The Peculiar
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Publication: September 18th, 2012 by HarperCollins/Greenwillow
Audiobook provided by publisher
Rating:
Don’t get yourself noticed and you won’t get yourself hanged.In the faery slums of Bath, Bartholomew Kettle and his sister Hettie live by these words. Bartholomew and Hettie are changelings–Peculiars–and neither faeries nor humans want anything to do with them.
One day a mysterious lady in a plum-colored dress comes gliding down Old Crow Alley. Bartholomew watches her through his window. Who is she? What does she want? And when Bartholomew witnesses the lady whisking away, in a whirling ring of feathers, the boy who lives across the alley–Bartholomew forgets the rules and gets himself noticed.
First he’s noticed by the lady in plum herself, then by something darkly magical and mysterious, by Jack Box and the Raggedy Man, by the powerful Mr. Lickerish . . . and by Arthur Jelliby, a young man trying to slip through the world unnoticed, too, and who, against all odds, offers Bartholomew friendship and a way to belong.
Mystery and magic interweave into this fascinating middle grade debut!
What’s Hidden in the Faery Slums?
One of the interesting things about The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann, is the way history and fantasy are blended together in a Steampunk-esque fashion. Barty Kettle and his sister Hettie live sad, shut in lives in this rebooted, Victorian version of Bath. In a story reminiscent of Anne Frank, hidden away by their mother who fears for their lives should anyone find out that they’re changlings, Peculiars – half-human/half-fey – the children live their lives trying desperately never to be noticed. But when Barty’s only friend, the boy across the lane who occasionally waves to him, is kidnapped, Barty is noticed by the kidnapper and both he and his sister become targets.
Magic, Machines and Madness
Meanwhile, Arthur Jelliby, member of Parliament and general, genial slacker becomes entangled in the story when he inadvertently learns the mad secrets of Mr. Lickerish, the head of the Queen’s privy council. Reluctantly he finds himself traveling to Bath to prevent more changlings from being murdered and the story rolls through twist and turns to it’s ultimate, breathless cliffhanger!
Solid Middle Grade Fare with a Twist at the End
I liked the characters in this story. I enjoyed the mystery and adventure and the world Stefan Bachmann created, but there were points at the beginning that I found it a tad formulaic. Still, I give him extra credit for such a daring ending and will definitely read the next book in the series.
Bewitched Rating
Bottom Line
Entertaining characters and great world building which culminate in a killer cliffhanger make this Middle Grade story a sure to please read!
Get your own Audiobook at audible: The Peculiar (unabridged, 7hrs 35min)
I loved narrator, Peter Altschuler’s, accents and his ability to bring both a small girl and an ancient high faery to life with them. The audiobook is superbly crafted and even comes with music specific to the book, a nice treat at the end. If you like audiobooks, this one is for you!
Now go and get lost…in a book!
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Lover of words and authors; absolute fan girl of books! Give me a good story, with characters I can love (and hate) and I'll follow you anywhere. Sing me a song of worlds I can dream of, and I'll listen forever.
History, fantasy, and Steampunk???? I am reading this soon for sure. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
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Thanks, Becky! It was a really fast read too, very enjoyable. I hope you like it!!
Pushy recently posted..Author Spotlight: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans – & Giveaway!
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I love the blending of paranormal and steampunk with this one. And those poor kids, stuck away in some attic because of what they are. That would make me sad. But the story sounds great!
Mary @ BookSwarm recently posted..Speed Date with Uncle Sam: Election Day Reads
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It is. And don’t worry about the sad kids…it’s more Charles Dickens sad rather than Sophie’s Choice sad. 🙂
Pushy recently posted..Author Spotlight: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans – & Giveaway!
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I like the creepy “hide the kids away” plot behind this one. I also get excited when an author takes an already creepy setting and adds steampunk to it, that almost always equals cool. I hadn’t heard of this one before but I am always looking for good MG reads to get into. Great review!
Jenni @ Alluring Reads recently posted..Miles From Ordinary Review
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Jenni, you should definitely check this one out! It’s a solid MG read, very enjoyable!
Pushy recently posted..Author Spotlight: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans – & Giveaway!
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I loved this book! It reminded me of Neil Gaiman’s work combined with the feeling of reading Harry Potter 🙂 The characters and world-building are great indeed! I can’t wait to read the next book.
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted..Review 76. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest.
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Thanks, Mel! I’ve actually never read anything by Neil Gaiman (I know, I know…) but I agree, awesome world building!
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The cover is way cool!I a excited to see this blend of genres trickling down to the middle grader reads. This sounds like a lot of fun and now I am curious about that daring ending!
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The ending seriously had me shaking my iPod looking for the next chapter. It was crazy!
Pushy recently posted..Author Spotlight: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans – & Giveaway!
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This is on my most wanted list! I’ve wanted to read this one since I first heard of it! Unfortunately it’s been a crazy ton of new releases that I HAD to have and I haven’t been able to get it. And then there was the book fair at the school, so now I’m broke again. But one of these days I AM getting this book! I’m dying to read it and I’m glad it was a 4 star read for you!
Candace recently posted..Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray
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You should definitely grab it when you get the chance, Candace!!
Pushy recently posted..Author Spotlight: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans – & Giveaway!
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Too bad this is a bit formulaic, but so many MG books are. The concept at least sounds unique. I will have to read it.
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I found the mix of faeries and steampunk very interesting. I hope you like it!!!
Pushy recently posted..Author Spotlight: The Trouble with Fate by Leigh Evans – & Giveaway!
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I definitely want to read this one. I love MG books, although I read a lot less of them now. I am interested in this one, too. I’ve heard good things about it. Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review.
Quinn @ Quinn’s Book Nook recently posted..Feature and Follow Friday (12)
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