Fiddlehead Book Review

Fiddlehead

Cherie Priest

Tor Books

(November 12, 2013)

4/5 Stars

            The first book that I’d read of Cherie Priest’s like most people, was Boneshaker.  I found it a pretty good read, the end was a bit rushed and the middle was a bit long.  But for an author’s first book it was amazing.  This book, Fiddlehead, is the final book in the series of the Clockwork Century and it is the second book of Cherie Priest’s I’ve read.  Which I thought was both ironic and kind of crazy.  It also took me almost a month to read this 348 page book.  Which usually means that the book is terrible and I’m having trouble getting through it.  But actually, it was because the book was so good that I had to take my time reading it.  I usually rush through the good books at lightning speed to find out how they end.  But not in this case, from the first chapter sample I was able to read.  I knew I would enjoy this book.

            Unfortunately, the book had some issues.  Pacing being the chief among them.  I was a little put off by some of the beginning and almost all of the middle.  I felt that the book moved unnecessarily slowly.  But that the story that it was ultimately telling was interesting and compelling.  I would venture to say that around the 60% mark the book falls into it’s own and I was completely riveted.  Also trying to prevent myself from reading the rest too quickly simply because I knew that this was it.  I would never be able to read about Gideon Bardsley and his wonderful machine.  I loved Gideon and while in the beginning of the book he seemed like a character of unresolvable discrepancies;  in the end he came together and became one of the strongest characters in the book.  Again the beginning and the middle of the book could have been a bit better.

              Finally, I would like to suggest to any fan of the Clockwork Century series that this is an excellent book and if you haven’t already read it to do so.  For those, like me who have only read Boneshaker… Perhaps reading the other books in the series first will give a new gravity to this one.  You certainly won’t be lost; but then, that isn’t always the only reason to read the previous books in a series.  There are certainly characters from other books in there.  So it is well worth really knowing who these people are before reading this book.  But if you really don’t want to take your chances on the other books or for some reason you can only find this book; you will still love it.  Certainly, Fiddlehead is the best Steampunk book I’ve read this year and I read Boneshaker this year.  So Cherie Priest has certainly done a fair job of outdoing even herself, with this book.