Book Review: "The Cabinet of Wonders" by Marie Rutkoski

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Petra's father returns from working for the Prince of Bohemia, he does so without his eyes. Determined to bring them back and restore her father's sight, Petra sets off to the capital where she plans to work at the Palace. But she will need the help of some new friends to do so.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Petra is a twelve year old girl, raised by her father and allowed independence from a young age. She is sometimes naive but brave.

Kronos is Petra's father. He is highly skilled and makes things with metal, like tin animals. He loves his daughter dearly but can be rather harsh with her at times.

Neel is a young thief who lives with the Roma, a group of travelers who live in a camp outside of Prague. He can be hot tempered but cares for Petra greatly.

Sadie is Neel's sister. She is light skinned so is able to pass as non-Roma. She isn't in the story too much but she does play an important role.

Prince Rodolfo is one of the three sons of the King of Hapsburg, who was given Bohemia to rule. He is used to being obeyed and is often cruel to his subjects while at other times he treats them as if they were children. He seems disconnected from how normal people live.

John Dee is foreigner visiting Prague. He ends up meeting with Petra and trying to manipulate her for his own purposes.

Astrophil is a tin spider that Petra has had for a long time. She is very smart and helps Petra out on many occasions including the climax. Also she helps Petra be kinder to Neel when she overreacts once.

PACING

We get an introduction where we meet Petra and learn of the magical world she lives in with her tin creatures. We learn about her family situation and that she is quite used to her freedom.

After that is established, her father returns home and Petra learns what happened to him. Even so, she doesn't just run off. She goes to her friend and plans what to do.

Before we learn about the main thrust of the story, that Krono's eyes have been stolen, we are establishing who our heroine is, how she became how she is and her relationships and desires. All of the information felt important and didn't slow the story down.

As for the rest of the story, it never felt slow to me but it's not an action story. There is plenty of suspense and mystery to push the story along though.

THE WORLD

Petra's lives in the country of Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) during the the Renaissance, the end of the sixteenth century.

One can be born with a magical ability but they don't usually come into it until the age of fourteen, which is considered the age of adulthood. For some reason, only noble families usually have magical abilities. The way this is explained is kind of confusing.

I felt what the author meant to say was that the training in magical abilities was only for the wealthy and powerful, because only they could afford to make huge donations or have good connections in order to get into the Academy.

Kronos has the ability to move metal with his mind and can speak telepathically to his intelligent creations.

Petra's friend, Tomik is able to make magical abilities. Although his don't have to do with metal, instead they have to do with glass, as his father is a glassblower.

Petra's mother had the gift of seeing the future. While those called scryers can see the present or the past.

There is a scene in Prague where Petra overhears two students discussing that people can only have one magical ability, not two. It was rather clunky exposition but it was an interesting tidbit.

NEEL'S GIFT-SPOILERS

Turns out that Neel has a strange gift, he can move items without touching them, simply by putting his hands near an object. We get an interesting story explaining the myth behind it and eventually it becomes a big help in the climax.

THE GIFT OF SCRYING

When Petra meets John Dee he wants her to scry for him. Eventually we learn the darker purpose behind that request but we learn more about Petra's fears. Turns out her mother had that gift and Petra doesn't want it. She thinks it's dangerous and can drive people crazy.

I thought that was an imporant aspect to the world, because magic isn't without risk. There is one scene in the beginning where Petra wonders if she even wants her father's magical ability, because it brought such a horrible incident. But to be fair, she never brings these worries up again except when she mentions Dee.

PETRA'S MOTHER

For the most part, Petra's mother is a secret. She died long ago and Petra doesn't think of her much in the story except when she talks about scrying. She would much rather have her father's gift with metal then her mother's gift with scrying.

THE WORRY VIALS-SPOILER

Petra goes to see her friend, Tomik, to tell him about her father returning. Tomik's father makes and sells magical items, one of them being the popular “worry vial”. You put your anxious thoughts into it and it allows your burdens to be lifted.

But it turns out Tomik has a secret, he has learned that the items have a flaw: the thoughts can be heard by someone other than the worrier. This seems just to be strange information but later on in the story it is crucial to the plot. Petra ends up searching the chambers for a worry vial to steal so she can learn where her father's eyes are being kept.

