An exciting steampunk... Gears of Revolution by J. Scott Savage (Blog Tour Review)


I absolutely loved the first book in this series, Fires of Invention, that I read last year (you can see my review here). In fact, it made my top reads from 2015. Needless to say, I've been dying for book two! Read on below to see what I thought...

Gears of Revolution (Mysteries of Cove, #2)
Gears of Revolution
(Mysteries of Cove #2)
by J. Scott Savage
MG/YA Dystopian, Steampunk
Hardcover, Paperback, & ebook, 352 Pages
September 20th 2016 by Shadow Mountain

Summary

After finding a compass and clues left by Kallista’s father, Leo Babbage, Trenton and Kallista head west aboard their homemade mechanical dragon to search for the missing inventor. The two teenagers hope to find answers about their mountain city of Cove, but instead, they find only a blackened forest, ruined buildings, and a small underground city. 

Almost immediately, Trenton and Kallista are caught up in a civil war between a clan of scavengers called Whipjacks and the Order of the Beast, people who believe that dragons are immortal and divine. 

Stranded in a new city, the two friends meet Plucky, a Whipjack girl with mechanical legs, and Ander, a young member of the Order who claims humans are able to communicate with dragons. Can they trust anyone, or have they unknowingly stepped into a trap?

And high above in the sky, the dragons are gathering . . .

 
  
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My Review

GEARS OF REVOLUTION was another engrossing story full of adventure, danger, friendship, family, and deception, with a group of characters who will do anything to protect the ones they love while also trying to find out the truth. Perfect for fans of steampunk, dystopian, and the middle grade genre.

I really like the two main characters in this series, as well as all the quirky characters they pick up along the way. Trenton is definitely the calmer member of the team, while Kallista is spontaneous and feisty. They both balance each other quite well. I also liked that their friendship works for me. It comes across as realistic, even when they have issues. In fact, I think their issues actually make it feel more authentic.

The story moves at a steady pace. It was interesting reading about the various dragons and the areas and people Trenton and Kallista explore and meet. There were a few places in this one where things didn't quite work for me or where I could see how they were being trapped and where they should have avoided it that didn't quite feel right, but otherwise everything fell into place. There are still questions left unanswered and plenty of dragons to fight, so I'm looking forward to seeing where the journey takes these characters in the third book.  

In the end, was it what I wished for? There were plenty of dragon sightings, adventure, danger, a few questions answered, and some serious villainous plotting going on, which is what I was looking for. A few hangups, but nothing major. I can't wait for book three!

Content: Some violence.

Source: Received a complimentary ARC from the publisher and also purchased a copy, which did not affect my review in any way.

Other Books in the Series

Fires of Invention (Mysteries of Cove, #1)
Fires of Invention
(Mysteries of Cove #1)
by J. Scott Savage
MG/YA Dystopian, Steampunk
Hardcover, Paperback, & ebook, 370 Pages
September 29th 2015 by Shadow Mountain

Summary

Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and “invention” is a curse word.

Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter of the notorious Leo Babbage, whose father died in an explosion—an event the leaders of Cove point to as an example of the danger of creativity.

Working together, Trenton and Kallista learn that Leo Babbage was developing a secret project before he perished. Following clues he left behind, they begin to assemble a strange machine that is unlikely anything they’ve ever seen before. They soon discover that what they are building may threaten every truth their city is founded on—and quite possibly their very lives.

Read my five-star review here.

 
 
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About the Author




J. Scott Savage is the author of the Farworld middle grade fantasy series and the Case File 13 middle grade monster series. He has been writing and publishing books for over ten years. He has visited over 400 elementary schools, dozens of writers conferences, and taught many writing classes. He has four children and lives with his wife Jennifer and their Border Collie, Pepper, in a windy valley of the Rocky Mountains.



Shadow Mountain Publishing -


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