Mochizuki, Jun. The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 2. 2017. 239. ISBN 978-0-316-47168-8. Available in the Graphic Novels section of the library.
Noé and Vanitas are now guests of Count Orlok after proving to him the power that the Book of the Vanitas grants Vanitas to remove the curse that afflict vampires. During a meeting with the Count, Noé tells the assemble individuals that he’s an archivist, a vampire with the ability to remember memories of other people simply by drinking their blood. He drinks Amelia’s blood and reveals that the Charlatan, the leader of a masked group resembling a carnival troupe, is behind the curse.
Dominique, the granddaughter of Noé’s teacher, interrupts the proceedings and informs Noé he needs to travel with her back to the Paris of vampires, across the Babel border. The vampires are holding a masquerade, and Dominique hopes to connect with Lord Ruthven, who is also investigating the curse-bearers. Vanitas follows, though he is only human. He reveals himself in front of the assembled participants, who promptly decide to bring him down for his impertinence. Amid the turmoil, however, several curse bearers manifest themselves, and even the Charlatan appears on the scene.
With the vampires in disarray and violence everywhere, will Noé manage to save Vanitas, or is Vanitas strong enough to protect himself?
Johnson, Jaleigh. The Mark of the Dragonfly. 2014. 400p. ISBN 9780385376150. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.
Life in Scraptown 16 is hard for Piper, especially since her father left to work in the factories of the Dragonfly Territories and subsequently died. Left alone, young Piper has been eking a living fixing mechanical objects for the other town residents. Every storm that strikes the area brings with it meteor showers. These showers result in odd pieces of technology coming from exotic lands, but they also bring green dust, a deadly substance if exposed to it long enough. It is during one of these storms that Piper finds herself outside instead of the town shelter, looking for her only friend, when she spots a caravan. Soon the caravan is destroyed by meteors.
When the storm abates, Piper explores the caravan and discovers a girl still alive in the wreckage. Her friend having been hurt, Piper returns to town to get help and soon both her friend and the strange girl are brought back. On the girl’s arm is an intricate tattoo, marking her as someone of significance in the Dragonfly Territories. Suddenly Piper’s future looks bright. If she can reunite this girl with her family, surely she will be handsomely compensated!
Piper manages to revive the girl, named Anna. Anna doesn’t remember who she is or where she is from, but she possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the world around her, and she loves to create order out of chaos. Another passenger of the caravan survived, however, and now Master Dolan wants the girl back. Anna doesn’t remember Dolan, but she knows she doesn’t want to go with him. Piper and Anna manage to escape Dolan by boarding the 401, a heavily armored train from the Dragonfly Territories that deliver cargo throughout the continent.
Questioned by Gee, the head security officer aboard the 401, the girls are reluctantly allowed on board due to the tattoo, and the train takes off, eventually heading to the Territories’ capital. Dolan, however, has other plans for Anna and begins chasing the girl across the continent. With a powerful enemy behind them, can Piper, Anna, Gee, and the rest of the 401’s crew protect the train and make it safely to the capital?
Mochizuki, Jun. The Case Study of Vanitas, Vol. 1. 2016. 240p. ISBN 978-0-316-55281-3. Available in the Graphic Novels section of the library.
Noe has departed from the forests of Averoigne for the first time, traveling aboard a majestic airship named La Baleine on his way to a steampunk Paris. A young vampire, he seeks to find the Book of Vanitas, supposedly written by Vanitas, a vampire not born during a crimson full moon, but rather during a blue full moon. He wishes to learn more about the book and its power. That vampire wrote the Book of Vanitas as a way to punish and slay the other vampires. Now Noe’s teacher reports that the book has been found in Paris.
While on board La Baleine, Noe meets Amelia, a vampire who has been warped by the maladies that affect those whose vampires whose true name has been discovered. Their meeting is interrupted by Vanitas himself, or, at least, the heir to Vanitas, who has in fact inherited the Book of Vanitas and is now using it to heal rather than the kill vampires.
Unfortunately, others are not convinced that this is what Vanitas is doing. Vampires who seek to capture the book begin to lurk, while others continue to suffer from the maladies. Can Noe and Vanitas form an alliance and learn to work together to avoid falling prey to their mutual enemies?
Spinale, Wendy. Everland. Book 1 of the Everland series. 2016. 312p. 535 mins. ISBN 9780545836944. Available as an audiobook from Overdrive.
