BOOK REVIEW: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

This is a book review for Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell. I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The scheduled publication date is August 18, 2015. 

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home. But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

This was an interesting take on the usual Cinderella story. There were many feminist undertones, which I loved. Nicolette was not like Cinderella, who spent all her time dreaming of the day when her prince would come to rescue her from her evil stepmother. No, she actually dreamed of the day when she could rescue herself. I can't tell you how refreshing that was. Nicolette finds a way to earn money without her stepmother knowing by selling some of her inventions. She is determined to save her money so she can get her own place and also evict her stepfamily from the home she grew up in with her parents. I loved that. No rescuing for this damsel. 

There was this kind of paranormal element that I don't think I was expecting. On her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette actually discovers a tiny horse named Jules (and some little mechanical minions) who is able to do basically whatever she trains them to do. They help her with her chores so she has more time to work on her inventions. I guess these minions were like Cinderella's mice in the movie. These minions were kind of awesome though. I want a little mechanical horse of my very own! What was kind of sad was that Jules became her only friend . . . that is, until she meets Caro and Fin. I loved the character of Caro. There was a "twist" regarding Fin, but it wasn't much of one. I am usually clueless about these things and even I saw it coming. There was also this insta-love thing, which I did not like. Yes, it's a retelling of Cinderella, so I guess it had to be there. But eh, I still disliked it. The good news is that she did not stop trying to achieve her dreams for Fin.

So here were a couple of issues I had with the book. First of all, there were several parts that dragged so much. The beginning was great while the author built the world up. Then . . . nothing for about 30% of the book. I mean, I just didn't care about Cinder's daily workings on her machines. These chapters did nothing to advance the plot. Then it seemed like everything happened at once. If you think you know how things will turn out for Nicolette and Fin, you don't. It really was not a traditional happily ever after that usually happens in fairy tales and I am really not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, the ending kind of came out of nowhere. On the other hand, it was a nice twist to the usual insta-love thing. And when I thought about it later, this was probable one of the more realistic portrayals of the insta-love thing I have seen in a while. Most of the story was resolved, but there is kind of an open ending, so there may be a sequel. 

Buy/Borrow/Skip: Borrow.