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The Clockwork Boys and The Wonder Engine
4/5. Duology (or at least the story ties off neatly after two books) about a reluctant team of criminals and a disgraced sort of knight-priest and a scholar-monk teaming up to stop the spread of mechanical soldiers.
Ah, these are lovely. I hadn't read any of her adult work (this is Ursula Vernon's pseud), and I found her brisk, funny, warm style translates beautifully from her juveniles. This has heart and humor and a lot of kindness, and it is hitting that perfect spot where ugh-I-have-to-team-up-with-these-assholes turns into this-is-my-family-only-I-can-hate-them. The magic of these books is like that – it consists of ancient mystery machines that eat objects and spit out something new. The trials these people go through are like that – you're never quite sure who will be transformed, and into what.
4/5. Duology (or at least the story ties off neatly after two books) about a reluctant team of criminals and a disgraced sort of knight-priest and a scholar-monk teaming up to stop the spread of mechanical soldiers.
Ah, these are lovely. I hadn't read any of her adult work (this is Ursula Vernon's pseud), and I found her brisk, funny, warm style translates beautifully from her juveniles. This has heart and humor and a lot of kindness, and it is hitting that perfect spot where ugh-I-have-to-team-up-with-these-assholes turns into this-is-my-family-only-I-can-hate-them. The magic of these books is like that – it consists of ancient mystery machines that eat objects and spit out something new. The trials these people go through are like that – you're never quite sure who will be transformed, and into what.