The Peculiars is the story of Lena Mattacascar, a teenager who doesn't understand why her hands and feet are so gangly and long and why she isn't like other girls and especially why her grandmother calls her a goblin. Lena's father, who she has not seen since she was a little girl, has disappeared to the far north in a wilderness called Scree. There it is said that Peculiars live, people unacceptable to modern society as well as those who are "strange" Or have "unnatural talents." On her eighteenth birthday Lena decides to go to Scree and search for her gather. on the train journey there she meets a young librarian named Jimson Quiggley who is traveling to a town on the edge of Scree to work in the private home and library of a Mr Beasely. En route, the train is stopped by wanted men who are being chased by the handsome young marshal!, Tomas Saltre. When Saltre learns who Lean's gather is he is most interested and follows her to the northern city where the two spy on Quiggly and Mr. Beasly. Thus begins a love triangle between Lena, Quiggly and Saltre as well as the strange tale of Mr. Beesly, his home called Zephyr House and the strange folks who go there but who never come out again.
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About the Author
Maureen Doyle McQuerry has taught for 20 years, specialising in young-adult literature and writing.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Kate Phillips
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
I was so excited to read this book. It's a YA steampunk book!! I was absolutely chomping at the bit to get into it. The description and cover were amazing and I had a big idea of what this book would be like. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
I was disappointed in this book. It was not what I was expecting at all. The pace moved so slowly and I found myself skimming. There were moments where things got exciting and I thought that the book was finally on the right track...but then those moments faded away and it was back to being boring again.
Another problem is that nothing is really explained. The book started and by chapter 3 I still wasn't sure who was who and what was going on. The characters are introduced so quietly that you almost miss them. I just wanted more background, more explanations for what was going on. Nothing or no-one was fleshed out which was such a shame.
There was a good idea in here. It had the potential to go far but it just stalled and flailed into nothing.
The characters are alright. There is no-one that I felt a connection for. I think you need to have a female lead in books like this that you can get behind. Unfortunately Lena, at times was just really annoying. She acted like a fourteen year old instead of an eighteen year old a majority of the time. Especially if she was around a boy. She had some moments of growth towards the end but really it wasn't enough.
I think that this is not really a steampunk novel. There are a few things here and there but really there is not enough to class this as steampunk, so if that is what you are looking for then I think you will be disappointed.
Another annoyance is the chapter titles.... Read more ›
I was disappointed in this book. It was not what I was expecting at all. The pace moved so slowly and I found myself skimming. There were moments where things got exciting and I thought that the book was finally on the right track...but then those moments faded away and it was back to being boring again.
Another problem is that nothing is really explained. The book started and by chapter 3 I still wasn't sure who was who and what was going on. The characters are introduced so quietly that you almost miss them. I just wanted more background, more explanations for what was going on. Nothing or no-one was fleshed out which was such a shame.
There was a good idea in here. It had the potential to go far but it just stalled and flailed into nothing.
The characters are alright. There is no-one that I felt a connection for. I think you need to have a female lead in books like this that you can get behind. Unfortunately Lena, at times was just really annoying. She acted like a fourteen year old instead of an eighteen year old a majority of the time. Especially if she was around a boy. She had some moments of growth towards the end but really it wasn't enough.
I think that this is not really a steampunk novel. There are a few things here and there but really there is not enough to class this as steampunk, so if that is what you are looking for then I think you will be disappointed.
Another annoyance is the chapter titles.... Read more ›
Format:Hardcover
On her 18th birthday Lena Mattacascar decides to leave the safety of home and travel to the dangerous and wild lands of Scree to find her father and discover the truth behind her goblin-like hands and feet. On her journey she meets young Jimson Quiggley on his way to start a new life as librarian to Mr Beasley at Zephyr House, and he offers Lena a job and a safe haven when she needs it. But as the hunt for peculiars increases, Lena, Jimson and the eccentric Mr Beasley must flee to Scree to survive.
Lena is on a journey of self discovery as she heads off to Scree to find out who her father really is and if the rumours of her being descended from a goblin are true. As being a peculiar is a considered shameful and peculiars are treated with discrimination, contempt and mistrust, Lena tries to hide her hands and feet and who she really is. As she travels further north though, she is faced with people who accept her for who she is and others who vilify her, and she must learn to stand up for herself and accept herself no matter what. She does this with courage and bravery, and she was a great protagnoist for the story.