KRONO'S EYES

We learn at the beginning of the story that Petra's world is a magical one. But the strangest thing is that Krono's eyes can be taken out and used by someone else. And that they can just switch out eyes whenever they want.

Although that doesn't make everything wonderful and easy. Petra realizes her father went through agony losing his eyes, and that the prince had to do the same. Also Kronos points out that the prince took his eyes and not his mind, so they may not work like the Prince wants.

THE CLOCK-SPOILERS

Kronos was helping to build a special clock for the prince. Turns out it is supposed to be able to control the weather and in turn would help Rodolfo rule over other nations. But he can't figure out how to work it, even with Krono's eyes.

PETRA & NEEL

Petra doesn't meet Neel in the best of circumstances: he tries to rob her and she catches him. But when she refuses to report him to a police officer, he earns her respect. But he already earned her interest because no one should be able to feel him stealing because of his special gift. He also takes pity on her because she is all alone in the city and he I used to being an outsider. He takes on a slight teacher role and reveals important information to Petra multiple times.

Petra admits she wants to impress Neel, who she feels is rather street smart and daring. While he implies that she is naive and sheltered, a few times. This leads to arguments between them but both learn to grow and forgive each other.

NEEL'S MOTIVATION-SPOILERS

Petra tries to gain Neel's trust, by giving him an important book (she can't keep it in the palace) that he could sell for money if he wanted to. She realizes he doesn't trust easy and hopes to gain his friendship.

A part of her knows that he just wants to be involved so he can steal some items from the Cabinet of Wonders, but another hopes he wants to be involved to help her in her task of retrieving the eyes. Astrophil is crucial to helping Petra be kinder to Neel when she overreacts once.

ABOUT SADIE-SPOILERS

Sadie isn't in the story much but she does play multiple roles. She is the one who gets both Neel and Petra a job at the palace. Also, she helps Petra find an item she needs in the palace. Lastly, she is the one who reveals the truth about Neel's ancestry, allowing Petra to keep this to herself but learn more about her friend.

Neel eventually confides in Petra about this and she makes sure not to reveal she already knows this. It may reveal why he is sympathetic towards Petra, as she was obviously a lost outsider. And perhaps he doesn't feel like he belongs anywhere.

PETRA AND THE DYE WORKS

Petra ends up being sent to a place no one else wants to go: the Dye Works. There she meets a cranky woman who has a habit of turning to acid and burning her clothes when she loses her temper. Her name is Iris and she isn't happy to have a new servant. But Petra reveals some knowledge of metal and earns her begrudging respect.

Gradually Iris grows to respect her servant even if she doesn't express it very well. I found there interactions amusing (also important to the plot) and was glad when Iris returned later on in the story.

PETRA & JOHN DEE

Petra and John Dee don't have too many interactions but they ones they did have I found interesting. The back and fourth between them is especially well written. Dee reveals her knows her true name so she is immediately on edge, worrying about his intentions.

Dee is cunning and confident, sure that he can get Petra to do what he wants and be of use to him, but caring little for her own safety and her own troubles.

PETRA & KRONOS

The relationship between Petra and Kronos is rather complex. Petra is used to getting her way on most things, or at least being left alone to do as she pleases. Her cousin coming in and trying to replace her mom never went well, as Petra doesn't think she needs a mother.

When Kronos returns Petra is horrified and then angry at her father. How could he not know the Prince's intentions and why does he still talk so nicely about him? They argue and Petra has to learn to be silent and respect his authority. Also to forgive him.

PETRA & RODOLFO

Prince Rodolfo ends up taking notice of Petra even though she is just a random maid. He does so when he is wearing her father's eyes but he doesn't know why she intrigues him. He ends up summoning her and letting her be a servant to his chambers, where she is allowed to clean his library. In their one meeting he doesn't mistreat her but he does come across as condescending, playing a game with her and rewarding her with an orange.

A SUPRISE HELP OR TWO-SPOILERS

Iris ends up helping Neel and Petra escape by showing them a secret passageway. She surprised me by being bold and willing to help. Although it was clear she was always fond of Petra, I was glad she was willing to take a risk and help them.

Later, when Neel and Petra are trying to escape the palace, they end up in the stables. There they run into Jarek, one of them who delivered Kronos home. He ends up feeling bad and helping them escape. It felt rather out of the blue as I completely forgot about this character. I wish he had made an appearance once or twice before.

