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Copper and Spark: A Magitech Fantasy Adventure
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26She can feel what the instruments can't. Now she has to learn what to do with it.
Dalia Sinclair's impossible instincts have already cost her everything. After one disastrous mistake gets her expelled, her last chance is command of the Crimson Gull, an obsolete airship headed for the scrapyard.
Except the Gull is carrying a secret.
Hidden aboard is a mysterious crystal that pulses with the same strange rhythm Dalia has sensed all her life. Soon pirates are hunting them, powerful enemies are closing in, and a simple final flight becomes a journey toward forces capable of tearing holes between worlds.
Surviving will take more than instinct.
Dalia must learn to turn what she feels into something she can control.
Sense. Connect. Repeat. Choose. Match. Hold.
Every step is earned. Every failure teaches her something. And every breakthrough takes her deeper into a system of magic no one has ever properly taught her to use.
Because something is changing beneath the machinery and magic of her world.
And Dalia may be the only one who can feel it happening.
For readers who enjoy structured progression, magitech, airships, experimentation-based power growth, dimensional adventure, found-family crews, and competence earned through failure and practice.
Dalia Sinclair's impossible instincts have already cost her everything. After one disastrous mistake gets her expelled, her last chance is command of the Crimson Gull, an obsolete airship headed for the scrapyard.
Except the Gull is carrying a secret.
Hidden aboard is a mysterious crystal that pulses with the same strange rhythm Dalia has sensed all her life. Soon pirates are hunting them, powerful enemies are closing in, and a simple final flight becomes a journey toward forces capable of tearing holes between worlds.
Surviving will take more than instinct.
Dalia must learn to turn what she feels into something she can control.
Sense. Connect. Repeat. Choose. Match. Hold.
Every step is earned. Every failure teaches her something. And every breakthrough takes her deeper into a system of magic no one has ever properly taught her to use.
Because something is changing beneath the machinery and magic of her world.
And Dalia may be the only one who can feel it happening.
For readers who enjoy structured progression, magitech, airships, experimentation-based power growth, dimensional adventure, found-family crews, and competence earned through failure and practice.
500 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 6, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 26, 2026
The cover of this caught my eye with its airship and goggles and as I like steampunk, … Well, I was half through it of this when I received notice from BookSirens recommending I download the updated version that was “An older, stronger version, with big changes, cutting it from 160,000 to 117,000 words and reshaping it into an adventure.”
The updated version reads more easily, more akin to a typical fantasy, and other than an airship, not as many steampunk elements (it’s not advertised as such, just my presumption) as I’d hoped. The story unfolds as an adventure, yes, and the pace is solid until the James Bondish climax. That would be the Roger Moore movies Bondish. And the denouement leaves one hanging a bit.
A few notes about the former version: I found it more complex. And sophisticated. I admit that at 50% there were still things I hadn’t figured out. Part of that was due to being thrown right into a world with no context and clues trickling slowly. And part due to the … different … speech. The crew all spoke with caveats at almost every interaction and they liked to enumerate their responses. And, they seemed to always request a speaker repeat what they just said. Still, it didn’t take long before edge-of-seat white-knuckling tension took over. While the primary plot flow elements were mostly the same, there was a distinct plot anchor difference that only those who have both (actually, three) copies will know.
Of interest only to me, when Dalia first sees the Gull, the exchange with the mechanic reminded me of Firefly and Serenity, more so in the first version. And also in the first version, there was one sentence not in the updated… “The world went white.” … which reminded me of Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Mary’s.
The updated version reads more easily, more akin to a typical fantasy, and other than an airship, not as many steampunk elements (it’s not advertised as such, just my presumption) as I’d hoped. The story unfolds as an adventure, yes, and the pace is solid until the James Bondish climax. That would be the Roger Moore movies Bondish. And the denouement leaves one hanging a bit.
A few notes about the former version: I found it more complex. And sophisticated. I admit that at 50% there were still things I hadn’t figured out. Part of that was due to being thrown right into a world with no context and clues trickling slowly. And part due to the … different … speech. The crew all spoke with caveats at almost every interaction and they liked to enumerate their responses. And, they seemed to always request a speaker repeat what they just said. Still, it didn’t take long before edge-of-seat white-knuckling tension took over. While the primary plot flow elements were mostly the same, there was a distinct plot anchor difference that only those who have both (actually, three) copies will know.