In a bid for world domination, Katherine, Queen of Germany, ordered the destruction of London and the conquest of England. Unfortunately, the raid that destroyed the city also unleashed a deadly virus that is killing everyone in its path. The first victims of the Horologia virus were the adults, who quickly succumbed. This wiped out England’s defenders, but then the virus began affecting German troops as well, and now, a year later, only children are left living in the ruins of London, as well as a relatively small group of German soldiers. And all of them are affected. The Horologia virus affects girls faster than boys, but in the end all of them die a horrible death.
For the last year, sixteen-year-old Gwen Darling has survived with her two younger siblings, sister Joanna and and six-year-old brother Michael on the outskirts of London, now known as Everland. They have scavenged and sheltered from the Marauders, as the German soldiers are known, as their steam-powered machines have patrolled the remnants of the city looking for kids. Led by the vicious Captain Hanz Otto Oswald Kretschmer, otherwise known as Hook, and his second in command Smee, the Marauders seek children as they believe they hold the cure to the Horologia virus.
Hook has not received any news from Germany since the day he led the assault against London. And England’s allies never counterattacked. Hook, who happens to be the son of the German Queen, believes that the Horologia virus has spread beyond England and has infected the world. A cure for the disease would be priceless and would provide him the power of life or death over everyone. Working with a captured English scientist, Hook is feverishly looking for the one child rumored to be immune to the disease.
Having encountered no other survivors for the last year, Gwen is surprised one night during a scavenge run to discover that there are other children out there. Peter and his friend Bella tell her of a city of Lost Boys, where children have taken refuge. Meanwhile, Joanna is captured by the Marauders. Gwen decides to mount a rescue mission, but Peter convinces her to come with them to the city first, as Gwen shows no sign of having contracted the Horologia virus, unlike Joanne, Michael, Peter, or Bella.
As Gwen tries to rescue Bella while Hook attempts to get his hands on a cure for the Horologia virus, both of them may not have enough time to fulfill their goal. A retelling of Peter Pan, fans of Steampunk and dystopia will appreciate the gritty aspects of Everland and the ever climbing price Gwen will have to pay to save her sister, and all of the Lost Boys.
Bower, Eric. The Magnificent Flying Baron Estate. 2017. 230p. ISBN 978-1-944995-13-3. Available at FIC BOW on the library shelves.
In 1891, every day is a surprise when your parents are inventors, and today is not any different for Waldo Baron, also known as W.B. Plagued with recurring dreams of his father inhabiting the body of a squirrel following a horrific experiment, W.B. discovers that his parents, McLaron, or P, and Sharon, or M, have transformed their residence, the Baron Estate, into a flying contraption capable of traveling cross-country. M and P are really excited and reveal that they plan on entering Hortense’s Tooth Power’s race, a flying competition across the country where participants will travel to exotic locales to gather specific items. The winner will earn $500, and P and M plan on using these funds to hire an assistant.
Poor W.B., all he wanted to do today was attend Sheriff Hoyt Graham and his deputy’s show of stunts and tricks in Pitchfork, but of course they’re no longer in Pitchfork as the house is already flying to Chicago, where the contest will start. Sheriff Graham is the best sheriff of the Arizona territory, and W.B. has read all of his books, and especially loves the tale about how Graham captured the notorious bandit Benedict Blackwood. Not only will he miss Sheriff Graham, but now he’s stuck on the Baron Estate along with Aunt Dorcas, who positively does not like flying!
In Chicago W.B. explores the city and meets Shorty, a no-nonsense girl who provides him with lunch. Upon returning to the Estate, he discovers that there’s a new passenger: Rose Blackwood, sister of Benedict. Rose is kidnapping P, M, and W.B. along with the Baron Estate. She plans on winning the race, then using the proceeds to free her notorious brother from jail. Unlike the rest of the Blackwood family, however, Rose turns out not to be as bloodthirsty nor ruthless.
As the kidnapper and her victims travel around the country pursued by other inventors also intent on winning, W.B. finds himself slowly falling in love with Rose, but continues to question her motives. Can W.B. help Rose accomplish her goal of truly being a member of a family?
Filled with steampunk inventions and laugh out loud humor, W.B.’s adventures and a cast of incredible characters will most assuredly entertain the reader. For a look at a girl’s adventure in the steampunk universe, consider Etiquette & Espionage. For a more serious look at steampunk war, take a look at Leviathan.
Gleason, Colleen. The Clockwork Scarab: A Stoker and Holmes Novel. 2013. 356p. ISBN 1452110700. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.
Mina Holmes is the daughter of Mycroft Holmes, older brother of Sherlock. Just as her uncle, Mina is very observant and has already dabbled in the family business of sleuthing. Evaline Stoker is the very much younger sister of Bram Stoker, and descends from a family of vampire hunters imbued with superhuman strengths and skills. The only time she faced a vampire, the sight of blood prevented her from killing it. Neither of them really want to become like their older, more famous relatives, but both of them still find themselves attracted to these professions.
