The Inventor's Secret was given to me by my Young Adult Literature Professor. I found the novel entertaining to the point that I couldn't put it down. The relationship between Jack and Charlotte can be irritating at times. Charlotte reminds me of my sister in regards to men. She always thinks the worst of them. I do not understand why Charlotte is so cynical about men when she has, at least to my knowledge, never had any other romantic encounter. The cliffhanger ending had definitely been unexpected. I cannot wait for the second novel. I wanted to like this more than I did. I liked the steampunk/alternate history aspect but I think there were too many characters and plotlines and I wanted more depth. The main character, Charlotte, had the potential to be a really cool, don't-mess-with-me kind of girl, in spite of the corsets and other steampunk trappings. There was a glimpse of this early on in the book, as she expresses her affection for her gun "Pocky." But after that, We never get to see her with her gun again until the end. Instead, she has to play to role of the society debutante, on the arm of a man. The romance angle truly didn't work for me. The introduction of Linnet as a minor character, who is confident, independent, and spunky, made me realize how much I was missing that in Charlotte. I _might_ consider reading the second book in this series, but if Charlotte doesn't have her gun early on, I'm out.
What do You think about The Inventor's Secret (2014)?
I really loved this book!! But, I don't love voodoo and this book had a little bit in it.
—eliannay
Really nothing to say here. Steampunk YA set in a post colonial America. Meh.
—shivangishakti