TOMIK'S MARVELS

When Petra and Neel finally achieve their goal, they have to escape. This is when Tomik's gifts come in handy. Three small spheres can be thrown onto the ground to achieve a distraction. The first one creates a huge light and thunder, the second, a large wave and the third a hive of bees.

CLIMAX-SPOILERS

Neel and Petra search for her father's eyes and retrieve them but not without incident. They end up being chased by Prince Rodolfo and his men. Neel and Petra part ways and Petra returns home.

PETRA'S RETURN-SPOILERS

When Petra returns triumphant, her father is furious at her. Her cousin reveals they all thought she was dead. And Kronos says she has brought danger to their family and that surely the Prince will come after them. Petra clearly never thought of this but is too upset and angry to defend herself. She runs off.

Eventually Kronos forgives her but still pretends to be blind. Petra realizes her father was right about danger coming, and even though she doesn't regret what she did, she realizes she needs to take responsibility. The story ends with her taking up a sword.

CONCLUSION

Petra's world is original and detailed and I couldn't help feeling there was much more to explore. More magical abilities yet to be revealed.

Petra is likable but flawed. She is motivated by love for her father but is naive. Neel is daring and brave and slightly wreckless. I liked seeing the relationship between these two, as Petra works to gain Neel's respect and trust.

I found the Prince to be suitably creepy and intimidating. He clearly thinks he does nothing wrong but feels detached from the consequences of his actions and how he affects those around him. We barely got to know him as John Dee was more of an antagonist. So I look forward to seeing him again.

I enjoyed most of the interactions between Petra and othe other characters, as it showed different aspects of her: her desire for a friend with Neel, her patience with Iris and her righterous anger with John Dee. Not to mention her boldness.

My only critique is that the climax felt slightly rushed.

I give “The Cabinet of Wonders” four stars.

Book Review: "The Peculiar" by Stefan Bachman

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

Bartholomew is a changling living in Victorian England with his mother and sister. He knows he has to keep his head down because of the hatred towards his kind. But circumstances push him into an adventure where he must join with a stranger in an attempt to save a loved one.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Bartholomew is a young changeling. For the most part, he is obedient and keeps his head down. But he does have a strong desire for friendship and a strong responsbility to look after his little sister.

Mr. Lickerish is a member of Parliament. Being from the fairy world, he seems to have disdain for humans as he is from the “high faeries” which were the elites in their world. He is the villain of the story.

Mr. Jelliby is a low ranking member of Parliament. He just wants to get by without much of a fuss nor does he have any ideas of being a hero.

Melusine is a young woman who seems to have two personalities. One that is violent and vicious and another that is vulnerable and scared.

THE WORLD

Probably my favorite aspect of the story is the world. An alternative Victorian world where fairies accidentally crossed over to our world and are now trapped.

We get a brief history explaining there was a war directly after this, but eventually they had to learn to live together. There is still bigotry, but it's mostly for the lower fairies. The higher faeries are often wealthy and powerful. Like Lickerish, who is a member of the government.

The attittudes of the two groups are different as well. While the lower classes just wish to be left alone, the higher classes feel entitled to their previous status. They look down on humans as much as humans may look down on faeries.

ABOUT MELUSINE

Eventually we learn the truth about Melusine from a woman who knew of her. She ran away from home and married a man her family didn't approve of. Unfortunately, we never get to interact with her much. So although I felt a slight sympathy for her, I didn't feel attached. And I had a hard time thinking that the main characters had any serious attachement for her. They just kind of felt bad for her.

THE END OF A LIFE

One of the side characters eventually dies. But we don't even get to see the death, we just hear about it later. I was surprised that this character was discarded so easily.

If a character dies, and isn't just a minor character, I expect to witness the death myself. Especially if the main characters are saddened by it. The only emotion I felt was surprise, as I felt as if I had barely known the character.

MOTIVATION

We know what motivates Bartholomew, his guilt in being partially to blame for someone's kidnapping. But when it comes to Jelliby, I wasn't quite sure. He is described as average in most ways, someone who just wants to get along with everyone.

He sees a strange woman at Lickerish's house and then is told that the man isn't even married. His curiosity is aroused but it's not until then he overhears Lickerish discussing killing changelings that he realizes he has to do something. Melusine's asking for help perhaps spurred him on.

