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A review by tmdavis
The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski
5.0
Another Cybil finalist. This one was excellent. Even though it is the first in a series it doesn't end with a cliffhanger ending--the book is a self-contained story (which is a plus for me, since I have trouble remembering things from book to book if I don't read them back to back).
Mikal Kronos is commissioned to make a clock for Prince Rodolfo of Bohemia because Mikal has a special talent with metals--he can move them with his mind. When he finishes the clock, the prince decides that he wants Mikal's eyes. So he has Mikal's eyes gouged out and enspelled so that he can wear them (which means that he also had his own eyes gouged out, voluntarily, and enspelled so that he can wear them too). When the prince's men bring Mikal back home, Petra, his 12 year old daughter is horrified at his condition. Eventually, she decides (with the help of her tin spider, Astrophil) to go to the castle and steal her father's eyes back. In doing so, she meets up with a varied cast of characters from the gypsy boy Neel to the dye maker, Iris (who can be very acidic, literally).
I loved this book. The writing was tight and the characters were real and it was exactly the right length coming in at just over 250 pages. I can't wait to see what the author does with her next book. Petra does not know if she has magic or not but her father's payment for making the clock (and the clock, what an interesting concept) was for Petra to be schooled at the Academy where those with magic are taught how to use and control it. The author leaves us with the impression that Petra will have some type of magic but we aren't really sure what it will be--the only inclination we have in the book is that Petra teaches herself to talk to Astrophil using her mind. A++++
Mikal Kronos is commissioned to make a clock for Prince Rodolfo of Bohemia because Mikal has a special talent with metals--he can move them with his mind. When he finishes the clock, the prince decides that he wants Mikal's eyes. So he has Mikal's eyes gouged out and enspelled so that he can wear them (which means that he also had his own eyes gouged out, voluntarily, and enspelled so that he can wear them too). When the prince's men bring Mikal back home, Petra, his 12 year old daughter is horrified at his condition. Eventually, she decides (with the help of her tin spider, Astrophil) to go to the castle and steal her father's eyes back. In doing so, she meets up with a varied cast of characters from the gypsy boy Neel to the dye maker, Iris (who can be very acidic, literally).
I loved this book. The writing was tight and the characters were real and it was exactly the right length coming in at just over 250 pages. I can't wait to see what the author does with her next book. Petra does not know if she has magic or not but her father's payment for making the clock (and the clock, what an interesting concept) was for Petra to be schooled at the Academy where those with magic are taught how to use and control it. The author leaves us with the impression that Petra will have some type of magic but we aren't really sure what it will be--the only inclination we have in the book is that Petra teaches herself to talk to Astrophil using her mind. A++++