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gmamartha's review against another edition
1.0
This has a fantasy sticker on it. Not typical fantasy. Demonic, historic, supernatural, automata characters. I do not like it. It took 372 pages to get to a conclusion since there was so much in it. All that for another setting for 13-year-old girl to save the world (her town) story, battling her own wishes to save her family and have all return to normal.
readingjag's review against another edition
Just couldn't get into this one. Will try again later perhaps.
audreychamaine's review against another edition
3.0
The town of Arcane exists at a crossroads, a place of power where strange things can happen. Natalie Minks had grown up hearing strange stories from her mother, so she knows that there is something wrong about the new traveling medicine show that has come to town. As the story unfolds, she notices the show is filled with automata that seem to work without any source of force, something that is against the nature of physics itself. Natalie works to find out what is really happening at the show, and how she can stop it before it destroys her town.
The Boneshaker is a bit reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes with a bit of The Devil Went Down to Georgia mixed in. The story mentions deals with the devil, trickster demons, and the battle between good and evil. I enjoyed the parts of the story that were based on folk tales. Sometimes, the emphasis on historical detail slowed the story down for me. In fact, the beginning was very tough for me to get into; however, things picked up after about 100 pages. It's a good read for people who like a strong female protagonist, and carnival-atmosphere evil.
The Boneshaker is a bit reminiscent of Something Wicked This Way Comes with a bit of The Devil Went Down to Georgia mixed in. The story mentions deals with the devil, trickster demons, and the battle between good and evil. I enjoyed the parts of the story that were based on folk tales. Sometimes, the emphasis on historical detail slowed the story down for me. In fact, the beginning was very tough for me to get into; however, things picked up after about 100 pages. It's a good read for people who like a strong female protagonist, and carnival-atmosphere evil.
cimorene1558's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic! For about the first quarter I was a bit "meh", but it picked up shortly thereafter and I stayed up late to finish it. Creepy, cool, and with a fabulous female protagonist, this is a marvelous book!
brandypainter's review against another edition
5.0
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
I read The Broken Lands by Kate Milford a couple months ago and loved it. Loved it so much I nominated it for the Cybils. Loved it so much I immediately bought a copy of The Boneshaker, Milford's previous novel to which The Broken Lands is a prequel. Despite being a companion novel to The Broken Lands and having some of the same characters it is a very different book. And just as awesome.
Natalie is a true heroine. Her character is fleshed out so well that whenever the third person omniscient narration switched to a scene she wasn't in I was jolted hard in to remembering the book wasn't being narrated by her. She has such a strong voice and presence, while not actually telling the story herself. That is a well drawn character. She is smart, curious, gutsy, loyal, and determined. She is also afraid, and at times allows that fear to overwhelm her and step back from doing things she knows she should. Very realistic. She is one of those hero's whose "special", singled out for a purpose. However, Milford handled this in a way that was not tired or cliche. Natalie is being Natalie and, while she knows there is something different about her, she doesn't really realize what or begin to understand it. She does what she does because of the sort of person she is, not because of her abilities. The whole cast of supporting characters is wonderful as well. (Tom. Simon. Miranda. To name but a few.) I loved the characterization of Dr. Limberleg. He is the villain, but there is so much more to him than that. And of course he is not the ultimate villain.
The story here is a combination of folklore, mythology, historical fiction, and magic. I love how Milford combines all of these elements and the things she does with them. This is truly a thrilling-spine-tingling tale. I appreciate that it is creepy without being gory. I love the struggle between good and evil and the hope that the characters find even in their darkest moments.
Kate Milford spins great stories from beginning to end. All of the elements are put together just right. I'm so excited to have discovered her books this year. I am now desperate to read The Kairos Mechanism which takes place in Arcane before this story and is about Natalie too (yay!).
I read The Broken Lands by Kate Milford a couple months ago and loved it. Loved it so much I nominated it for the Cybils. Loved it so much I immediately bought a copy of The Boneshaker, Milford's previous novel to which The Broken Lands is a prequel. Despite being a companion novel to The Broken Lands and having some of the same characters it is a very different book. And just as awesome.
Natalie is a true heroine. Her character is fleshed out so well that whenever the third person omniscient narration switched to a scene she wasn't in I was jolted hard in to remembering the book wasn't being narrated by her. She has such a strong voice and presence, while not actually telling the story herself. That is a well drawn character. She is smart, curious, gutsy, loyal, and determined. She is also afraid, and at times allows that fear to overwhelm her and step back from doing things she knows she should. Very realistic. She is one of those hero's whose "special", singled out for a purpose. However, Milford handled this in a way that was not tired or cliche. Natalie is being Natalie and, while she knows there is something different about her, she doesn't really realize what or begin to understand it. She does what she does because of the sort of person she is, not because of her abilities. The whole cast of supporting characters is wonderful as well. (Tom. Simon. Miranda. To name but a few.) I loved the characterization of Dr. Limberleg. He is the villain, but there is so much more to him than that. And of course he is not the ultimate villain.
