The Secrets of Solace

World of Solace #2

by Jaleigh Johnson

From Jaleigh Johnson, the acclaimed author of The Mark of the Dragonfly, comes another thrilling adventure in the magical world of Solace.

Lina Winterbock lives in the mountain strongholds of Solace. She’s an apprentice to the archivists, the wise men and women whose lives are dedicated to cataloging, studying, and preserving the objects that mysteriously fall from the sky in the scrap towns.

Lina should be spending her days with books, but the Iron War has changed everything. The strongholds are now a refuge, and the people Lina once counted on no longer have time for her, so she spends her days exploring the hidden tunnels and passages of her home. The strongholds are vast and old, with twisting paths, forgotten rooms, and collapsed chambers, some of them containing objects that have been lost and forgotten even by the archivists.

And in one of the forgotten chambers, Lina discovers a secret.

Hidden deep in a cavern is a half-buried airship like nothing she has ever seen before. She’s determined to dig it out and restore it. But Lina needs help, and she doesn’t know anyone she can trust with her secret.

Then she meets Ozben, a mysterious boy who has a secret of his own — a secret that’s so dangerous it could change the course of the Iron War and the world of Solace forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Steampunk, Science Fiction, Fiction, Adventure

380 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 8, 2016

About the author

Jaleigh Johnson lives and writes in the wilds of the Midwest. Her middle grade debut novel The Mark of the Dragonfly is a New York Times bestseller. Her other books from Delacorte Press include The Secrets of Solace, The Quest to the Uncharted Lands, and The Door to the Lost. She has also written fiction for Dungeons and Dragons, Marvel, and Assassin's Creed. Johnson is an avid gamer and lifelong geek.

Reviews

[katsok · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magical journey back to the world of Solace. I wish the book didn't have to end. Is it greedy to ask for another book in the series?

[Colleen Houck]

Loved the sentient ship. Such a cool concept. This world is so interesting. I could easily see several more books happening in this place. I'm so curious how it fits into the universe as we know it.

[hpboy13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of an unlikely friendship between a rebellious archivist and a prince in hiding ended up being a great book. Secrets of Solace is high fantasy, taking place in another world where two countries are at war over iron, while the archivists try to stay neutral even while they harbor refugees. Lina is an apprentice archivist, but has a knack for crawling through vents, eavesdropping, and coming up with harebrained schemes that don’t end well. Ozben is the spare heir to one of the warring kingdoms, and was hidden away with the archivists to keep him safe.

The two strike up a friendship, trying to uncover a flying ship buried in rubble, which takes up much of the story. Lina is working through issues with her mentor, while Ozben fears assassination, and the two come to find refuge with each other – not romantically, but as friends (gold star for platonic friendship!). I liked the characters because they’re imperfect and realistic, yet lovable. The story, while a touch simple, was interesting enough – especially the parts focusing on Lina and Ozben’s capers.

The world-building is solid, if not very extensive. There are whole countries with geopolitical conflicts, as well as some magical meteors that deposit artifacts from another world, but the story takes place inside a mountain fortress that houses said artifacts. Some of the artifacts are magical. There are breeds of animals unique to this world (flaming cats, shapeshifting warriors) and some unexpected objects have sentience. In short, I would love to explore the world of Solace more, and I hope Johnson plans to write more in this world.

[briar ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋆⋆⋆½

[Misty Baker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in April of 2014 I read an amazing novel by debut author Jaleigh Johnson. I loved the book so much that I made a point to mention it to every librarian I knew.

“Be sure to stock this book!” I would say…stars in my eyes like a small child on Christmas morning. “You won’t be disappointed!”

Flash forward to last month, I received an email from Johnson’s publicist asking if I would like to review her newest novel “The Secrets of Solace?” Of course, I jumped at the opportunity (it is entirely possible that I made a total ass out of myself in the process.) Why wouldn’t I? I was so impressed with Johnson’s ability to seamlessly mesh fantasy and steampunk in “The Mark of the Dragonfly” that I couldn’t wait to dive in and see what new and exciting tale Johnson was offering her readers.

Unfortunately (uh oh…there’s that word we all dread so much) “Solace” didn’t live up to it’s predecessor.

Now, before the lot of you go all Hannibal Lecter on my behind, let me explain. (I have notes people. NOTES!)

