Review: Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Received: Author
Publication Date: August 4th 2015
Publisher: Clarion Books
Point of View: 1st Person & Feminine
Genres & Themes: Young Adult, Steam Punk, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fantasy

BLURB:

Nicolette’s awful stepsisters call her “Mechanica” to demean her, but the nickname fits: she learned to be an inventor at her mother’s knee. Her mom is gone now, though, and the Steps have turned her into a servant in her own home.

But on her sixteenth birthday, Nicolette discovers a secret workshop in the cellar and begins to dare to imagine a new life for herself. Could the mysterious books and tools hidden there—and the mechanical menagerie, led by a tiny metal horse named Jules—be the key to escaping her dreary existence? With a technological exposition and royal ball on the horizon, the timing might just be perfect for Nicolette to earn her freedom at last.

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn’t want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

REVIEW:

Gorgeous prose and themes of social justice and family shine in this richly imagined Cinderella retelling about an indomitable inventor who finds her prince . . . but realizes she doesn’t want a fairy tale happy ending after all.

One advice: Do take that piece of information seriously. Otherwise, you might end up thinking that this is the most awful Cinderella retelling ever written, as I did.

Remember the movie Into the Woods? Remember how, for the most part, it was beautiful and enchanting and it made you feel the desire to sing along with the actors… until it didn’t anymore? That’s exactly how it went with Mechanica. It was no Cinder, but now I wish it shared more similarities with that lovely book, because this piece of literature didn’t make fairytale dreams; it crushed them.

You might think me exaggeratedly harsh or perhaps inconsiderate, but since when does Cinderella act aggressively? Since when does she hit people? Laugh at others? Judge them? Call little creatures ‘‘minions’’?

I don’t even want to wait for her to finish. Whatever she was trying to say, I was sure I didn’t need to hear it.
I laughed at her and left.

No…

Yet it wasn’t until I caught sight of the patent boots that had crushed Jules adoring Chastity’s feet that I moved, that I stepped forward and slapped her as hard as I could across the mouth.

I was more than shocked to read those written lines. I can’t believe the author made her character do such a thing. The real Cinderella knows better than to let emotions ruin her inside beauty.

I thought this retelling will make me plunge straight back into the wonders that are fairytales and princes and cheesy but oh so dreamy love stories. Well it didn’t. Maybe I should have expected less, but how could I have? That cover should be replaced by something less charming and darker. (Am I the only one finding it a resemblance to The Princess and the Frog?)

It wasn’t all disappointing though or, in my case, infuriating. I loved the writing and how the author skilfully managed to include steam punk elements into a classic retelling. There was some good originality in this. If only the author hadn’t distorted so much the fairytale figure that is Cinderella in her book…

*heavy sigh*