Bound To Stay Bound

Bulletin for the Center... - 06/01/2014 The Lady of Londinium wants a new human son to coddle, spoil, and adore for a few years (until he gets too big), and when the Lady wants something, she gets it. The child in question this time is Jack, a bored British ten-year-old who willingly follows Lorcan, the Lady’s most dutiful assistant, into a parallel world, the Lady’s own painstakingly created version of London. Soon the novelty of clockwork dragons and a metal world that almost looks like his own wears off, though, and Jack begins to see that this town suffers under the rule of the (negligent at best, sadistic at worst) woman who insists he call her Mother and that he may never be able to escape back to his own real parents. Jack is interesting rather than likable-he is spoiled and demanding from the start, and he knowingly commits actions that lead to executions of the innocent-but his character adds edge to the folkloresque plot. Additionally, Trevayne surrounds Jack with deeply sympathetic characters on both sides of the good/evil spectrum, with even the reprehensible Lorcan, who has done horrific things for his beloved Lady, clearly motivated by desperate love. Steampunk novels for the young set are fairly uncommon, and this creaking, smoky, dangerous world fits the bill elegantly. AS - Copyright 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.

Booklist - 05/15/2014 Feeling bored and unloved in his stuffy, late-nineteenth-century London home, Jack follows an enigmatic magician through a portal into an alternate world. There he explores the eerily familiar, yet frighteningly different city of Londinium, where brass grills embedded in the inhabitants’ nostrils enable them to breathe heavily polluted air. After being ensnared by the malevolent magician and adopted by the unstable Lady, who rules the land, Jack escapes and works with his few friends to free an ancient creature that can set things right in this damaged world. Clockwork creatures, metal fairies, and industrial pollution give the fantasy a steampunk twist. Like the story’s setting, its tone is bleak—uncommonly so for a novel apparently aimed at middle-graders. The dramatic plot twists, more than involvement with the mostly adult characters, will draw readers to finish the story, as will the vividly described settings and smooth pacing. The black-and-white illustrations were not available for comment, though the jacket art is intriguing. An unusual take on the alternate-worlds theme. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.