Still, Dylan not withstanding, it’s an otherwise really great book and the series promises to only get better. It’d had been easier if Dylan were just a guy from their time period with progressive ideas. But his whole storyline distracts from the book and isn’t really necessary. Not our time in their world where the Victorian Era was filled with steampunk contraptions. He is discovered at the beginning of the book standing over a body and somehow turns out to be a time traveler from our time. Dylan is – to an extent – the third main character.

Ultimately the story was very satisfying and I love recommending this book to readers.īut the book is not without it’s faults. It’s equally interesting to see them each coming into their own despite the expectation of women in this particular setting. Each voice is distinct and it’s amusing to see what the two of them think of each other as they go along. I love that we have two very capable female protagonists working together to solve this mystery. Meanwhile, Evaline follows in the family profession as a chosen killer of vampires imbued with enhanced abilities.įor the most part the story is very interesting and it’s certainly fast paced. Mina has been trained much in the same way as her father and uncle – she’s an intellectual through and through. The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker. Ultimately they find their victims mixed up with a cult and come face to face with a nemesis known as the Anhk. She recruits them to investigate a case involving a series of murders and a strange clockwork, Egyptian scarab. The two girls are brought together by Irene Adler who is working for a member of the royal family. The Clockwork Scarab is the first in the new series and it’s a fantastic introduction. I’m not much of a steampunk fan and, while the idea of the niece of Sherlock Holmes and the sister of Bram Stoker teaming up to solve mysteries together sounded cool, I wasn’t sure it would keep my attention. I am in love with the Stoker and Holmes books.

Genre(s): Young Adult, Steampunk, Fantasy

The clockwork scarab