In the last month, one high society girl has been found dead, while another one has gone missing. Stoker and Holmes are approached by an agent of the Crown to investigate these acts and attempt to discover who is behind it. Stoker, with her strength and passion, and Mina with her intellect and power of deduction, are ideally suited to solve these events with only the one clue that was discovered: a mechanical Egyptian scarab.
As the girls investigate, they quickly realize that there is a vast conspiracy at work to bring back an Egyptian goddess, and that many high society girls are involved. Out of their elements, the girls will nevertheless risk it all to save a steampunk London from troubles. If they are not careful, however, they will become the next victims!
Carriger, Gail. Manners and Mutiny. Book 4 and final book of the Finishing School series. 2015. 326p. ISBN 978-0-3161-9028-2. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.
With Sidheag and Soap gone, Sophronia finds herself with two fewer friends as her last year at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing School for Young Girls continues. Soap survived his transformation into a werewolf, and he is now under the protection of her new patron. Sophronia witnesses several incidents reveal that the Picklemen are plotting against the British government, but no one takes her seriously.
At Christmastime, Sophronia is surprised to find out she will be spending the vacation with her sister Petunia, and her friends Dimity and Agatha. They are invited for dinner at Lord Akeldama’s house, where they are almost killed by a new military mechanimal. What are the Picklemen really up to?
In this concluding book, Sophronia will be pitted against merciless enemies and advanced plots that would make more than one young lady of qualité blush. Secrets will be revealed. The fate of the British Empire hangs in the balance. And, of course, all of this will happen in a dramatic fashion, both action and clothes-wise. Sophronia holds her future in her hands, but, like a mechanical chicken bomb, it could blow up at any time.
Pullman, Philip. The Amber Spyglass. Book 3 of the His Dark Materials series. 2000. 548p. ISBN 0-679-87926-9. Available at FIC PUL on the library shelves.
As the Authority’s armies mass around Lord Asriel’s mighty rebel fortress, the children are in extreme danger. Lyra was captured by Mrs. Coulter at the end of The Subtle Knife, and Will is now tracking her. As they reunite, the two companions know they need to travel down to the world of the dead to obtain more information from Roger and from Will’s father.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mary Malone has travelled between worlds and now finds herself in a strange land where the sentient inhabitants developed wheels. But the world is dying, and started to decline about three hundred years ago. Driven to discover an explanation of the vanishing of Dust, Mary creates a spyglass made of amber that can see the dust, something she herself is not able to do with her vision. For his part, Iorek Byrnison and his bears travel away from the melting Arctic to the Himalayas, where he hopes to find better hunting ground. Unfortunately, this proves to not be the case, so the bears continue on their travels to fight for Lord Asriel.
The Authority and its agents remain active, and set in motions several plots to eliminate Lyra and Mary Malone before they are able to join in with Lord Asriel. The venture to the world of the dead, a land from which no one has ever come back, will cost Will and Lyra everything.
Carriger, Gail. Waiscoats and Weaponry. Book 3 of the Finishing School series. 2014. 298p. ISBN 978-0-316-19027-5. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.
Still enrolled at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, Sophronia Temminnick continues her spy and assassin studies with the faculty. Spending time with her best friends Dimity, Sidheag, and Agatha, they are getting ready to attend the bethrothal of Sophronia’s eldest brother. This will be the perfect time to practice their new seduction skills.
When an emergency letter arrives for Lady Kingair, everything changes. Sidheag flees the flying school with Captain Niall, leaving Sophronia behind to cover her tracks. Meanwhile, things are heating up with Soap and with Lord Felix, and the two of them end up rivals for Sophronia’s affection as they both attend the party at the Teminnick’s estate. The mechanicals suddenly begin singing before being knocked out of commission. Sidhead and two werewolves show up at the estate and report that the Kingair alpha is no more and the pack must be protected at all costs. She must head to Scotland right away.
Accompanied by Soap, Lord Felix, Sidhead and Dimity, Sophronia uses her small air dirigeable and lands on a moving train, hoping to reach Scotland. But then, her old nemesis Monique, now in the service of the vampires, is on board for some nefarious purpose. And the train seem to be following a flywayman airship allied with the Picklemen. What is going on here? Soon, Sophronia and her friends uncover a conspiracy that could destroy the British Empire. Finally, Sophronia will have to make difficult decisions: To whom should she give her heart? Where does her loyalty lie? And, most importantly, can she protect all of her friends? The story concludes in Manners and Mutiny.
Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife. Book 2 of His Dark Materials trilogy. 1997. 326p. ISBN 9780679879251. Available at FIC PUL on the library shelves.
Will has been protecting his mother for years now. Still a young teen, he’s shouldered the responsibility years ago when he noticed that the games of hide and seek his mother played with him were not games, but rather something in her mother’s head. This chase, however, doesn’t make it any less real.
So when men begin showing up at the house, looking for secrets his missing father left behind, Will realizes that he must hide his mother in a safe location before he himself goes in search of his father. Unfortunately, while searching his own home the two men return. During a confrontation, Will accidentally kills one of the men but he manages to escape and begins to roam the streets of Oxford.
Coming upon a cat, he sees the cat go through a dimensional door to another place. Seeing safety at last, Will goes through and appears in another world, a safe place where his pursuers will not chase him. He comes face to face with Lyra and her daemon, and she is shocked to see he does not have a daemon yet he still is able to function. A truce of sorts associates the two of them, and Lyra becomes fascinated by Will’s Oxford.
Crossing over several times, Lyra and Will are ambushed by an old enemy and put to a task. They must retrieve the Subtle Knife from its rightful guardian or risk losing everything. With Lyra’s mother. Mrs. Coulter not far behind and with Lord Asrael moving forward with his plan to bring the fight to God, both children are about to find themselves pawns in a holy war. The story concludes in The Amber Spyglass.
Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. Book 1 of His Dark Materials trilogy). 1995. 399p. ISBN 9780679879244. Available at FIC PUL on the library shelves.
Lyra Belacqua has always been a free spirit. At eleven years old, she rules the children of Jordan College, in Oxford, and her education has been spotty at best. Every human has a daemon, a creature that reflects their innermost self. Human and daemon are never separated and live in a symbiotic relationship.
When Lyra trespasses in the Master’s chambers, she’s only doing it for a lark. But then she secretly witnesses the Master poisoning the cup of Lord Asriel, her uncle who has just returned from an expedition to the north. Seeking more money to fund another expedition, Lord Asriel finds Lyra, who tells him what the Master of Jordan’s College did to the cup. Seeking to raise more money, Lord Asriel downplays the poisoning attempt and presents to the scholars more information about dust and an ethereal city beyond the northern lights, which he suspects is actually in another universe.
At the same time, Gobblers have been kidnapping children for some nefarious purposes. Left behind by her uncle, Lyra is suddenly entrusted to the care of Mrs. Coulter, a charismatic scholar who also seems to be investigating dust. Mrs. Coulter and her golden monkey daemon are in charge of the Ablation Board, an organization within the Church. But when Roger, Lyra’s friend, is kidnapped by the Gobblers, who work for the Ablation Board and Mrs. Coulter, Lyra realizes that the Ablation Board is involved in terrible experiments on these children. With the help of unexpected allies such as witches and armored bears, it is up to Lyra to save the children from the clutches of Mrs. Coulter and her ilk. The secrets she will discover, however, could destroy everything she knows... The story continues in The Subtle Knife.
Carriger, Gail. Cursties and Conspiracies. Book 2 of the Finishing School series. 2013. 310p. ISBN 9781907411601. Available at FIC CAR on the library shelves.
Following the fiasco that was her sister's coming-out ball in Etiquette and Espionage, Sophronia is back at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing School for Young Ladies of Quality. In training to be a spy, Sophronia solved the mystery of the guidance valve and was able to stick it to Monique, her nemesis onboard the floating school. Now, however, the stakes are higher. A Frenchman has managed to fly through the Ether, greatly reducing the time required to travel between places. The Picklemen, the vampires, and the British government are all extremely interested in securing this new technology, and at the center of their conspiracy are her dear friend Dimity and her brother Pillover. As the daughter and son of the inventors of the valve, their very lives could be in danger. So, Sophronia continues her habits of sneaking around and gathering as much information as she can. There are plots to organize against teachers. Monique must be dealt with again. The announcement of a trip to London and the arrival of a group of boys from the Evil school throws the floating school in turmoil. And, to top it off, Sophronia is now being courted by Lord Felix Mosley. Her heart is now thorn between Mosley and Soap, the dreamy soothy who works in the bowels of the ship. With her training and her wits, can Sophronia survive the coming-out season, save her friends, and manage to gain control over her heart without making a social faux pas? The story continues in Waistcoats and Weaponry.
Carriger, Gail. Etiquette & Espionage. Book 1 of the Finishing School series. 2013. 307p. ISBN 9780316190084. Available both as an eBook on Overdrive and at FIC CAR on the library shelves.
