Call number
Series
Publication
New York, NY : Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2016]
Pages
387
Description
"In an alternate 1906, the United States and Japan have forged a powerful confederation-- the Unified Pacific--in an attempt to dominate the world. Their first target is a vulnerable China. In San Francisco, headstrong secretary Ingrid Carmichael is assisting a group of powerful geomancer wardens who have no idea of the depth of her own talent--or that she is the only woman to possess such skills. When assassins kill the wardens, Ingrid and her mentor are protected by her incredible magic. But the pair is far from safe. Without its full force of guardian geomancers, the city is on the brink of a cataclysmic earthquake that will expose the earth's power to masterminds determined to control the energy for their own dark ends. The danger escalates when Chinese refugees, preparing to fight the encroaching American and Japanese forces, fracture the uneasy alliance between the Pacific allies, transforming San Francisco into a veritable powder keg. And the slightest tremor will set it off" -- provided by publisher.… (more)
Awards
Chesley Award (Nominee — 2017)
Dragon Award (Finalist — 2017)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016
Physical description
387 p.; 8.3 inches
ISBN
9780062422064
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User reviews
LibraryThing member 2wonderY
I wasn't swept away by any excellence, but I was caught and read the thing in just two sittings. I suppose it was the appealing characters that caught me. The plot itself is weak, and there is much hyperbolic action and several loose threads not tucked in nicely. What a coincidence that such
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important hidden people found each other on such a critical day. Hmmm. But I enjoyed the company of the group, and the romantic attraction made sense. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
I really loved Cato’s Clockwork Dagger duology and was very excited to see a new book by her. I absolutely loved this book and was amazed at the depth and creativity in the world created here. This is very much a steampunk alternate history and it was just incredibly engaging and well written. My
I loved the alternate history here, it was very creative and incredibly well put together. Cato wrote the book in such a way that you really get a sense of the broader world and the issues the world is dealing with.
The characters were amazing. Ingrid is a female geomancer (unheard of until now) and she tries to make her way through life without causing too much upset to those around her; although this frustrates her at times. She is a wonderfully strong female but strong more in spirit and intelligence than action-hero-like strong. I really enjoyed her a lot and loved some of the revelations about her geomancy powers.
The plot is somewhat investigative and somewhat political with many delightful steampunk devices and of course geomancy throughout, there is a lot of action and even some romance as well. I really enjoyed the blend of genres in here. The way geomancy was described and explored was fascinating.
My only disappointment is that this is a stand alone. I desperately want to read more about this world and these characters. While the main storyline is wrapped up decently there are a lot of loose ends that weren’t taken care of. Maybe there will be a couple companion novels?
There is a very nice Afterward that explains the real history of this era and how Cato blended that into this new world. I enjoyed reading this and am glad it was included.
Overall I adored this book. It is beautifully written, creative, and engaging. I loved the characters, the world, and the plot. I would highly recommend to both fantasy and steampunk fans out there. I also really enjoyed Cato’s Clockwork Dagger Duology; however this book was a step up from that in complexity and creativity.
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only disappointment...it’s a stand alone...I was desperately hoping for more adventures with these characters.I loved the alternate history here, it was very creative and incredibly well put together. Cato wrote the book in such a way that you really get a sense of the broader world and the issues the world is dealing with.
The characters were amazing. Ingrid is a female geomancer (unheard of until now) and she tries to make her way through life without causing too much upset to those around her; although this frustrates her at times. She is a wonderfully strong female but strong more in spirit and intelligence than action-hero-like strong. I really enjoyed her a lot and loved some of the revelations about her geomancy powers.
The plot is somewhat investigative and somewhat political with many delightful steampunk devices and of course geomancy throughout, there is a lot of action and even some romance as well. I really enjoyed the blend of genres in here. The way geomancy was described and explored was fascinating.
My only disappointment is that this is a stand alone. I desperately want to read more about this world and these characters. While the main storyline is wrapped up decently there are a lot of loose ends that weren’t taken care of. Maybe there will be a couple companion novels?
There is a very nice Afterward that explains the real history of this era and how Cato blended that into this new world. I enjoyed reading this and am glad it was included.
Overall I adored this book. It is beautifully written, creative, and engaging. I loved the characters, the world, and the plot. I would highly recommend to both fantasy and steampunk fans out there. I also really enjoyed Cato’s Clockwork Dagger Duology; however this book was a step up from that in complexity and creativity.
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LibraryThing member jennybeast
In general, I'm a fan of Beth Cato, although she walks the line of too much stuff going on to the detriment of the story. However, I definitely feel like her writing just keeps getting better and better, so this is an exciting new world from her.
Very original, very interesting weaving of San
I appreciate the diversity of the characters (asian, hawaiian, unknown, trans) the strong heroine, the interesting the magics (geomancers!) and the airships (yay). I like both the compassion displayed and the thorny-ness of the problems they face. Also, btw, kick-ass adventure. I can't wait to see where this goes next.
Very original, very interesting weaving of San
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Francisco history with a magical influences and I like the pointed exaggeration of the brutal havoc caused by colonialism in India and China, and the oppression of Chinese immigrants to the US-- not that her world exaggerates the reality all that much, but that the alternative history is set up to focus on it in a way that most history books do not. I appreciate the diversity of the characters (asian, hawaiian, unknown, trans) the strong heroine, the interesting the magics (geomancers!) and the airships (yay). I like both the compassion displayed and the thorny-ness of the problems they face. Also, btw, kick-ass adventure. I can't wait to see where this goes next.
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LibraryThing member lexilewords
Overall I enjoyed this first entry and found it to be mostly engaging.
Some of my problems lay in the fact so very much happens with so many different pieces. They would overlap and caused some confusion for me as I couldn't quite keep a grasp of who was working with who while betraying who else.
I
I loved Fenris and tolerated Cy. He sometimes was a bit milquetoast for me and the section with his past catching up to him at the theatre dragged done the pacing.
Some of my problems lay in the fact so very much happens with so many different pieces. They would overlap and caused some confusion for me as I couldn't quite keep a grasp of who was working with who while betraying who else.
I
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also wasn't keen on how many guys SQUEALED. Lee was big on this and it got annoying.I loved Fenris and tolerated Cy. He sometimes was a bit milquetoast for me and the section with his past catching up to him at the theatre dragged done the pacing.
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