Lumiere by Jacqueline E. Garlick

By: Unknown on Sunday, February 23, 2014

Title:  Lumiere

Series:  The Illumination Paradox #1

Author:  Jacqueline E. Garlick

Published:  December 12th 2013 by Amazemo Books (first published October 26th 2013)

Length:  335pgs

Format:  ecopy

Genre:  YA Steampunk

Shelf:  review

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:

One determined girl. One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy everything.

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own.

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.

My Review:

This story is intensely captivating and fast paced, drawing you in and keeping you from escaping. Garlick makes you feel like you’re part of the story. I found myself perpetually racing forward to find out what would happen next. I loved how she gave a look into the main character at a younger age, giving us some necessary background info at the same time, before jumping to the present day and the story proper. She combines a post-apocalyptic type world with the thrill of magic and science in a seamless storyline that really gets to you. And she does all of this in a very well written and easy to follow manner. Garlick paints a fantasy world for her audience with her words, creating the whole picture.

I found myself falling in love with this cast of characters. I fully admit that there were a few that had me thinking ‘did you really just…’ but they added a full bodied flavour to the cast. The dialogue in this novel is another key component to Garlicks all-round character development. It flows so naturally. It makes the characters seem even more real throughout.

Garlick has added a little something for everyone into this amazing tale. I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

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