The Clockwork Scarab

Sorry that it has taken me almost a month to write the review for The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason. I do need to forewarn that there will be a spoiler  in this review. As much as I have tried, I cannot take out this spoiler because it does contribute to my opinion of the book and why I rated the book the way I did on Goodreads. With that said, let’s begin.

The Clockwork Scarab, by Colleen Gleason,  is about two young women, from prominent families, who are asked by the Queen to solve a mystery of disappearing, and death of a few young women. These two women are Mina, who is the niece of Sherlock Holmes, and Evaline, who is the sister of Bram Stoker.

I liked the book. I gave it three stars out of five on Goodreads.   I  enjoyed  the story as a whole. The creation of the world and the combination of scifi and history, was fascinating.It was  interesting to see an alternative universe in which electicity is illeagle, and steam power is the only way to go.  Also learning about how some of the gadgets work is fun, though it sometimes took us  away from the plot and the characters.  Not only was seeing technology was fun, but  seeing the styles and the lifestyles was fun. In all, Gleason really did an amazing job setting this world up and explaining the whole and questions that we would have as we read through the book. In the end, the mystery was entertaining and suspenseful, and the element of time travel was fun.

However, there were a few problems that I had with the book. One was the lack of character development. There were ample opportunities in which we could see Mina and Evaline grow as a person, as well as a team. They do grow a bit, but that growth mainly exists at the end of the book.  The other problem that I had was that the males in the text tend to play the role of being there when there is a purpose/ convenience for them. I am all for powerful independent female characters, but I do not like it at the expense of the opposite sex.  Towards the end of the book, I did roll my eyes when I found some of the male characters conveniently there to help our female leads. Gleason did set most of these men up as a potential love interest for Mina and Evaline, which I am interested in seeing if she keeps this up through the rest of the series.  Finally, the last problem I had with the book was  how the mystery really wasn’t solved. The Scotland Yard just accepted a dead body, while Mina is wondering if it is truly the person they are looking for. I know that this is part of a series, but it bothers me that a dead body is okay for society to make a case close.

As for recommending the book… I would only recommend this book for those who truly love steampunk. Even though this was my first time reading this genre, the lack of character development was noticeable, and any true development (like strengths and weaknesses) was made towards the end of the book. As a result, I would be a little leary in recommend this book to those avid readers.  I know you, as the avid reader, know what you would like to see in a book, and character development is a must for every book lover. However, I am wondering about the series and seeing if this first book was purely there to develop the world and to begin developing the characters. I am looking into seeing if there is a possibility for me to read the second book.

I do hope that you enjoyed this review. I will be having the next week off, which means more time to read and finish my to do lists. You can follow me at facebook.com/superbookworm or twitter.com/nobelbookworm. I do hope that everyone will enjoy their week and all their adventures. Happy Reading!