Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick- The Illumination Paradox #1 Publication date: December 12th 2013 Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult

 

Synopsis: Even in a land of eternal twilight, secrets can’t stay hidden forever. Seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth is no stranger to living in the dark. She’s hidden her secret affliction all of her life—a life that would be in danger if superstitious townspeople ever guessed the truth. After her mother is accused and executed for a crime that she didn’t commit, the now-orphaned Eyelet has no choice but to track down the machine—her last hope for a cure. But Eyelet’s late father’s most prized invention, the Illuminator, has been missing since the day of the mysterious flash—a day that saw the sun wiped out over Brethren forever. Alone and on the run, she finds the Illuminator—only to witness a young man hauling it away. Determined to follow the thief and recover the machine, she ventures into the deepest, darkest, most dangerous part of her twisted world.

 

 

 

Purchase Lumiere at Amazon / Barnes & Noble

 

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I'm Jacqueline Garlick, author of young adult and new adult fiction. I love strong heroines, despise whiny sidekicks, and adore a good story about a triumphant underdog. (Don't you?) I love to read, write, paint (walls and paper).

 

I have a love/hate relationship with chocolate, grammar, and technology and would rather hang out with a dog, than a cat. I prefer creating things to cleaning things, and believe laughter is a one-stop-shop solution to all that ails you. You will always find a purple wall (or two) in my house (currently in my writing room), and there may or may not be a hidden passageway that leads to a mystery room. (Okay, so you won't find a hidden passageway, but a girl can dream, can't she?) Oh, and tea. There will always be tea.

 

My writing style has been described as edgy and rule-breaking, and by some--a touch Tim Burton-esque. Because of this, I am often referred to as the Quentin Tarantino of YA among writing friends. In my former life, I was a teacher (both grade school and college-don't ask), but more recently I've been a graduate of Ellen Hopkin's Nevada Mentor Program and a student of James Scott Bell, Christopher Vogler and Don Maass. An excerpt from Lumière earned me the 2012 Don Maass Break Out Novel Intensive Scholarship. Lumière--A Romantic Steampunk Fantasy--my debut novel, is the recipient of an indieBRAG Medallion!!! B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree October 15, 2014) I am so proud! Book II of the ILLUMINATION PARADOX SERIES, is out January 26th, now on pre-order.

 

Also, check out my young adult contemporary romantic/mystery serial, IF ONLY, where reluctant telepathic sleuth Kyla Cooper must embrace her powers and risks all to solve the mystery of what happened to her boyfriend Denver Munro, becoming his voice of truth, before he has no voice at all...

 

I'm open to reviews and interview, requests for skype visits, guest blogs, pod casts and book club meetings! I LOVE TO HEAR FROM READERS!

 

Contact Jacqueline on: FB / Website / Twitter / Pinterest / Goodreads / Blog

 

 

Moonlight Reader started the TBR Thursday, and I think it's a good way to a) show what new books I've got and b) confront myself with my inability to lower my TBR. In fact, since I started recording it, it has risen significantly. I get the feeling I'm doing something wrong here...

 

My computer is giving up I think. It has shut itself down thrice in the last hour, which is not only very annoying but also worrying me. So this is going to be a fast post. I haven't read that much these last two weeks. (I never read a lot when I'm on holidays and somehow I'm not really feeling like reading the last week). Also, my Kobo is having troubles yet again and I haven't yet figured out how to solve it. 

Lumiere has only made me love steam punk even more. It was a fantastic book - full of adventure, amazing contraptions, and a dash of romance. Out two main characters are refreshingly imperfect. While Eyelet may be beautiful, her seizures are slowly ruining her life and place her at risk of being institutionalized - she must hide them from everyone. On the other hand, Urlick is in perfect health but has a physical "deformity" that ostracizes him from society. But that's not the only secrets these two keep from each other.

They are both in search of a fantastic machine, the Illuminator. Both hoping to use the amazing device to cure themselves - to make them perfect. But as they search for the key to running the machine they uncover so much more - about the machine and about a sinister plot for ultimate power. Throughout their adventure they rely on many of Urlick's amazing (and very unusual) inventions - including Bertie who is just adorable, and Eyelet's quick thinking and problem solving.

I mentioned that I loved the gadgets. They were spectacular and unique. Many that seemed to be just window dressing on the world ended up being very important to the story - so pay attention!! I love when a book can tie up all the loose ends so neatly and completely. The machines really put the finishing touches on this well developed world and brought it to life (with a little help from the ravens).

The ending was very satisfying, but as with most series, did have a cliffhanger. The main story seems to be resolved (for the most part) with a whole new adventure set up by how the first one ends - definitely want to read the next to see what other fun things will be thrown my way.

*This book was received in exchange for an honest review*

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Although her father gave away the invention meant to cure her before he died, Eyelet is determined to hunt down his invention and use it herself. In a world where madness is treated without mercy, the machine may be her only hope to cure her seizures. However, her father’s power hungry colleague, Professor Smrt, is determined to beat her to it. When she finds it at last, it’s only to watch Urlick Babbit steal it before she can. In order to defeat Smrt, she and Urlick will have to face many dangers together, including the machine which may turn out to be the greatest danger of all. (adapted from goodreads)

Jacqueline Garlick has definitely mastered that most talked about technique – showing instead of telling. This book was action packed right from the beginning and while it took me a bit to orient myself in the original world she’s created, I loved every minute of it. I’ve only read a little steampunk, but to me at least, many of her creative imaginings of that kind of world were brilliantly novel. Her hero and heroine were equally unique, with features that distinguish them dramatically from the annoyingly unrealistic perfect heros and heroines who populates so many YA stories. This only made them more likable. They each had their quirks and insecurities which contributed to the realistic romance that followed. Unlike in many books, I can point to specific reasons the characters like each other, a fact that makes a romance feel far less cliche.

My only problem with the book is the pacing. While more realistic than most, the romance progressed fairly quickly. The adventures were exciting, but the hero and heroine were so often in near death situations that they lost their emotional impact. By the end, they could be gasping their last breath and I wouldn’t be too concerned, because they’ve survived everything already! Despite my lack of worry for the characters, I was sad to come to a cliff-hanger ending. While I’m sure everything will work out, I wanted to know what came next. I really became invested in this fantastic world and the fates of these unique protagonists. I can’t wait to read more! I would recommend this to any fan of steampunk, but also to fans of realistic romance and of gothic stories since this had a distinctly gothic feel at times.

This review first published on Doing Dewey.