The Mechanical Maestro by Emily Owen – Book Review

PUBLISHERS BLURB 

Immerse yourself in the world of three brilliant siblings and their musical automaton, Maestro.

London, 1857.

Brothers George and Douglas Abernathy are clockmakers who are barely scraping a living in their family’s shop. They are also brilliant inventors with a sideline building custom- built androids and other technology ahead of its time. Their sixteen-year-old sister, Molly, is also a genius, specialising in transformative plant biology, but earns her keep by sewing.

The Abernathys’ fortunes improve dramatically when the brothers invent a clockwork automaton composer named Maestro, whose musical artistry takes London by storm. But there are those who believe Maestro is a fake, and others who think him a monstrosity.

As Maestro tries to make sense of the world of London’s high- society which he is thrown into, he incites the interest of sinister figures who would go to any lengths to discover what makes him tick.

MY REVIEW 

Set in Victorian London, The Mechanical Maestro is a mix of historical fiction and steampunk with lots of music too. It’s the tale of the Abernathy family and their wondrous inventions. It’s aimed at young adults, but I feel there is something for any age to enjoy.

The Abernathy’s, George, Douglas and Molly are inventors.

The brothers work in the clockmaker shop, but they spend a lot of time creating mechanical marvels, such as a clockwork mouse and a chess playing automaton with mixed results. But when challenged to create an automata that can play and create its own music they rise to the challenge and the mechanical maestro comes into being. His incredible music touches the soul.

Meanwhile Molly is working on her botanical inventions which are just as amazing.

A wealthy Lord takes ownership of Maestro, and begins to show him off to London, some believe him to be a trick, others believe he is an abomination….

I love this tale, from the beautiful descriptions of the Victorian world, the vast differences between the wealthy and the poor is clear, to seeing the world through Maestro’s eyes, the beauty in simple things and the sounds around him is a reminder of what we take for granted sometimes. Like seeing the world through the eyes of a child.

I can’t wait to see what the Abernathy family creates next….I’ll be watching for the next book in this series, that’s for sure. 

Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour,  for the promotional materials and an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

Since completing her Masters by Research, Emily Owen has worked as an Archives Assistant at the University of Huddersfield. She lives in Wakefield, West Yorkshire. http://www.e-owen.uk

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