I’m a big fan of the steampunk genre. I love all the cool gadgets and contraptions. It was with great anticipation that I picked up this book. Set in the late 1880’s, the Peculiars had that quirky, Victorian feel. As for the steampunk elements, aside from a horseless carriage, they really didn’t make much of an appearance until about Chapter 9.The Peculiars is the story of Lena Matascar, a young woman with strange hands and feet. Lena is leaving her home to travel north in search of her estranged father. She travels by train to the seaside town of Knob Koster where she plans to hire a guide to take her further north to Scree. On board the train she meets Jimson Quiggley who is also heading to Knob Koster to work as a librarian for Tobias Beasley.After some unforeseen circumstances, Lena ends up in Tobias’ home as an assistant to Jimson. Tobias’ home named Zephyr House is a whimsical place. There are a wealth of steampunk contraptions and inventions - lots of clockwork, brass, and gears. Finally, some steampunk. His library is full of fascinating artifacts and manuals. Lena fits in quite nicely in the household and enjoys her new job.Lena is contacted by the local marshal Thomas Saltre who has been investigating Beasley for some time. She agrees to spy on Beasley and reports on him to the marshall. I found Lena’s character kind of bland and naïve. She was easily manipulated by others and her insecurities grated on my nerves. It was hard to relate to her character or even feel sympathetic to her plight. She is so concerned that she may be a Peculiar that she goes to great lengths to hide her hands and feet, yet she is ready to spy on others who may be harboring Peculiars.What exactly is a Peculiar? Peculiars are people who are born with specific birth defects such as wings or strange hands and feet, among other things. In this world, Peculiars are second class citizens with absolutely no rights. They are shipped off to work the mines of Scree. Oh, and it is believed that they are soulless. Lena’s particular form of Peculiar is goblinism. She is part goblin.As a young adult novel, I found the pacing of this book to be excruciatingly slow. There were moments of excitement then the narrative slowed down. It felt like too much time was spent detailing the mundane, everyday things punctuated by clever conversation. I would have liked to have learned more about the Peculiars and how they came to be and more about their world. The author did do a lot of research and I especially enjoyed the fact/fiction list at the end of the book. I found the notes on the various types of devices fascinating. While this book was not for me, I am sure it will find some fans in the young adult reading world will enjoy this novel. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book.Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.