The most intriguing characters for me were the inventor Mr Beasley and his mysterious cat. Mr Beasley was an eccentric, missing his eyebrows, and able to invent pretty much anything; and he was constantly joined by his cat, who seems to be rather human-like and hyper-intelligent and potentially hiding some deep dark secret. I loved the mystery surrounding this unusual pair and the fact that they seemed to somehow know everything and could pretty much solve anything too.
I was intrigued to find out who the peculiars might be. Do they have special abilities? Are their abnormalities just genetic anomalies? Is Lena one or not?... Read more ›
Lena is on a journey of self discovery as she heads off to Scree to find out who her father really is and if the rumours of her being descended from a goblin are true. As being a peculiar is a considered shameful and peculiars are treated with discrimination, contempt and mistrust, Lena tries to hide her hands and feet and who she really is. As she travels further north though, she is faced with people who accept her for who she is and others who vilify her, and she must learn to stand up for herself and accept herself no matter what. She does this with courage and bravery, and she was a great protagnoist for the story.
The most intriguing characters for me were the inventor Mr Beasley and his mysterious cat. Mr Beasley was an eccentric, missing his eyebrows, and able to invent pretty much anything; and he was constantly joined by his cat, who seems to be rather human-like and hyper-intelligent and potentially hiding some deep dark secret. I loved the mystery surrounding this unusual pair and the fact that they seemed to somehow know everything and could pretty much solve anything too.
I was intrigued to find out who the peculiars might be. Do they have special abilities? Are their abnormalities just genetic anomalies? Is Lena one or not?... Read more ›
By Anna Clare
Format:Hardcover
This book is well written, but I will warn anyone buying this edition: it is not about a girl who grows wings. There is a character who does this, but she plays a very small part and is not the main focus. I felt a little misled by that. However, I enjoyed the book even though it is a slow burner and not action packed. 3/5.
By Sarah
Format:Hardcover
(I was given this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to NetGalley and ABRAMS)
18-year-old Lena has always been different. Born with strangely narrow, long hands and feet, and fingers and toes with extra joints, she has always worn gloves to try to hide her problem. Her Nana says that Lena was born this way because her father was a goblin(!) and Lena lives in fear of being labelled `Peculiar'.
Living in an alternate world in the late 1800's, criminals, and people who are `Peculiar' are all sent to live in a place called Scree, where they are forced to work in the mines there as slave labour. Lena's father disappeared - possibly to Scree -when she was 5, and on her 18th birthday her mother gives her a letter from him. The envelope also contains money and maps; maps for Scree.
Setting off on an adventure to find her father, and to discover if she really is `Peculiar', Lena voyages to the town closest to Scree. Here she intends to find a guide who can help her locate her father, and guide her through Scree.
Disaster falls though when the train that she is on is held up by some `Peculiars' and her purse is stolen. Low on funds; Lena gets a job with a man called Mr Beasley in order to earn enough money to continue on her journey. But Mr Beasley is being watched by the local Marshall, who tries to blackmail Lena into spying on Mr Beasley for him.
Lena must now work out where her loyalties lie, whether `Peculiars' really exist, and if she really is one of them.
I really enjoyed this book. Lena was such a genuine character, who always tried her best, even when people scorned her and tried to label her `Peculiar'.... Read more ›
18-year-old Lena has always been different. Born with strangely narrow, long hands and feet, and fingers and toes with extra joints, she has always worn gloves to try to hide her problem. Her Nana says that Lena was born this way because her father was a goblin(!) and Lena lives in fear of being labelled `Peculiar'.
Living in an alternate world in the late 1800's, criminals, and people who are `Peculiar' are all sent to live in a place called Scree, where they are forced to work in the mines there as slave labour. Lena's father disappeared - possibly to Scree -when she was 5, and on her 18th birthday her mother gives her a letter from him. The envelope also contains money and maps; maps for Scree.
Setting off on an adventure to find her father, and to discover if she really is `Peculiar', Lena voyages to the town closest to Scree. Here she intends to find a guide who can help her locate her father, and guide her through Scree.
Disaster falls though when the train that she is on is held up by some `Peculiars' and her purse is stolen. Low on funds; Lena gets a job with a man called Mr Beasley in order to earn enough money to continue on her journey. But Mr Beasley is being watched by the local Marshall, who tries to blackmail Lena into spying on Mr Beasley for him.
Lena must now work out where her loyalties lie, whether `Peculiars' really exist, and if she really is one of them.
I really enjoyed this book. Lena was such a genuine character, who always tried her best, even when people scorned her and tried to label her `Peculiar'.... Read more ›
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