It's not as if Jelliby suddenly becomes brave. For the most part he is terrified, but he tries to investigate anyway. I wish he had some sort of mentor or confidante to encourage him. The only one in his life is his wife, who seems nice enough but isn't let in on what's going on so she isn't allowed to have any influence over Jelliby.

Perhaps its easier to believe Bartholomew's motivation because his family is all he has. So he ends up risking it all to keep it together. While for Melusine, Jelliby doesn't know her, only knows about her.

JELLIBY & BARTHOLOMEW-SPOILERS

Jelliby and Bartholomew meet alittle more than half way through the book and they eventually come to care for each other. But I didn't see what bound them together, as he never met Hettie and Bartholomew barely knew Melusine.

Jelliby shows up and protects Bartholomew from a bully. But after that doesn't want him around. They kind of felt like they were together without getting to know each other.

It's not as if they don't help one another: Bartholomew tries to stop Jelliby from approaching Melusine because he knows she has two faces and one of them isn't nice. He also gets a policeman to come and help. Bringing them together gets Melusine in police custody.

A PLEA FOR HELP

Bartholomew ends up meeting a loved one of someone who died. He asks for help but this person just commits suicide. I wasn't sure what the point of the scene was. To show what a coward this person was? I was annoyed and thought it was a waste of time.

CLIMAX

Bartholomew and Jelliby learn that Lickerish intends to open a fairy door. They both confront him and try to stop the gate.

BARTHOLOMEW'S CHOICE-SPOILERS

Bartholomew ends up having to choose between saving Hettie or saving the city. If he breaks the gateway the whole town will be destroyed and everyone killed. So Bartholomew ends up trying to encourage Hettie to stay put.

CLIFFHANGER ENDING-SPOILERS

In the end, Bartholomew ends up keeping the world safe, but losing Hettie to the fairy world. He vows to save her. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a cliffhanger ending. I wasn't even sure if this story would have a sequel. After all, a character they wanted to save died, as did her spouse. So that part felt done. Mr. Lickerish wasn't defeated but I hadn't given him much thought.

CONCLUSION

Bartholomew was a pathetic creature that I couldn't help but feel sorry for. Unfortunately I didn't feel much else. Perhaps if he had a stronger relationship with his mother and sister it would have made him feel more fleshed out.

Jelliby was likable but again, suffered from a lack of relationship with anyone, even Bartholomew.

The world was unique and had great potential. I most enjoyed seeing how Bartholomew's mother kept her children safe in a world that hated them. I think the themes of racism could have been explored, especially considering the differences between the high and low faeries.

I wanted to know Melusine better than I did and that was a disappointment.

The pacing was good and there were plenty of suprisingly creepy moments in the story.

The cliffhanger ending didn't feel like it fit. Because nothing had really been accomplished and put to rest in this story for me to think we could move on to the next step. No characters were saved and I was left unsatisfied.

I give “The Peculiar” two stars.

Book Review: "The Convicts" by Iain Lawrence

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Tom's father gets dragged off to debtor's prison, he sets himself up to provide for the family. But instead he gets blamed for a crime he didn't commit. Eventually sentenced to work on a ship with other young convicts, Tom is determined to get out. Because he knows if he doesn't, he won't survive his sentence.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Tom Tin is a young man with a love for his father and a fear of the sea. He is rather timid at first but gradually we learn that he can be heartless.

Midgely is another convict who becomes Tom's only friend. He is weak-willed, just barely getting by. For some reason he adores Tom and treats him like a big brother.

Penny is from a street gang. He thinks that Tom is someone called “The Smasher” and won't be told otherwise. He despises Midgely because he sees him as a rival for Tom's friendship.

Goodfellow is set up as a villain from the beginning. We are told the reason Tom and his family move is because they are evicted by him and had been evicted by him in their previous home.

PACING

One thing I was struck with was the pacing and the pattern of the story. I felt like the plot was meandering, not knowing quite where it was going. And when it did know, it took too long to get there.

Tom needed to become a convict. So he needed to be mistaken for a criminal and then found guilty. But by the time he actually made it to the ship, I was left with a bunch of events that I couldn't really make sense of.

Everything just happens to Tom. Which is probably a reason why the story feels slow.

TOM THE VICTIM

Tom is set up as a victim right away, his family being poor and having to move from place to place because Goodfellow won't leave them be. Not long after that, he goes to a school where he gets hit by the teacher. I felt bad for him of course. And as the story progresses, things go from bad to worse and for the most part, it's not Tom's fault.