Of interest only to me, when Dalia first sees the Gull, the exchange with the mechanic reminded me of Firefly and Serenity, more so in the first version. And also in the first version, there was one sentence not in the updated… “The world went white.” … which reminded me of Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Mary’s.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a brand new story and new to me Author, but what a story. I loved it. The story is complete, although of course there is more to come. It has everything, an exciting whirlwind adventure, characters who come together and learn to become a team and an enemy who has vast resources and is after them. Leaving the team and the captain, (Dalia) to outwit them and find allies who don't want reality rewritten.
I loved the story, it has a fast pace, there is something happening throughout and you get to know Dalia who becomes a captain when she is kicked out of the airship academy. The story is about how they combine airships, steam and a sort of magic that allows flight through space. The Arcanite crystal that will either help tear reality apart or stop it, is placed where the enemy wants it, but Dalia and her crew will stop at nothing to protect the crystal and ultimately to stop the aliens who will destroy their reality entirely. The two sides disagree, one side thinks they will gain everything from it, the other can see that humanity will die if that happens. It's a thrilling and satisfying story. I am not normally that in for steam punk, but this is a proper sci-fi adventure. Loved it.
I got this an ARC review, it sounded interesting, it is great. No spelling errors and the story is cohesive and gripping!
I loved the story, it has a fast pace, there is something happening throughout and you get to know Dalia who becomes a captain when she is kicked out of the airship academy. The story is about how they combine airships, steam and a sort of magic that allows flight through space. The Arcanite crystal that will either help tear reality apart or stop it, is placed where the enemy wants it, but Dalia and her crew will stop at nothing to protect the crystal and ultimately to stop the aliens who will destroy their reality entirely. The two sides disagree, one side thinks they will gain everything from it, the other can see that humanity will die if that happens. It's a thrilling and satisfying story. I am not normally that in for steam punk, but this is a proper sci-fi adventure. Loved it.
I got this an ARC review, it sounded interesting, it is great. No spelling errors and the story is cohesive and gripping!
Review of advance copy
I received an advance reading copy for free through BookSirens. Then I received an updated draft. The updated draft was tighter and more concise. I'm still going to go back and finish the earlier draft to see the rest of the differences. One of the differences was the speaking patterns of the main character. I'm still not certain how I feel about that, which is why I want to read both.
I liked the story and kept reading it in large chunks because I wanted to know what happened next. Each place the airship went had a different look and feel, each feeling like a place I wanted to explore more. I'd love to see art based off the descriptions in the book.
I think the ending lost some cohesion and wrapped up too quick. I took away a star for that. There are spoilers involved with my issues with the ending, so I'm not going to discuss them here. A follow up novel would help or just another chapter or two to resolve some things.
I recommend reading this as everything to the last chapter was a fun ride and I look forward to a second book.
I liked the story and kept reading it in large chunks because I wanted to know what happened next. Each place the airship went had a different look and feel, each feeling like a place I wanted to explore more. I'd love to see art based off the descriptions in the book.
I think the ending lost some cohesion and wrapped up too quick. I took away a star for that. There are spoilers involved with my issues with the ending, so I'm not going to discuss them here. A follow up novel would help or just another chapter or two to resolve some things.
I recommend reading this as everything to the last chapter was a fun ride and I look forward to a second book.
Review of advance copy
An exciting read. I got an ARC through booksirens, and halfway through reading it got an updated older version, which seems to be what will be published. Though I enjoyed the first version and there was more depth to it, all of the characters spoke in ways that became quite tedious. Being neurodivergent myself, that's what all of the characters seemed like in exaggerated ways. Flat, methodical, repetitive like ND engineers/lawyers.
The updated version, flows much better. There are some things from first version I missed (the mechanic, Tessa, reminded me a lot of Scotty, but that disappeared) but overall it's a much better read. Ending was a bit chaotic and rushed, and somewhat incomplete, but part of that was done to leave opening for the sequel.
It was sort of a coming of age commentary on politics, power, and control. The struggles of the average person to survive and an attempt to break free of tyranny.
Well with the read. I plan to finish the first version (was only halfway through it) and see how much it varied.
The updated version, flows much better. There are some things from first version I missed (the mechanic, Tessa, reminded me a lot of Scotty, but that disappeared) but overall it's a much better read. Ending was a bit chaotic and rushed, and somewhat incomplete, but part of that was done to leave opening for the sequel.
It was sort of a coming of age commentary on politics, power, and control. The struggles of the average person to survive and an attempt to break free of tyranny.
Well with the read. I plan to finish the first version (was only halfway through it) and see how much it varied.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews