Early Review – Venturess (Mechanica, Book 2) by Betsy Cornwell (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Clarion books
Release Date: August 1, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0544319271
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Mechnica series
Source: ARC from Edelweiss.com
Rating: 3/5 stars

“The young inventor Nicolette Lampton is living her own fairy-tale happy ending. She’s free of her horrible stepfamily, running a successful business, and is uninterested in marrying the handsome prince, Fin. Instead, she, Fin, and their friend Caro venture to the lush land of Faerie, where they seek to put an end to the bloody war their kingdom is waging. Mechanical armies and dark magic await them as they uncover devastating secrets about the past and fight for a real, lasting happily-ever-after for two troubled countries—and for themselves.”

This was the second book in the Mechanica series and it was okay. This is one of those series I want to love, but am always a bit disappointed in.

In this book Mechanica and Finn end up journeying to Faerie in a desperate attempt to keep the two countries from war.

The story was a bit simplistic and I had some trouble staying engaged in it. I also had some trouble understanding the three-way relationship that went on between Finn, Nic, and Caro. It was just kind of confusing.

I did enjoy Nic’s devices, although there wasn’t much of that in this book. I also enjoyed the mystery behind the Ashes and that all being explained.

Overall this was a good read but not great. I felt like the story was a bit too short and simple and struggled to stay engaged in it. If you loved Mechanica you will probably enjoy this book as well; otherwise I would skip it.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– New Release Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
– Steampunk Reading Challenge
– YA Reading Challenge