Book Review: The Unnaturalists

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

I received an arc of The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent for review. It's set in an alternate Victorian London and follows Vespa Nyx and Syrus Reed. Vespa is a young woman who lives with her father and aunt (her father's sister) and lives for working in her father's museum. This museum is filled with "unnaturals" which includes a sphinx, silphids, and other oddities. She longs to be a Pedant, but women aren't allowed to become take on that role. Syrus is a tinker. He lives with his family in the forest. They have their own village and way of life. They practice magic and are feared. But i much preferred their way of life over the "normal" people.

I don't want to say too much because there are a lot of twists and turns, and Tiffany Trent definitely keeps us guessing. Vespa is not who we initially believe her to be. Neither is Syrus. In fact, Pedant Lumin, Vespa's father, and a whole host of characters have secrets that you'll be dying to figure out. I really liked Vespa and Syrus. I loved that in this world Charles Darwin is considered a saint. And Arthur Rackham is named. There were a lot of little things that made my geeky self grin while reading.

One thing I really liked about The Unnaturalists, one thing that stood out and deserves a mention, was the lack of romance between the two main characters. Most every YA book I've read has romance. And while I'm not opposed to romance, it tends to be as big a plot point as the paranormal stuff going down. So this was a refreshing change. And have you seen this cover? The picture in this post is pretty, but you really must hold it in your hands to fully appreciate it. It's one of my favorite covers of all of 2012. And while you have this book in your hands, check out the first few chapters. Trust me, you'll not want to put this book down.

Graphic Novel Review: Clubbing

A spoiled, rebellious London girl takes on the stuffy English countryside in CLUBBING. The crime: Getting caught with a fake I.D. at a posh London nightclub. The punishment: Spending the summer at her Grandparent's stuffy country club. But Charlotte "Lottie" Brook, best known for her mile-high platforms, an expendable wi-fi account and an unbridled passion for classic lit, will end up doing more than just serving time in country boot camp. In between avoiding the strange locals and cake decorating contests, Lottie will narrowly escape romance and end up solving a murder mystery on the 19th hole of her Grandparent's golf course.

Clubbing by Andi Watson is a graphic novel published by Minx, an imprint of DC Comics. Minx graphic novels are targeted at teen girls, and, unfortunately, was short-lived, with only twelve novels published, and leaving three unpublished (including the sequel to Clubbing). The other two were eventually published.

Charlotte is sent to live with her grandparent’s after she is caught with a fake I.D. Lottie arrives in her goth clothing (which I loved seeing), her cell phone, iPod, and other gadgets every teen girl needs. She’s different from the rest of the crowd in this town, until she meets a group of kids that she thinks she’d fit in with. When she and hottie Howard stumble upon a corpse, Lottie suspects her almost friends.

Part of this novel is cute and funny and part is completely ridiculous. However, I really enjoyed reading Clubbing, and the art was fantastic. While this book is no longer being printed, you can still find it at comic book stores and Amazon.