Level: Teen
Recommended Age: 13+
Genres: Romance, History
Tags: Steampunk, Magic, Disguise
Mature Content:

  - Mild violence: robbery, breaking law.

  - Mild language: insults, allusions to verbal abuse.

  - Mild romance: brief kissing.

Verity is on her way to her new life when she is a front row witness to a train robbery. Instead of terror, she is only exhilarated at her new experiences. That adrenaline continues as she meets the Rebel Mechanics, a group fighting against the Magisters, those who contain magic and rule over the working colonies in England’s power. Magic has postponed the American Revolution to the late 1800s: the Steampunk era. As Verity works as a governess by day and a rebel by night, she discovers a love for journalism, and uses her writing skills to fuel this revolution.

Review:

Verity has a lot of backbone. She doesn’t come from the most supportive family, so she has the nice balance of family respectability to get a job as a governess, but the freedom to discreetly live as she pleases while her family is far away. She soon gets a handle on the upper crust of New York as she teaches and accompanies her three charges as they interact with the richest families in the city.

She’s the perfect spy for the revolution, and the best connection between worlds. But she has her own secret to keep as she navigates this delicate balance. One misstep could bring the whole operation down, as well as her respectable reputation. Verity is intelligent and inquisitive. She’s very practical, which comes in handy during her escapades. She really is a governess is every way, tackling every situation with a level head and creativity that baffles and impresses her cohorts.

Verity has always relied on hard facts and endless work ethic to survive the scrutiny of her family, and now she uses those skills as an undercover journalist for the American uprising. Verity has a strictly proper upbringing that drives her habits, but she has a fierce independence that thrives in rebellion and adventure. She stands up for truth and justice and kindness, and refuses to be intimidated into fulfilling social expectations.

There is some light romance, as well as some fast paced action scenes. It’s the American revolution with engines and magic, a beautiful mix of patriotic attitude, inventor swagger, and a powerful hierarchy crumbling at its foundation.