Ink, Iron, and Glass

Description:

Can she write a world gone wrong?

A certain pen, a certain book, and a certain person can craft entirely new worlds through a branch of science called scriptology. Elsa comes from one such world that was written into creation, where her mother—a noted scriptologist—constantly alters and expands their reality.

But when her home is attacked and her mother kidnapped, Elsa is forced to cross into the real world and use her own scriptology gifts to find her. In an alternative Victorian Italy, Elsa finds a secret society of young scientists with a gift for mechanics, alchemy, or scriptology—and meets Leo, a gorgeous mechanist with a smart mouth and tragic past. She recruits the help of these fellow geniuses just as an assassin arrives on their doorstep.

In debut author Gwendolyn Clare's thrilling Ink, Iron, and Glass, worlds collide as Elsa unveils a deep political conspiracy seeking to unlock the most dangerous weapon ever created—and only she can stop it.

My Thoughts:

I wasn't looking to start this book because the reviews are not very good at hashtagging it. One says it is SF (science fiction)/ It is not. It takes place in an alternative Victorian Italy. Not my definition of science fiction. Another says it is a steampunk fantasy. I think that is closest but I was not looking for a steampunk fantasy.

I only started this because Net Galley offered up the second book in this series as an advanced digital copy and my local library had the first book available, so I read it. I admit, I was wrong.

This book was exciting. I liked the steampunk aspect, the Victorian Italy and the undercurrents of Indigenous decolonization and political intrigue. It reminded me of Cornelia Funke's Inkheart  but for older teens. This is another minority, girl power, action. Not enough is said about the main character, Elsa as an Indigenous character, but she definitely faces the same kind of colonization and racism. I want to explore that further as the books continue.