Mechanica By Betsy Cornwell ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers for allowing me to read and review Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell.

Mechanica is a YA (young adult) retelling of Cinderella filled with magical and steampunk elements. First off, Mechanica is not a copycat Cinder. I am not sure why everywhere I keep seeing that it is similar to Cinder. The only thing I found similar between the two is that they are both Cinderella retellings. Where Cinder is all about cyborgs and dystopia, Mechanica is very steampunk and it  is a closer retelling of Cinderella.

In Mechanica the main character, Nicolette, has lost both of her parents. Just like in Cinderella, she now she lives with her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. They make Nicolette clean, make their clothes, and cook for them. Overall, they just don't treat her very well. On Nicolette's sixteenth birthday she finds her deceased mother's secret workshop in the cellar. There she begins to create her own inventions like her mother used to do. Nicolette's sisters begin calling her Mechanica to demean her, but it ends up fitting her.

The inventions in Mechanica were my favorite park of the novel. I enjoyed the descriptions of the the inventions including the tiny metal horse Jules, the insects, and my personal favorite the glass slippers with the gears inside. I also enjoyed the magical aspect of the book that I had no idea would be in there. Surprise!

Of course there is also a prince and a ball, but is there a fairy tale ending? You will have to read for yourself to find out. Let me just say I would love to read a sequel.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mechanica and I recommend it for any fans of steampunk, fantasy, fae, and retellings.  The publication date for Mechanica is August 4, 2015.

Note: The picture used here is one I took of the cover of Mechanica on my iPad. I read the e-book on my iPad courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Follow