The story here is a combination of folklore, mythology, historical fiction, and magic. I love how Milford combines all of these elements and the things she does with them. This is truly a thrilling-spine-tingling tale. I appreciate that it is creepy without being gory. I love the struggle between good and evil and the hope that the characters find even in their darkest moments.
Kate Milford spins great stories from beginning to end. All of the elements are put together just right. I'm so excited to have discovered her books this year. I am now desperate to read The Kairos Mechanism which takes place in Arcane before this story and is about Natalie too (yay!).
bookgirl4ever's review against another edition
4.0
Natalie, a bit of a tomboy, lives in the dusty small western town Arcane located at some crossroads that hold great power for good and evil. One day an odd traveling medicine show stops in Arcane, claiming to be able to cure all ailments. Natalie and some other townspeople suspect Jake Limberleg cis a fake, and expect the residents to be swindled. But there is more to Limberleg and his cures. Natalie finds that Arcane and some of its residents, including her own family, have had supernatural and sometimes dark backgrounds.
I like the setting of this book. Small, Midwestern town in 1913, with an eerie background. While slow for some readers, this book is magical and spurs the imagination.
Recommended ages 12+.
I like the setting of this book. Small, Midwestern town in 1913, with an eerie background. While slow for some readers, this book is magical and spurs the imagination.
Recommended ages 12+.
cleah's review against another edition
5.0
Natalie's father built her the world's fastest bicycle. Trouble is, she can't ride it. Old Man Tom Guyot tells her all she needs a little more confidence. Then the mysterious Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show stops at the crossroads outside of town, and all of the residents of Arcane, Missouri is altered. Natalie feels a great shift in her world, but doesn't know what to do about it. Her mother is sick, her family is falling apart, and she doesn't trust the newcomers one bit. In a matter of mere days, Natalie will not only have to learn to ride her fancy bike, but will also have to figure out how to save her family, friends, and life as she knows it from impending doom.
The Boneshaker moved along at perfect story-telling pace. I loved the folk tales that popped up within the plot, as part of Arcane's history. Every small town has those stories that get passed down from generation to generation, and I got pleasure out of reading about Tom Guyot. Milford does an incredible job of describing every detail- of painting a beautiful picture of what Natalie is seeing, without bogging down the reader. An equally creepy and inspiring story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The Boneshaker moved along at perfect story-telling pace. I loved the folk tales that popped up within the plot, as part of Arcane's history. Every small town has those stories that get passed down from generation to generation, and I got pleasure out of reading about Tom Guyot. Milford does an incredible job of describing every detail- of painting a beautiful picture of what Natalie is seeing, without bogging down the reader. An equally creepy and inspiring story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
nssutton's review against another edition
I really struggled with this one. I was fascinated by the story - the traveling show arriving at a sleepy town, the fight between good and evil, proximity to a location where strange things happen (Buffy's Hellmouth, anyone?). It's so different from some of the other books nominated for the award, from the setting to the writing. Natalie is a strong character and the quasi-steampunk angle of automons was neatly done.
But the book itself was so hard to get through. It took me the better part of the week to wade through the first two-thirds of the book in a series of stops and starts. Once I got to the part, the good part, where all of the pieces came together, the remainder of the story slid by, but to get there was certainly a struggle. I wonder how much of this is my own interest in horror stories - little - and how much is Milford's pacing. The story builds things slowly and methodically, which readers of creepy, spooky stories will enjoy, but I prefer more of a combination of show and tell versus the late reveal.
But the book itself was so hard to get through. It took me the better part of the week to wade through the first two-thirds of the book in a series of stops and starts. Once I got to the part, the good part, where all of the pieces came together, the remainder of the story slid by, but to get there was certainly a struggle. I wonder how much of this is my own interest in horror stories - little - and how much is Milford's pacing. The story builds things slowly and methodically, which readers of creepy, spooky stories will enjoy, but I prefer more of a combination of show and tell versus the late reveal.
librariandest's review against another edition
2.0
I just couldn't get into this. I picked it up and put it down dozens of times, but it never stuck.
mahoganymystery's review against another edition
5.0
Kate Milford does it again. Milford does a great job as simplifying issues that people deal with in a way that's digestable. While this is technically Middle Grade, there were times I was pretty spooked! When you write a book about the Devil and a few demons what do you expect? This was definitely a strange and spooky read, but it was a quick one with a half resolved ending like real life, but spurring you on to the next book.
And by far my favorite part about Kate Milford's books is that each of them are connected in some way, shape, or form. This one just happens to be a man with a lantern and an eternally burning coal.
And by far my favorite part about Kate Milford's books is that each of them are connected in some way, shape, or form. This one just happens to be a man with a lantern and an eternally burning coal.