Editorial Content for Steeplejack
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Matthew Burbridge
STEEPLEJACK, the first book in a new young adult series by A.J. Hartley, is, in the simplest terms, a fantasy novel. Although fantasy is the genre it has been wedged into, I will tell you now that it is much bigger than that. STEEPLEJACK is a fantastic detective-noir story set in a steampunk South Africa. It has all the trappings of a great detective story, including a main character with only good intentions and a bad reputation, a dead innocent in the opening, a wide-spread web of conspiracy, fast-talking interrogations and shady dealings --- just to get any interested parties ready! Read More
Teaser
Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga lives repairing the chimneys, towers and spires of the city of Bar-Selehm. When Ang is supposed to meet her new apprentice Berrit, she instead finds him dead. That same night, the Beacon, an invaluable historical icon, is stolen. The Beacon’s theft commands the headlines, yet no one seems to care about Berrit’s murder --- except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician. When he offers her a job investigating his death, she plunges headlong into new and unexpected dangers.
Promo
Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga lives repairing the chimneys, towers and spires of the city of Bar-Selehm. When Ang is supposed to meet her new apprentice Berrit, she instead finds him dead. That same night, the Beacon, an invaluable historical icon, is stolen. The Beacon’s theft commands the headlines, yet no one seems to care about Berrit’s murder --- except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician. When he offers her a job investigating his death, she plunges headlong into new and unexpected dangers.
About the Book
Seventeen-year-old Anglet Sutonga, Ang for short, repairs the chimneys, towers, and spires of Bar-Selehm, the ethnically-diverse industrial capital of a land resembling Victorian South Africa. The city was built on the trade of luxorite, a priceless glowing mineral. When the Beacon, a historical icon made of luxorite, is stolen, it makes the headlines. But no one cares about the murder of Ang’s new apprentice, Berrit --- except for Josiah Willinghouse, an enigmatic young politician, who offers Ang a job investigating Berrit’s death. On top of this, Ang struggles with the responsibility of caring for her sister’s newborn child.
As political secrets unfold and racial tensions surrounding the Beacon's theft rise, Ang navigates the constricting traditions of her people, the murderous intentions of her former boss, and the conflicting impulses of a fledgling romance. With no one to help her except a savvy newspaper girl and a kindhearted herder from the savannah, Ang must resolve the mysterious link between Berrit and the missing Beacon before the city is plunged into chaos.
A fresh take on historical fantasy attune to today’s demand for multicultural YA, STEEPLEJACK will resonate with readers of all ages.
Like many of us, author Tracy Deebs grew up idolizing superheroes. As an adult, Deebs used these pop culture stars to enhance her fun writing style. In her thoughtful blog, Deebs discusses the heroes who most influenced her writing today. Her vivid descriptions of Wonder Woman's knee-high red boots and golden lasso demonstrate the importance of costume and style --- it's all about the details! Her love of bad boys like Batman and strong, independent women like Wonder Woman gives us a glimpse at the types of superheroes readers are introduced to in her exciting Hero Agenda series, co-written with Tera Lynn Childs.
June 9, 2016
This Bookreporter.com Special Newsletter spotlights a book that we think is a great summer reading selection. Read more about it, and enter our Summer Reading Contest by Friday, June 10th at 11:59am ET for a chance to win one of five copies of KITCHENS OF THE GREAT MIDWEST by J. Ryan Stradal, which is now available in paperback. Please note that each contest is only open for 24 hours, so you will need to act quickly!
Karl LagerfeldI don’t like standard beauty --- there is no beauty without strangeness. AttributionKarl Lagerfeld
Editorial Content for The Cresswell PlotBookContributorsReviewer (text)Isabel C., Teen Board Member
THE CRESSWELL PLOT is a standalone contemporary novel by debut author Eliza Wass. This book has an amazing premise, but is so weird that it might turn some away. Read More TeaserCastella Cresswell and her five siblings know what it's like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father. Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. Castley's world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father's grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Promo
Castella Cresswell and her five siblings know what it's like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father. Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. Castley's world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father's grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind.
About the Book
The woods were insane in the dark, terrifying and magical at the same time. But best of all were the stars, which trumpeted their light into the misty dark.
Castella Cresswell and her five siblings --- Hannan, Casper, Mortimer, Delvive and Jerusalem --- know what it's like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father.
Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. But, at school, they're still the freaks they've always been to the outside world. Marked by their plain clothing. Unexplained bruising. Utter isolation from their classmates. That is, until Castley is forced to partner with the totally irritating, totally normal George Gray, who offers her a glimpse of a life filled with freedom and choice.
Castley's world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father's grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Just as she begins to form a plan, her father makes a chilling announcement: the Cresswells will soon return to their home in heaven. With time running out on all of their lives, Castley must expose the depth of her father's lies. The forest has buried the truth in darkness for far too long. Castley might be their last hope for salvation.
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