By Betsy Cornwell
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 pushed her into a life of
dreary servitude. When she discovers a secret workshop in the cellar on her
sixteenth birthday—and befriends Jules, a tiny magical metal horse—Nicolette starts
to imagine a new life for herself. And the timing may be perfect: there’s a
technological exposition and a royal ball on the horizon. Determined to invent
her own happily-ever-after, Mechanica seeks to wow the prince and eager
entrepreneurs alike.
There are literally hundreds of different retellings of
Cinderella, and being the avid fairy-tale connoisseur that I am, how can I turn
down a steam-punk version of the famous story? Mechanica is interesting because
of the machines and world that was built to house a mechanical genius
Cinderella. One of the more interesting aspects of the world building here is
that there are still fairies and magic, but the mechanical is where the humans
lean, and the mixture of the two is considered treasonous. While this version
has all of the classic themes, like a ball, slipper, fairy godmother, and the
stepmother and sisters, it has plenty of originality and a great twist ending
that made this a really fun read. If you enjoy retellings as much as me, this
one is worth a gander.
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