The Peculiars
Author: Maureen Doyle McQuerry
Publisher: Amulet Books, 2012
Genre: YA Steampunk Fantasy
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On her 18th birthday, Lena Mattacascar decides to search for her father, who disappeared into the northern wilderness of Scree when Lena was young. Scree is inhabited by Peculiars, people whose unusual characteristics make them unacceptable to modern society. Lena wonders if her father is the source of her own extraordinary characteristics and if she, too, is Peculiar. On the train she meets a young librarian, Jimson Quiggley, who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the home and library of the inventor Mr. Beasley. The train is stopped by men being chased by the handsome young marshal Thomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lena's father is, he convinces her to spy on Mr. Beasley and the strange folk who disappear into his home, Zephyr House. A daring escape in an aerocopter leads Lena into the wilds of Scree to confront her deepest fears.
Doctors have declared that Lena has signs of globlinism, which makes her a Peculiar, and undesirable, a freak. Her mom and grandma have watched the symptoms develop over the years; how her feet grew longer, and how her fingers stretched out so long they looked like spider legs. But Lena will not believe this, at least, not until she finds her father and sees for herself if she really is the daughter of a goblin. So she sets out on an adventure to the land of Scree, a place where Peculiars abound. Along the way Lena will meet with friends and foes alike, the hardest part will be deciding who is who.
The Peculiars is an extraordinary mix of an 1800's world with steampunk tendencies, and the magic of the paranormal. With quirky names and fun characters, the story sets off with Lena's journey to Knob Knoster, the last town before Scree, where she hopes to find a guide. But her plans evaporate as she runs into trouble, and she ends up working as an assistant librarian and spying on the people at Zephyr House per request of the mysterious marshal. The house is pretty awesome with all the steam-powered gadgets and the library, but there are weird things going on and Lena needs to find out what. All she needs to remember is that things are never what they seem.
Lena is an incredible heroine. She's both insecure about her appearance because of her hands and feet, but also very brave and courageous when the time comes to defend her friends. This is the first time she's out in the world alone, and she's very grateful to have a friend in Jimson. He is all pro-science and no-nonsense, and he never imagined how much meeting Lena would change his life. He's a ball of energy and fun, talks a mile per minute, and isn't at all disgusted by Lena's spidery fingers—which, by the way, he finds beautifully delicate. There's a charming attraction between the two of them, and it was such a treat every time Lena made a cute commentary about it. I think there was even a time where she thought it was her "goblin thoughts" surfacing because proper ladies were not supposed to be that jealous!
The ending was amazing. After Lena realizes her mistake there is a fast paced escapade in an aerocopter, an action packed entrance into Scree territory, full of danger both of creature and humans alike. But then the story slows down the pace with all the traveling and stuff! Luckily it picks up later with more revelations and turning of events. The only thing I didn't get was that 1) there ARE Peculiars, 2) people KNOW about them, 3) Lena and her big hands are proof…so why did she need confirmation? Why was it such a big shocker when she got said confirmation? The other discoveries were pretty cool. The story doesn't end in a cliffhanger, but it leaves off a nice stage for a following book now that Lena has claimed her heritage!
*I received this book via Netgalley from the publisher*
Favorite Quotes:
Jimson, Lena realized, was staring at her in a strange way. She wore her hair down this morning, held back only with a wide blue ribbon. Yesterday's tightly wound braids had given her a headache. "What are you staring at?"
Jimson colored and looked away. "You look good even first thing in the morning," he muttered.
~
For someone who had never had much experience lying, Lena felt that she was doing a decent job. Not that she condoned lying, but if one had to, it was important to do it well, she thought.
~
"The trick isn't the crossing. It's how we'll eventually land."
"How does she land?" Jimson lovingly stroked the fabric walls of the aerocopter.
"I am not precisely sure, but I do have theories."
Jimson sighed. "This is the best day of my life."
