ARC Review : Emilie and the Hollow World

Emilie and the Hollow World

Author: Martha Wells

Publication date: Apr 2nd, 2013
Published by: Strange chemistry
Genre: YA, Sci-fi - Steampunk

Formats: ARC e-galley
Goodreads

While running away from home for reasons that are eminently defensible, Emilie’s plans to stow away on the steamship Merry Bell and reach her cousin in the big city go awry, landing her on the wrong ship and at the beginning of a fantastic adventure.

Taken under the protection of Lady Marlende, Emilie learns that the crew hopes to use the aether currents and an experimental engine, and with the assistance of Lord Engal, journey to the interior of the planet in search of Marlende’s missing father.

With the ship damaged on arrival, they attempt to traverse the strange lands on their quest. But when evidence points to sabotage and they encounter the treacherous Lord Ivers, along with the strange race of the sea-lands, Emilie has to make some challenging decisions and take daring action if they are ever to reach the surface world again.

Received as an ARC from the publishers in exchange for a review.

The book starts of with a bang, with Emilie boarding the wrong ship, the ship being attacked by dock-pirates and the beginning of her magical adventure to a world beneath our world, something along the lines of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth It was a good read that didn't really let down or slow down much, but this one seemed to be directed towards middle-grade rather than young-adult fiction.

The main character Emilie is certainly not a pushover nor does she unnecessarily butt in where she is not needed. You watch the character grow along with the book, getting braver and courageous.
This one is intentionally written with a feminist point of view, where the women are not looked down upon, but given lesser opportunities, and the two main female character's Emilie and Lady Marlende are both strong-willed and determined to get the job done just because it needs to be done and the ladies even end up  being the ones potentially getting the men out of trouble again and again.

One thing you should know. This one's pure adventure, no romance though there is a small potential towards the end but I'll tell you this, it was refreshing.

I enjoyed reading about Kenar and the rest of the different people from Hollow world and the descriptions of how they were different from us humans in their looks.
What I felt lacking was the fact that I wish there was more Ms.Wells could tell us about the world itself. There was not as much world-building as I would have liked.

This story is really original which is what I liked and the characters really good and relatable. This one reads reads more like a MG book than YA but a good enjoyable read all the same. Let's take this one more as an introduction to steampunk.

Yes, there are an equal number of negatives as positives. But this one is certain to keep you interested enough to keep reading. A waste of time? Certainly not. Thinking about picking this one? Go ahead.



Rating: 3.5 Quills

quill design: QioDen