The United States lost the Revolutionary War and Britiannia (The Empire) now rules with an iron fist. After the war, all signers of the Declaration of Independence were promptly hung. Charlotte's parents fight underground for the resistance and she has been in hiding with her brother, Ashley, for most of their lives for their own protection. They live in the catacombs, a series of caves hidden behind a waterfall. One day out in the woods, Charlotte finds a little boy about to be captured by the rotpots and she brings him to the catacombs. He doesn't remember his name and seems to have lost all his memories. They need to discover who this strange boy is and develop a plan to enter society life in the Floating City and meet with the Resistance.
The Inventor's Secret falls in the Steampunk genre. Steampunk is a mixture of history and science fiction/fantasy which incorporates technology. The technology in The Inventor's
Secret is so awesome. I loved it. Mechanical rats, rotpots, a dragonfly plane, mouse bombs, a floating city, and so much more. Futuristic technology placed in the past within high society and culture. So cool.
The Inventor's Secret is creative, daring and fun. Cremer is a clever author. She tales an unlikely heroine, who best friend is a gun, and puts her in a dress and sends her into high society. The reader gets to experience everything right along with Charlotte as she enters the Floating city for the first time and experiences the world. Charlotte is awakened and so is the reader.
This is a fairly new gene for me as I don't read a lot of steampunk. I'm currently a U.S. history teacher so it was super fun to re-imagine history in a unique context. I've discovered I need to read a lot more Steampunk.
