Thursday, January 23, 2014

*Review* A Spark Unseen (The Dark Unwinding #2) by Sharon Cameron

*My Thoughts*

A Spark Unseen is the final installment in the Dark Unwinding duology. I will say that this ending was nearly the perfect thing to slap me out of recent doldrums when it came to endings of particular series. The story takes place TWO years after The Dark Unwinding and Katharine Tulman's arrival at Stranwyne Keep which came with more challenges than she was expecting, including the charming Lane Moreau who was last seen searching for Ben Aldridge.

When Katharine wakes to find that two intruders have somehow broken into Stranwyne Keep obviously looking for her autistic Uncle Tully, a mechanical genius, she knows that her home is no longer safe. After escaping the threat, and coming under the scrutiny of Mr. Wickersham who claims that Lane is really dead, Kate makes plans to escape to Paris with her uncle, her maid Mary, and her Solicitor Mr. Babcock.

I would call this part of the story out of the frying pan and directly into the fire mistake. The belief that once could flee from England to Paris, France where Uncle Tully is wanted badly by nearly everyone, Katharine perhaps over estimated her cleverness and desire to find Lane. However, I didn't much complain about the situation or the nearly costly mistakes that Katharine makes in her determination to find Ben and to save Uncle Tully.

I liked the fact that this story has a historical feel of accuracy to it as the notes from the author indicate. I like that she doesn't sugar coat the dangers that Katharine faces, or the determination of Ben to get Katharine and Uncle Tully into an untenable position where they have no choice but to do his bidding. I wonder sometimes if Katharine is a bit autistic in nature herself since she continually finds ways of counting things, including steps. If so, that is fine with me since I adore Uncle Tully brilliance in the face of his own personal challenges. 

If you are looking for more of the same romance that was found in The Dark Unwinding, well, please give yourself a break and just relax. While there were moments where you truly believed that Katharine may have discovered a possible interest in Henri Marchand, Cameron didn't take the story into that direction. I believe that all unanswered questions were completely revealed, and that while it would have been interesting to have another story in this series, I am absolutely find with where and how it ends. 

Published September 24th 2013 by Scholastic Press


Author - Sharon Cameron
Title - A Spark Unseen (The Dark Unwinding # 2)
Published by Scholastic Press
Released September 24, 2013
Genre - Romance, Steampunk, Historical
Borrowed via Library system



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