Sophronia Temminnick loves to tinker and explore, but it is frowned upon for girls from reputable families to be involved in such frivolous activities as climbing, exercise, and education. As the youngest girl in her family, she’s a bother to her mother, who only wishes that Sophronia would settle down long enough to learn some proper etiquette, become a proper young lady, and marry a wealthy individual.
Faced with such an impossible task, Lady Temminnick desperately enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality, hoping that her daughter will return a proper lady, fit to be married off.
Everything goes wrong from the start, however, as Sophronia and her escort are attacked by armed flyway men looking for “the prototype.” The Finishing School is in fact an assassin and espionage outfit where proper young ladies get trained in the deadly arts as well as the more mundane ones with the hope that they will be both lethal and regal, young ladies of quality. Sophronia has been sponsored by someone, and now she’s hoping to learn as much as she can, as this type of education is more adapt to her skills.
The flyway men return to the school, threatening an assault if the prototype is not turned over to them. Unfortunately, Monique, the agent who failed her test when she impersonated Mademoiselle Geraldine to collect Sophronia, has hidden it somewhere. Now it’s up to Sophronia and her hodgepodge of friends to discover its location to prevent the school’s destruction.
Westerfeld, Scott. Leviathan. Book 1 of the Leviathan Series. 2009. 440p. ISBN 978-1-4169-7173-3. Available at FIC WES on the library shelves.
Archduke Ferdinand and his wife have just been assassinated this July of 1914, and the world is careening towards a war that will engulf the entire planet. With these deaths, Crown Prince Aleksander is now heir to the throne of Austria and Hungary, right behind his great uncle Franz Joseph. But Alek’s prospects are dim. Immediately following his parents’ assassination, he is forced by a crew of loyal men to escape in one of House Hapsburg’s imperial walkers, giant robotic war machines. Alek avoids capture by the Germans but must flee to Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Deryn Sharp’s dream has always been to fly. Her father used to take her in hot air balloons before his death, and now Deryn is bent on serving in the Royal Navy’s airship fleet. Joining as a midshipman, Deryn must hide her gender for women cannot serve in Great Britain’s armed forces.
Unlike the German clankers, the British are Darwinists, and have evolved animals that can serve military functions. The Leviathan, the largest British airship in service, is in fact a live animal, a mix of whale and other DNA, and together with other beasties forms an ecosystem onto itself. The two strongest empires are on a collision course, and Alek and Deryn hold the fate of the world in their hands.
Westerfeld goes a fantastic job elaborating this steampunk universe where animalistic Darwin ideas clash with inventive and powerful machines in a world domination scheme. Alek and Deryn come from different sides and are opposed to one another like it’s second nature. Will they be able to work out their differences before both their groups become victims to German aggression? If you enjoyed this book, you will like Worldshaker, the largest floating ship of all times, and the fight for the Filthies' freedom! You will also like Etiquette & Espionage, The Mark of the Dragonfly,and The Inventor's Secret.
Cremer, Andrea. The Inventor’s Secret. Book 1 of the Inventor’s Secret series. 2014. 336p. ISBN 978-0-3991-5962-6. Available at FIC CRE on the library shelves.
The American Revolution was crushed by the might of the British navy and army when both France and Spain refused to support the revolutionaries. The revolutionaries were imprisoned in Boston or executed. Now, years later, the steam-powered British Empire remains firmly in control of the colonies. Colonists now must serve the Empire for 20 years of hard labor, but in practice most do not survive this punishing sentence in the colonial foundries and workshops.
Despite of, or maybe because of this oppression, groups of rebels are still seeking to overthrow the Empire and fight it at every turn. Charlotte has long lived in the catacombs on the edge of New York, the heart of the colonies alongside her brothers. Children of rebels are sent here for their safety and to be educated. When they come of age, they can join the rebellion. Her brother Ashley has led their small group, along with Jack and Charlotte.
When Charlotte comes upon Grave, a boy who doesn’t remember anything, she decides to save him from the Imperial Labor Gatherers, large steam-powered robots that hunt escapees through the colony’s forests. Without knowing it, however, she sets events in motions that will make her question everything she knows. Is her relationship with Jack simply that of sparring partners, or is there more to the chemistry that takes place between the two? What does her brother know that he’s not sharing with her? Who, or rather, what is Grave? Is he the answer to the rebellion’s prayers or the best way to quash it? If you enjoyed this book, you will like Worldshaker, the largest floating ship of all times, and the fight for the Filthies' freedom! You will also like Etiquette & Espionage, The Mark of the Dragonflyand Leviathan.
