theories and concepts that he makes into reality.
I don't want to go too far into the plot of this book because I hate for stories to be ruined by spoilers. What I will tell you is that I loved the character of Breeze and of Tinker. I remember when my girls were small; I wanted to instill in them that they should never feel at a disadvantage because they happened to be born a female. My oldest daughter had a poster in her room for years that was of Smurfette and it said: "Girls can do anything." I tried to never miss an opportunity to remind both girls of this truism...they could do anything that they set their minds to. The author has Breeze grow up with that same promise with a bit of a twist. Not only could she accomplish things that weren't necessarily done by other females but also she could do things that she wasn't supposed to be able to do with her mixed races.
I enjoyed this book enough that I have now begun to read the second book in the series. I applaud the author for coming up with a story that is slightly different and that has a main character that is an intelligent, capable and lovable female. I like that he touches on the ugliness of bigotry and how sometimes someone special comes along to change the racist thoughts of the masses. The ending of the first book was really touching and I love who he insinuates Tinker really is.
This sounds like a really great book that is a combination of fantasy and reality. I love the name Breeze too. I've never thought to name a child Breeze, nor have I ever heard it used, but I really love it. I would imagine this book would appeal to a wide range of readers. I know several people myself who have non-relatives in their lives that made a huge impact. Thank you for another great book review and recommendation!
ReplyDeleteAh... Bev, you captured my attention immediately when you told me that Breeze is part-Elf! :-) Seriously, it sounds like the beginning of a charming series. Thanks for introducing me to it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting read Bev. I love watching movies like this so I'm sure I'd like this book. One more to add to my list. Thanks for another great review.
ReplyDeletehave to say, these books would make great gifts - This year my gift giving creativity is suffering, and ReviewThis is helping me come up with original ideas, like this one.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, this book or even the series are well suited for young girls to read as well as adult readers. There is no profanity or adult type romance involved. A simple crush is as far as it goes.
DeleteSounds like a great book! Love the name Breeze. I will look for it on Kindle. :)
ReplyDeleteExcellent review! This does indeed sound like a good book choice for a girl.
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