Lumiere: The Illumination Paradox by Jacqueline Garlick is the first book in this series.
The book sucks the reader in from the very first scene at the carnival, and each individual scene along the way is important to the plot and the characterization. Both main characters, Eyelet and Urlick, grow from beginning to end, and the additional characters are important and meaningful. Each character has some physical flaw which does not change their value to one another which is a welcome change from perfect boyfriends, amazing magicians, and other unrealistic characters usually found in this genre.
Although the book is set in the Victorian Age (the dates clearly put it in the 1890's), it's not a familiar London or United Kingdom. It's set in the Commonwealth, and the utopian Bretheren and Academy have become corrupt. The characters live in a dystopian world forever changed by an event in their childhood, where both of their fathers worked for the Bretheren. Since that event, the air, water, and world has been corrupted, and the Commonwealth has been changed. Outside the Commonwealth are zombies and ghouls as a corruption of the people.
Eyelet and Urlick must work together, each hoping that the machine built by their fathers holds a cure for them (Eyelet's epilepsy and Urlick's birth mark). As they come together, their romance blossoms. As in most romance, their relationship grows quickly and their attraction is intense, a relationship forged in desperate times full of teen angst. Despite their physical flaws, both Eyelet and Urlick are capable creators, and the book is full of wonderful steampunk creations with just a hint of magic thrown in.
I enjoyed and recommend this book.Book 2, Noir, will be available soon and is also a great read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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