Thomas Riley

Ian Gazzotti

at 1:34 am

I quite liked this book. The first few pages didn’t quite grip me but I liked how the story developed from there, and the plot is a simple, straightforward romp which makes for good, lighthearted reading.

I really loved the attention to details and the inclusion of nice scenes like the mechanical bear or the ghost people – background touches that work both as world building and possible hooks for sequels, without burdening the story with dangling subplots.

Thomas and Cynthia also work very well as a duo, and you can easily believe they have been working together for some time. Cynthia in particular, while being absent for a good while for the second part of the novel, leaves a remarkable impression as a strong-willed capable woman with distinct shades of Emma Peel – especially in her attention to a comfortable yet stylish wardrobe!

There are however a few things that didn’t work for me: the obsession on describing characters and their clothing bring to the occasional halt in the narration, and the use of some real-world terms like Gatling felt sometimes out of place.

Overall a very nice YA book, good for young and not-so-young readers. Here’s to hoping for a sequel!
Rating: 4 / 5