The Inventor's Secret

Often times I wonder how things would be if history went a little differently- for instance, like in this little novel I came upon in which the British won the Revolutionary War.

The Inventor's Secret, Andrea Cremer

(Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York, USA, 2014)

It is 1816 and the British have won the Revolutionary War, and they are not making it easy on the Americans who have lost, but they have persisted with their revolution. Living in the woods, 16-year-old Charlotte and her brother Ash come upon an amnesiac young man, which leads her to an adventure to the glittering metropolis of  New York City.

This first instalment in the series of the same name, The Inventor's Secret follows our heroine's adventure to New York City when a young man with amnesia arrives in the refugee camp that surviving children of American revolutionaries call home, prompting her to travel to the metropolis, giving her the chance to dress in silk finery and nurture a love triangle.

While the story does provide an interesting take on what would have happened had things gone differently during the Revolutionary War, some would argue that the technology is too advanced for about forty years after the Declaration of Independence (to which I say, "Poppycock! That's the point of Steampunk!"), and others bemoaning the inevitable love triangle that is not to everyone's taste, it promises a riveting read, with the anticipation of picking up the sequel as soon as manageable.

Professional Reviews: 

Booklist (February 15, 2014; vol 110, number 12)
Publisher's Weekly (January 20, 2014; vol 261, issue 03)
Kirkus (January 15, 2014)

Author's Website

I've a few important letters to get to, so I'll have to cut this short. I hope you'll enjoy this rapid review from a librarian of the Greenwood Public Library in Indiana, USA, and give this book a place on your shelves.

Regards,

E.