The Boneshaker: 11/17/13

I can't recall where I first heard of The Boneshaker by Kate Milford. I do remember that it came with a warning to not be confused by Cherie Priest's Boneshaker which came out the year before (and is still on my TBR). I would like to thank the person who recommended it to me as it's a great book in either audio or print.

Natalie Minks is thirteen. She loves all things mechanical and knows all the cars that have been sweeping the nation in the last decade. Her father is a mechanic and has built for her, from bits and pieces, a custom bike. The frame, a Chesterlane, is also known as a boneshaker because it will knock you about until you get it up to speed. Getting up to speed, though, is no easy task as Natalie has been painfully learning.

But, this isn't just about a girl in 1913 learning how to conquer her custom bike. No. That's just the back drop. Instead, what unfolds can best be described as a mixture of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and Supernatural's take on the crossroads folklore.

All of these stories come together in the town of Arcane, a mile or so away from a crossroads. Around the time of the civil war, the old village (located at the crossroads) became a ghost town. Natalie's mother has stories about the event and other stories about some of the more colorful characters in Arcane.

When Dr. Jake Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show is stranded in Arcane, Natalie must face the possibility that her mother's stories might be true. She also comes to realize that she might be the only one to save Arcane.

Originally I listened to the audio (just as I did with Night Circus). It makes an excellent audio. But there are so many scenes just crying out for illustration that I decided to see how the book looked in print. It is a gorgeous piece of work, with typeface treatments in the style of the era, and pencil drawings by Andrea Offermann.

I highly recommend reading the book both ways.

Five stars

Comments (4)

Comment #1: Sunday, November, 17, 2013 at 15:56:17

Anastasia @ Here There Be Books

I really enjoyed The Boneshaker, too! (Also enjoyed Cherie Priest's Boneshaker, for that matter.) The sequel just came out recently, too. Exciting!

Comment #2: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 11:02:55

Pussreboots

I have so much reading to catch up on. I'm especially bad at series.

Comment #3:Monday, November, 18, 2013 at 20:51:58

darla d

This sounds good! I've had Cherie Priest's Boneshaker on my list for ages, too. I'll have to add this one as well!

Comment #4: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 11:04:05

Pussreboots

It's very good in both forms I read it.