Lawrence doesn't do what most author's do when their hero ends up being a victim as the main plot. He doesn't make Tom go on about how awful his life is, and depict everyone he meets as either dumb or evil. So that's a good point.

NO HELP FOR TOM

Unfortunately, Tom never gains a confidant. He never gets an adult who has real sympathy for him. Not in any real way, a way that says, yes, I know this is awful and it needs to be fixed.

Or someone who believes him when he says he was innocent of any wrongdong. Nor does he encounter a peer who is smarter, stronger, and maybe an actual benefit to developing his character in some way.

His only relationship, if you can call it that, is with Midgely. And for the majority of the story he just makes Tom look bad.

THE DIAMOND-SPOILERS

After his father has been taken away, Tom ends up finding a diamond besides a blind beggar. He realizes this could save his family and return his father. So, of course he steals it.

Oddly enough, the diamond feels like it has no place in the story. It has no affect on Tom because he loses it soon after. And the reason he tags along with grave robbers is to get away from the creepy blind man. Couldn't he have done that anyway?

THE GRAVEYARD ROBBERS

Tom meets an older man with a cart and ends up hitching a ride with him. But for some reason, he spends the whole day with this stranger. Perhaps he thought he would get closer to home? It isn't quite clear why and I was left confused. I get he was hungry, but he is fed right after he meets him, so he should have just left.

When he realizes the man is a grave robber he doesn't leave, he just obeys and helps with the rope. Tom admits he always just obeys people, so that's why he did it. I didn't see the logic in that.

How does being normally obedient cause you to help a stranger lift a dead body from a grave? For all intense purposes, Tom should have immediately ran off. But this starts a pattern in the story. Things tend to happen to Tom; He rarely causes things to happen. And when he does, he ends up failing anyway.

MEEL & GOODFELLOW

After Tom is accused of accosting a man, when in reality he was asking for help, he is taken by the police. He ends up meeting a lawyer named Mr. Meel.

Tom says that he owns a fortune and tells him all about the diamond. But I had read nothing that showed that Tom trusted anyone or had any friends. I guess he was desperate but he just comes off as foolish. It's obvious right away that Mr. Meel cares nothing about Tom and only wants his diamond.

By this time I only felt sympathy for Tom, no real affection. And now I just felt like he was dumb, and possibly inconsistently portrayed.

As for Goodfellow it is eventually revealed he is pulling the strings and after Tom again. But he is just not in the story enough for me to think of him.

THE LONG LOST TWIN-SPOILERS

The body of Tom's look-alike causes most of the trouble for Tom. But I never actually thought much about the identity of this person. I just assumed it was a coincidence. Why? Because there is no mention of Tom having any memories of a twin. Or having overheard something from his mother having lost another child, besides his sister. I expected hints to be set up.

When he is told he sounds just like The Smasher, causing Tom to think this boy lived near him, it didn't feel like any great revelation. He spends a large amount of time with Penny, and yet learns absolutely nothing about his twin.

So when Tom finally learns that he really did have a twin, I was left confused. Shouldn't there have been some more hints? Shouldn't Penny have revealed that the Smasher admitted he had never met his parents. Any modicum of being related would have helped. Similar mannerisms, or likes and dislikes. Anything other than looking similar and living near each other.

LEAVING HIM BEHIND

Tom plans his escape and lets Midgely believe he is taking him with him. But he admits to himself that it's a lie. Even after something awful happens to Midgely and he attacks who he thinks did it, he doesn't immediately assess his own selfish actions.

Only when his friend tells him to leave him behind does he change his mind. It takes far too long for him to change and I had to wonder why. Perhaps it confused me because I never quite understood who Tom was supposed to be. If he had been portrayed as ruthless before his enslavement, perhaps it would have made sense why it took so long for him to change.Which leads me to my next point...

WHO IS TOM?

I am not quite sure about exactly who Tom is. He likes his father. I don't know much about how he feels about his mother. He hates the sea and Goodfellow. He is desperate from the beginning of the story to the end. At first to provide for his family and then to escape his enslavement.

He is slightly arrogant because when he he first meets a poor old man, he thinks about how he wouldn't normally waste his time with someone like him. For some reason, he seems to think he is above the old man. He envisions how he will be wealthy and even more far above him.

