Review: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Title: Mechanica
Author: Betsy Cornwell
Publisher: Clarion Books
Date Published: August 25th, 2015
Source: Library
Genres: Fantasy, Retelling, YA, Steampunk
Links: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Author's Website
Rating: 3.8 stars

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home.

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

My Review

I LOVED THE ENDING. Seriously, I truly loved the ending. For once, it didn't turn out exactly the way it always does, and I am walking on sunshine.

Now for the other stuff.

I enjoyed all of the characters, especially her friends. The three of them just have a great friendship, and I really didn't want that to change. Nicolette is the kind of main character that I like and don't really get annoyed with. I get annoyed with MCs a lot, and it can really ruin the book for me at times. She's rational and reasonable at pretty much all times, except for a few occasions, because obviously no one's perfect. Her skill is something I admire her for immensely. She's so talented. and she works really hard throughout the entire book to hone her talent and use it as a way to get out from her current conditions.

The Steps are pretty much like the same as always, and I am okay with that. There was a moment when I felt a little sympathy for Stepmother, but it didn't last long.

(Nice shot btw Nicolette)

The plot overall was pretty slow paced and anticlimatic, but I still enjoyed it. She even commented on it herself at one point lol. See if this were another book I might really give it grief for this, but in this case I'm not that upset about it and I kind of like it. I know a lot of people like excitement, action, intrigue, etc. and I do too obviously, but I don't think this book needs a whole lot more. A little more would've have been good though. Anyway, my point is that I feel the anticlimatic plot of the book is what makes it real. (I know a lot of people aren't into the realisticness and that's fine, usually I'm not either.) But it works I think.

The main point of the book for me, personally, was seeing a girl who was stuck in a bad situation, pull herself out. There isn't always a car chasing, dramatic, slippers flying scene, and I think if you are in a similar situation you can really relate to that.