Firebrand

Just for the record, this book did not take a month to read. I had an excessive number of ILL and holds come in all at once and I had to put this story on hold. The reality is it took about 3-4 days to read.

This is seriously one of the hardest series to pigeon-hole into a category.

BSG: Welcome back crazy voice in my head! I have not heard much from you since I reviewed The Night Circus.

CVIMH: Yeah, well I been waiting for you to let your freak flag fly and today you opened the crazy gate! WooHoo!!

BSG: Lets start with the large genre definition. This is not really an urban fantasy. It is set in the city and the savannahs around it. But it is set in a "Victoria" era, and so it does not really feel urban.

CVIMH: Victoria era, well it is clearly Steampunk. wait haven't we had this conversation before?

BSG: Yes, because every time you hear the words "Victorian era" you grab your Top hat, goggles, corset, and your gears and widgets, and start talking in the worst fake British accent ever, while dancing around in my head singing about steam engines and dirigibles. Which you don't even pronounce right. Firebrand has none of the fantastical elements of steam technology, so just put the damn corset back in your closet!

CVIMH: You know, you really should not antagonize crazy, you know that right? Well I'm reasonable, Hee, Hee Hee, lets start with something easy. It's published by Tor teen so it's a YA book.

BSG: Well yes and no. The heroine is a young person, but the story deals with some fairly complicated political and socioeconomic themes dealing with race and economic diversity. I think we're going to call this an alternate/parallel universe set in that universes version of the Victorian era.

CVIMH: Well, I guess we can, but couldn't I have some kind of a dramatic meltdown. You know I do a good dramatic meltdown......Please.

BSG: No. I'm sorry but I just needed to use you as a sounding board. It's good to know we can have an adult conversation that does not end in anyone melting down. Firebrand is just a really good, entertaining and enjoyable story about the evils of colonization, and how that colonization alienated and marginalized the indigenous people in the colonized countries.

CVIMH: Ok, you know what, you deserve this....... ARE YOU F*CKING SH*TING ME. DID YOU SERIOUSLY JUST TYPE THE WORDS ENTERTAING, ENJOYABLE, AND THE MARGINILIZATION OF AN ENTIRE GOUP OF PEOPLE IN THE SAME SENTENCE. SERIOUSLY THEY CALL ME THE CRAZY ONE!!!!!! Oh wait you were right,this story was good, no great, and I also liked it............. Well Sh*t.