Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson

[MerryLove]

This is the first book in an ongoing series that will be at least 3 books long. It was published in July of 2015, and the sequel was just released July of 2016.

The back cover does a great job of summarizing this book simply. "What if British magic kept the American Revolution from ever occurring?" There is a great divide between those who have magic (the magisters) and those who do not. Some, like the Rebel Mechanics, are seeking equality through the use of steam and electricity.

Verity, the main character, is new to town and gets a position as a governess in a high ranking magister house. Her thoughts work the way you'd expect. The book has a way of confirming that Verity does feel the way you thought she would. She makes a lot of gray area decisions, and I found her easy to relate to. She continues to grow and change throughout the book in this new city, and I couldn't help but want to continue experiencing her life with her.

Other major characters in the story have some development, but it feels flat and unexpected compared to Verity's development as a character. A couple of the Rebel Mechanics in particular seem to have some abrupt changes in personality from scene to scene, but I think this is supposed to mimic the way Verity sees them. I felt like these characters were important enough that they should have had more depth to their personality than they did.

The book is leisurely paced and is mostly about setting the stage and immersing the reader into the world. I originally thought this book was a standalone read, so when I started to get near the end I thought, "There is no way they are going to fit all the events that need to happen in that short of time". It made much more sense once I realized it had a sequel.

I love that the book has so many "gray area" choices and differently opinionated people. This is not the kind of discord where each side only sees their way. There are many difficult decisions that have to be made over the course of the book, and the story does a great job of weighing the consequences and benefits. I had a lot of respect for Verity and the way she intelligently looked at many of the situations at hand. I also love the fun, quippy chapter titles!

Although the book did not have the action packed events at the ending I originally expected, the book did not leave on a cliffhanger. It came to a good stopping point that left me excited for what was to come in the second book, but not aching to know what happens next. Overall I was very pleased with Rebel Mechanics. I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have expected for a slow burn, setting the stage kind of book. I'm looking forward to reading the second book and hopefully getting to some of that action promised in the first one.

Rating

This book earns a 3 out of 5. 
 
The book was a fun read, and I can see myself easily reading it again with the rest of the series when it is completed. Hopefully subsequent volumes will be more satisfying that the first, and come together as a whole.