Review: Curio

Curio by Evangeline Denmark is a fantasy/steampunk novel for young adults. The storyline is fascinating and, even though I was a little confused at first, it still pulled me in because of the strangeness of the new world. I really appreciated the fact that the story started with instant action since I wasn't left any room to debate if I wanted to read this book. haha

Grey Haward knows something is different with her family, and she suspects it's with the potion/medicine that everyone is given so they can eat food normally. One day, it became time to test her theory when her friend, Whit, was taken away for being out after curfew. Once back, Grey is dismayed by Whit's extreme punishment and gives him her medicine so he can get better faster. Nervous that if she eats she'll be in debilitating pain, she doesn't eat all day. But later that night they get a visit from the Chemists coming to take Grey away, and her grandfather tells her to run to his shop.

Once at the shop, her grandfather's assistant pulls her to the curio cabinet and tells her to, "find him and bring him back." And with that, she is falling down into a new world with a very different sort of people living there.

This book has two of my favorite things: steampunk and fantasy. I loved the story! It kept me glued to the book until I finished it. The characters were intriguing, the worlds were fascinating, and the mission was mysterious. But there is one scene in the Curio that I strongly disliked. It was weird and creepy and definitely not fit for a book touted at being Christian fiction for young adults. The book was technically clean, but it went right to the edge of it. Honestly, I've read cleaner in non Christian fiction! Because of that, I'm lowering the stars. The story itself is a 5 star, but I'm rating it on everything, not just if she has well-developed characters and a great plot, but if I would want my teen reading it and the answer to that is NO. If you are published as Christian fiction then you need to be honorable to that moniker, and I'm sorry but this book does not fit those guidelines. I was so disappointed that such a great book ended up being one that I could not recommend. :-(

I was given this book for free from Booklook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

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