He has little to no sympathy for anyone but himself. Not even Midgely, who, for the majority of the book, he uses and lies to. This aspect of his character makes him seem ruthless. But I couldn't say if this was how he developed, or how he always was because I never felt I knew him.

Tom has no clear arc. He attacks a bully and it's portrayed as if he lost his humanity. When in reality, it should have been where he gained it, as he finally showed real empathy and risked his own life for another whom he had previously been planning to use.

TRY AND TRY AGAIN-SPOILERS

I come back to the pattern that repeats itself in the story: things happening to Tom. Tom trying to do something and failing. And then things happening to him again.

After Tom escapes the ship, he realizes he is now stuck on an island and he can't do anything about it. So when an old woman and a man come along, saying they will take them home, they go along. And end up being brought back to the ship.

Again, Tom comes across as desparate and foolish, with very little agency of his own. He dug a hole. That's pretty much all he accomplishes in the whole story.

THE CLIMAX & THE CAPTAIN-SPOILERS

Near the end of the story, Tom gets transferred to another ship, this one set to travel around the globe. He is desparate to leave but can't. Luckily he finally ends up meeting the captain, who is his father. So once again, Tom doesn't accomplish anything, he is merely led by circumstances. In this case, dumb luck.

CONCLUSION

The plot is rather slow, due to the fact that for most of it, things just happen to Tom.

There aren't any relationships forged among the convicts so I had a hard time caring for anyone. At best I felt sympathy for characters like Midgely, at worst I often felt dislike for Tom, whose arc wasn't clear.

There are so few victories in the story, I can't help but think it could have been structured better.

It doesn't feel like it has a proper climax or ending as Tom merely tries to escape and then fails. And the ending felt like the author didn't know what to do, so he just threw Tom's father in and called it quits.

I give “The Convicts” one and a half stars.

Book Review: "Horton's Miraculous Mechanisms" by Lissa Evans

SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY

When Stuart's family moves to a new town just when summer starts, he is left without any friends or anything to do. Then he learns about his great uncle and his mysterious past. Suddenly Stuart finds himself investigating the past, a missing person and a missing workshop.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Stuart is an only child of two smart, if slightly eccentric parents. He is short and kind of sensitive about it. He has a curious nature and is willing to put himself at risk to learn. I found him likable because he had so many instances where he was embarrassed or worried about being seen as silly. Like when he accidentally locked himself out of his house and when he gets covered in mud.

April is a next door neighbor. She and her two indentical sisters run a newspaper. She can be rather nosy and blunt. At first she just wants something to do to stem off the boredom but eventually she comes to sincerely want to discover the truth about Horton. Also she is crucial to the story as she helps Stuart out multiple times.

Leonora is an older, blind lady. She is the sister of Great Uncle Horton's fiance and is kind to Stuart. She is also a retired teacher. She is important to the story by revealing history and by helping April near the climax.

Jeannie is a magician and a teacher to Clifford. She is bossy and rather mean to him. She serves multiple roles in the story, including informing Stuart about the fire that destroyed a factory. As well as being the antagonist.

Clifford works for Jeannie. The burly man isn't too bright but wants more than anything to be a magician.

PACING

The book is a mystery book of puzzles, not an action story. Even so, after a brief introduction, Stuart is learning about his Great uncle Horton through a box with a secret compartment. So he goes off to investigate the old house.

From there he goes place to place, from a library, an old phone booth, and even a museum. In any moment where you are not finding a clue or looking for one, crucial information is learnt, like when Stuart is on a trip with his parents.

There are also a few clinghanger endings of chapters and paragraphs that help with the pacing as well.

HINTS OF MAGIC

There are hints that magic may exist in this world, not magic tricks. Early on in the book, Stuart visits a telephone booth, but he realizes it's broken—and it rings anyway. Also when Stuart learns about the Well of Wishes and that his Great-Uncle Horton vanished, it's mysterious enough to make you wonder if the cause is magical.

DAD & SON

The first clue we get is when Stuart see's a gift that his father got from Great Uncle Horton. I thought it was interesting that it all starts with his dad, and then Stuart finds a letter that was meant for his dad. But he feels that it was really meant for him because he was the one who found it.

Arthur doesn't come off as dramtic and narcisstic but instead we see a different side of him. A side that isn't practical like his parents, but actually quite inexplicable.

