Sunday, July 26, 2020

City of Secrets by Victoria Ying - ADVISABLE

City of Secrets by Victoria Ying, 254 pages, GRAPHIC NOVEL, Viking (Penguin Random House), 2020, $23.


Content G


BUYING ADVISORY: EL – ADVISABLE


AUDIENCE APPEAL:  HIGH


Ever Barnes is a reclusive orphan hiding out in an amazing puzzle box of a building, guarding its secrets.  The young women who work at the building’s Switchboard Operating Facility, which connects the whole city of Oskar, ignore the boy.  But Hannah, the building owner’s spunky daughter decides he needs a friend, which turns out he does, as his life is in danger as well as the secrets the building is hiding.


The steampunk building is key to the storyline, and is presented in pictures, but there isn’t much of a backstory as to how or why it came to be.  The story is continued and augmented by the illustrations, so pay close attention.  While wrapping up satisfactorily, the ending leaves the storyline wide open for a sequel, which isn’t a bad thing because the story is intriguing and you will want to know more about these characters and their future in the city of Oskar.


Michelle in the Middle


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