Rating: 4 out of 5

Imagine a world where magic rules, and the American Revolution stopped before it could begin. It is 1888, and Britain controls a vast empire with magic. Sixteen-year-old Verity Newton is a governess to a wealthy magister family living in the British colony of New York. Attempting to get a hold of her life in the big city, Verity arrives with a set plan in mind–acquire the job of governess for one of the families on her list, and maybe even experience some adventure for the first time in her life. However, she then encounters the strange and exciting group known as the Rebel Mechanics.

The Rebel Mechanics is a wayward, ragtag group of non-magical colonists attempting to gain back control of the colonies with their peculiarly genius inventions.  They hope that their inventions will take away the need for magic, therefore, taking away their reliance on the haughty class of magisters. The group sucks Verity into their world and makes an unlikely spy out of her. As the cause for freedom progresses, the young governess notices the strange ways of the magister uncle who is guardian to the children for whom she is responsible. Why does he come home bruised and bloody? Feelings run haywire amongst the chaos of a rising rebellion in the colonies, and Verity must choose between what she has always known and what her own heart tells her.

Shanna Swedson’s The Rebel Mechanics was published last year, and has been capable of making the reader want to be part of their own steampunk world filled with crazy inventors and outrageous secrets. While reading, I could not help but love how Swedson describes the giant machinery that secretly lurked through the bustling streets of New York. Her vivid descriptions really pull the reader into the novel and cause a strong reaction to every important plot point. For example, when describing Verity’s first look at the overwhelming city of New York, Swedson creates an image that one can see in their mind’s eye. The bustling horses, the carriages with magisters that are horseless, the giant steampunk machines slowly making their way through the streets, the dirt-caked boys selling papers on the corner of the street–all of these descriptions allow the reader to connect to Verity’s reaction when arriving.

Swedson uses basic knowledge of American history to connect to a much larger theme of freedom and liberty. The dialogue of each character creates an atmosphere of extreme desire for freedom that makes the reader want to fight for the cause as well. Characters such as Colin and Alec would do anything for the Rebel Mechanics’ cause, and at times even the reader gets sucked into this want of freedom and liberation.

The plot was easy to follow, without any confusing parts. It has been rare to so easily understand a novel like this that has incorporatesd history into its fiction, but Swedson has done it well, making sure to explain her thoughts thoroughly. For those who have been history buffs who often play the “what if” game, they will love to see this fantasy version of the question “What if the American Patriots had been subdued?”

The only complaint I had about the book was that at some points the plot progressed too slowly. While reading, I wished that Swedson would have avoided adding so much fluff. She wrote well and described each scene vividly, but sometimes I felt that I did not need to know every single detail of a place to see it in my mind’s eye. However, for those readers who need one to two whole pages of description, this book will prove very enjoyable.

Other than that one particular flaw, the novel reads very well which is why I would give it a rating of 4 out of 5. The Rebel Mechanics is an enrapturing novel that pulls the reader into the story and allows him to create a surprising connection with these rebellious characters that will do anything for the cause that they themselves believe in.