THE HORRENDOUS TEA PARTY

Because he has no friends, Stuart's parents arrange for him to hang out with his neighbors. Of course, they don't know that he has already had a run in with them, and it didn't exactly go well. But April shines in this moment; she steps up to defend Stuart when her sisters make fun of his parents.

APRIL'S MISTAKE-SPOILERS

When April comes along with Stuart to sneak into where another clue is located, he puts his trust in her. He gives her one of the special coins he has. But because of how dim it is, she doesn't realize when she puts the wrong size in the hole.

She ends up bending it and is furious at herself. She actually starts to cry. I thought how Stuart handled it was kind and mature, especially considering his previous feelings towards April. He admits to himself that he is mad at her, but knows expressing it won't help.

AN UNEXPECTED TRIP-SPOILERS

On the weekend before Great Uncle Horton's house is about to be demolished, Stuart's parents decided they are going on an inpromptu trip. Leaving April to enter a code in a safe before time is up. Suspense is added when Stuart realizes he made an awful mistake.

USE OF HUMOR

There were multiple points in the book where I found myself smiling. I loved the idea that April's sister's think she is the quiet one (when in reality she comes across as invasive and extroverted).

The whole scene near the climax with the bandstand was quite hilarious. The performances by the children sounded outright ridiculous and I couldn't help thinking how much fun Miss Evans had coming up with possible performance ideas.

When Stuart accidentally breaks something at a museum, his father's deadpan response was amusing as well.

TONY & LILY

Lenora serves as an imporant part of the story, as she reveals information about Horton and her sister, Lily. She tells of World War II and the air raids, how Lily and Horton both had hot tempers and about the Well of Wishes.

APRIL'S STUNT-SPOILERS

While Stuart was on his way to the old House, April decided the only way to preserve the safe was to prevent the construction workers from destroying it. She blocked the house and stood up on the roof while her parents pleaded with her to come down. Stuart ends up quite amazed at the bravery of his new friend. It's obvious he didn't expect it.

STUART'S WISH-SPOILERS

When Stuart finds the well of wishes, he daydreams about being taller. He imagines it would fix all of his problems but his dreams are cut short by April's cries.

He ends up having to make a decision whether or not to use the wish for himself or to find out what happened to Lily and Horton.

When April realizes what he is going to do, she is concerned that he won't be able to make it back. I thought it was a sweet scene between them, showing April's growth as a character as well as Stuart, who easily discards his own wish.

THE TRUTH ABOUT JEANNIE-SPOILERS

It turns out that Jeannie isn't just a a master magician, she is also the mayor of the town. I was surprised and I couldn't help but wonder if I missed any hints. It felt out of the blue to me, and I wasn't sure what it added to the story. I suppose it made Jeannie more threatening, to realize that she was powerful and respected by everyone.

CLIMAX

Stuart finds the workshop and then Jeannie shows up. April plays a part in bringing Leonora to the workshop while Leonora plays a part in keeping them from being exposed to Jeannie. Then they find out what happened to Lily and Horton.

MISSING JEANNIE-SPOILERS

After the conclusion of the story, we see an old newspaper speaking of an incredible new magician who appeared in the same time period that Stuart visited. It's obvious that it's Jeannie, who was left behind.

I think it was an implying a sequel. Or else why would we care that Jeannie became famous in the past? Perhaps someday she could travel to the future. Or maybe she already had some influece on the present.

CONCLUSION

This mystery has two likable main characters in Stuart and April. Both characters go through in arc in their relationship with one another as well as their own personalities.

April learns to stand by Stuart at her own cost, at first from her sisters' jokes, but eventually from a construction crew. A pretty big leap. But it's believable because we see that April isn't an ordinary girl and is rather resourceful.

Arthur develops from a boy who just wants to be taller and fit in, to a boy who is willing to make himself look foolish (multiple times) to find out the truth about his Great-Uncle.

The backdrop of characters are amusing from Arthur's parents to June and May. The only character I found slightly cartoonish was Clifford.

Going from clue to clue to a key was never dull and was well paced. And there was plenty of humor in the story.

My only criticism are that I would have liked the climax to be slighlty more interesting, as it felt rushed. Also I would have liked some hints about Jeannie's other job.

I give “Horton's Miraculous Mechanisms” three and half stars.