A Character Driven Sci-Fi Actioner

This book works very well on a number of levels, but it does take a while to get up to speed, and it requires some patience on the part of the reader. In the opening pages we see infant Tess being deposited, through a tear in the fabric of reality, at an orphanage. We don't know if she's a princess, or a chosen one, or a crazed scientist's safely hidden child, but it's clear that's where the book will be headed.

But then we pop ahead and join Tess as a young girl at the orphanage. We meet her pals and her caregivers. We get a sense of Tess as a sciencey/STEM-ish thinker and tinkerer. When Tess is whisked away from the orphanage by a creepy man and taken to a creepy house populated by creepy characters lots of Gothic touches and angst and separation anxiety ensue. Most of this is exceptionally well done. Tess is feisty, spunky, vulnerable, and ready to reach down and seize the heroine within. Her friends at the orphanage are funny and charming and lively. Her caregivers are reliable and wise. I sort of liked that this was the best orphanage ever. The creepy house is just as appropriately creepy. And the villain is actually more complex and hard to figure than is usually the case.

The thing is, though, that there has been so much monologuing about Tess's origins, and the portal, and the doohickey that was tucked into her blanket, and there has been so much foreshadowing, hinting, and rising scary background music, that the reader starts to become impatient for something to happen to actually advance the action. We all know where this is going, and we all know what the deal is with all of the characters, so let's put the plot into drive and get moving.

Luckily, just as the reader's patience begins to wear out, (I despaired when Tess sat down in the secret garden to read "The Secret Garden"), the book does catch fire and take off. All it takes is some creepy man monologuing.

The rest of the book is exciting and fast paced. Admirably, the author never abandons character and wit in service of the action and adventure. Tess remains consistently engaging and appealing as our heroine, and ends up being even better at action than at creepy mansion moping. So we all end with a big and satisfying bang. (All of this is similar to the flow of the author's first book, "The Eye of the North", so if you know and like that book you'll slip right in to this one.)

The more I thought about this the more I came to admire both the Tess character and Tess's girl and woman friends. I also appreciated the understated naturalness of Tess's interest in science and her physical courage. If you want a STEM heroine, this is a fine place to start.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

The Starspun Web by Sinead O'Hart is a fun story about a girl named Tess De Sousa who grew up in Ackerbee's home for Lost and Foundlings. She had an unusual beginning in the world, one that she does not understand. She gets through life with her friends and her pet Tarantula, Violet.
But one day a man comes to the home claiming to be her relative and wants to take her home.

I loved Tess, she was such a strong character. The story is fun and quick to read.

Although The Starspun Web contains a familiar set up (orphan with special powers whisked away by a stranger), it is still a fast-paced engaging story of friendship, family, and imagination. Young readers who are fans of fantasy will enjoy this story. Recommended.

This was a great read filled with strong characters, adventure, science, and bravery. Tess was honestly the best kind of character; I loved her curiosity, loyalty to her family, and strength as she learned about her past and stood up against Mr. Cleat and Mrs. Thistleton. The world was imaginative and filled with so many possibilities, and I hope there's a second book in the works so I can explore more of this world!