While I enjoy a good steampunk novel I felt that this was a little lacking in both the world-building and the character development aspect.
Grey is a great female lead and her character eat one of the few that was well- rounded and fleshed out. I liked her vulnerability as well as her determination to take control of her life.
I think with a bit more description and explanation this could have been a 4or 5 stars easily.

Fun, clean middle grade/YA novel with steampunk elements. When parents are looking for clean reads that will still entertain, this novel will totally fit the bill. It is a great, well-written book that kept me totally enthralled.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great, innovative fantasy perfect for teens and adults. Appeals to Alice in Wonderland fans.

Sorry, never got around to reading. Will try again at a later date.

My thanks to NetGalley and Zonderkidz-Books Blink for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

This book was not for me. The cover, gorgeous. The interior, not so much.

I had started reading this book, was confused as all get out, realized there was a prequel novella and figured that would make everything make sense. Again, not so much.

From what I could gather, this is a steam-punk, alternate America, with Alchemists/Chemists and various types of constructed people. The world wasn't built in a way that I could clearly understand and from the prequel at least, there was no real Christian over or under tone that I could discern, which I was hoping for/expecting from this publisher.

Not a bad book, but the whole dystopian world with baddies controlling everything and a plucky "different" and "special" young girl in love as the savior of all and beats the baddies has been SO over-done that if it isn't done INCREDIBLY well, just goes over like a lead balloon.

This book didn't work for me at all. Not saying it's horrible, just that it wasn't my cup of tea. I DNF'd it because I was complaining about reading it to my friends more than I was actually reading it. My friends were all counseling me to DNF, because I was obviously not enjoying it. I decided life is too short and did so, but with a heavy heart. I really REALLY wanted to like this one, but it just wasn't clicking for me.

Two stars, because I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it either. Again, not for me, but it may be for you.

It's been so long now and I never managed to get into this book. Way too long and the world building felt too messy.

A fascinating stampunk YA with not just one, but two worlds connected by one passage, about the love, honor, care and the magic and blood.

Grey Haward never knew that she is one of the Defenders - the protectors with the strength activated by the need and will to help. But one night she had missed the curfew, stated by the Chemists, the ruling class in the Mercury City, and her friend Whit was punished when trying to help her. This started the strange courage and the questions hidden in her - like what are really doing her father and grandfather in secretly. But the Chemists are striking back and Grey is sent - though an old curio by the power of the blood connection (literally) - into the some kind of parallel world of ruling porcelains, living for beauty, and tocks, the servants. There she is to find somebody and to take him back - but whom?
Whit, heavily stripped for the small offense, is trying to pay back to the Hawards. After all, they were helping him and this costs Grey´grandfather his life (he got turned into the stone) and her father his freedom. He learned they are giving away their potion rations to the rebels and outcasts living outside of the city. Potion is some kind of "food" for the bodies of all the people living in the Mercury city, as they are chemically altered to take their strength from the potion. But strangely, the Hawards can live without it. Whit has decided to continue in their good deeds. And on this way he will see and meet people to challenge him forever.

This one reads like a movie - in the best meaning! The authoress´s imagination is rich and the worlds she has created are SO visually attractive! And so different, with different functioning and specifics - but also the same, with the ones who are ruling by power (either the power of chemistry or the power of beauty) and the ones who are struggling (being not born in the right "cast" or the ones suffering under the hard rules and punishments). Best friends Grey and Whit are challenged to fight and help the others - and they each one of them will meet someone to love.
The plot is intriguing - mostly because of its newness and freshness and also for the reality of the struggles. And also for the strong message hidden - no preaching, just the "old good" knighthood (for knights of both sexes) and valor, fascinating for every age.

I SO hope for the second volume in the series coming soon!

Grey has lived under the oppression of the Chemist her entire life. When she is attacked by werewolf type creatures, her best friend, Whit, comes to her rescue sending Whit into a night of hellish punishment and Grey drawing the attention of the Chemist.

The Chemist attack Grey’s family sending Grey running to her grandfather’s shop and accidently sucked into an alternate universe through the Curio. The new world is inhabited by clockwork people and Grey soon discovers she’s ran herself right into another tyrannical society.

The story jumps back and forth between the Chemist world with Whit’s discoveries and Grey’s exploration, captivity and discoveries in the clockwork world.

I’m a big Steampunk fan so this story seemed right up my ally. The overall premise was amazing with highly imaginative and original ideas that would completely blow you away if you weren’t feeling, well, confused. Denmark takes a huge undertaking not just creating one world but two and I think that is where it lost me. Separately, both worlds were very interesting but the jumping back and forth caused a low in the pace. I’m giving Curio 3.5 stars. I was caught between liking it and really liking it.

I received this copy of Curio from Zonderkidz-Books - Blink. This is my honest and voluntary review.

My Rating: 3.5 stars
Written by: Evangeline Denmark
Series: Blink
Sequence in Series: 1
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Blink; Reprint edition
Publication Date: January 10, 2017
ISBN-10: 0310729513
ISBN-13: 978-0310729518
Genre: Steampunk


7 likes