First, “Solace” was slow out of the starting gate. Though Lina (the protagonist) tried like hell to keep our attention with her ventilation system gymnastics and moss growing antics, I found myself openly sighing. (Yikes!) It wasn’t until page 72 when I read the phrase:

“The shadow figure moved fast across the cavern toward her.”

that my interest was sufficiently piqued and I wanted to continue. From that point on (admittedly) the story got better. Several additional characters were introduced (including, but not limited to a cat that has a tendency to burst into flames) dialogue improved (“Oh, you better believe I would. Every crack and crevice will be filled with the stuff.”) and a static plot finally emerged. (Praise Jesus!) But there were still lulls in the story; moments when I felt the momentum hit a brick wall all for the sake of embellishment. After reading the acknowledgements I realized why. Johnson had come up with the premise for “Solace” after one very memorable late night trip to the Louvre. The admission of this made the “hushed museum” ambiance of the book make much more sense. I’m not saying it excuses it, but at the very least I could understand where the pacing issues stemmed from.

All of that said (because what would I be if I wasn’t contradictory) the last 115 pages were fantastic. All of the qualities I so desperately craved finally started to find their way into the story, and boy was I a happy camper. Lina’s rather awkward rivalry (which was continuously referenced but never explained, and then almost completely disappeared at one point) was finally FINALLY elaborated on. The semi-creepy “Come here little Prince…” assassin made his presence known (by way of cliff diving) and Merlin, well…I can’t give it all away can I? Needless to say, the ending delivered. It was action packed, allowed the characters to embrace growth (both the young AND the old) and managed to tie up most of the novel’s loose ends.

I just wish Johnson could have gotten to the point sooner. While I understand that most of it was probably written the way it was to help build a relationship and endear the reader to the characters, I firmly believe that at least 35% of Lina’s internal struggle could have been omitted due to repetition.

So here is my final take…

It’s NOT “The Mark of the Dragonfly” but it’s not a throw away novel either. If you have a middle grade reader who eats fantasy novels for breakfast, and is intrigued by the “unknown,” they will most likely enjoy this book. For everyone else, it’s gonna be hit or miss. If you expect to be entertained 3 pages in, this book is NOT for you, but if you are the type of reader who doesn’t mind wading through rough waters to claim your prize on the other side, go ahead and add it to your TBR.

[Elise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so Lina and Ozben were really hard to relate to because they always made these crazily insane decisions, but that's fine. I lived. Yeah, I might have brain damage from how many times I smacked my forehead but it's okay. I'll be okay maybe.

anYWAY.

10/10 favorite character was the Merlin. Next in line are the lumatites. Then maybe Aethon. The sweetheart. I want to know how old Lina is because I low-key... wanna... ship her with Simon...?

*ducks*

*vase crashes in the background*

I LIKE HIM OKAY. HE'S A STALKER BUT HE HAS POTENTIAL LEAVE ME ALONE.

So yeah! If you can handle the utter stupidity of the characters, go for it! Read the book! (((But please start with The Mark of the Dragonfly Gee and Piper are the OTP power couple))) Also, the writing I would say is slightly aimed toward a younger person around like... eleven. Maybe ten. Idk my friend is reading them and he seems like a fit.

FANTASY WORLD. GREAT INSPIRATION FOR FANFICTION (((or, you know original stories *cough* Kaixon *cough*)))

ENjoy!!!

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

Le sigh.

As an adult who very much enjoyed the first book in this series, MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY, I felt let down with this one. It was a little disappointing that we were starting up with new characters, but you know, I good with that. It indicates a longer story cycle so that can be a good thing.

The problem was the level of plotting and the story just weren't as high a quality. There were fewer storyline original concepts and more that seemed drawn from the common genre.

I think the book will still appeal to middle-graders who liked the first book, but I think the older you are, and the more you have read, the less novelty you find herein, and if you're like me you won't find the book all that intriguing.

~review copy
~book #14 for 2016

[LaNona · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars, I read the Mark of the Dragonfly and loved it so much I had to buy it. Two years later, I pick this up expecting it to be book two.... NOPE.

Jaleigh Johnson wrote this series so interestingly. You have to read each book in order to understand the order of events, but each book has new main characters- and doesn't mention the previous main characters (from the other books) at all!

Now that would usually make me very angry, but the author wrote this book so well. It was impossible for me to not love the new characters- even though I only wanted the old ones.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?!

In addition, the plot and obstacles were so captivating- and things you didn't see coming at all! I never would have guessed quite a few things that happened in this book.

I wish I could rate it 4 stars, but I was very upset that it was basically a book two- but not, and with no mention whatsoever of my favorite characters from the first book.

But if you actually give it a chance, it's rather slow at first, you can't put it down.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️4.00⭐️⭐️

Reallyyyyyyy good! Although slow towards the middle of the book, but really picked up at the end!!

[Christine Brodien-Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

A huge disappointment. I loved Johnson’s first book, "The Mark of the Dragonfly," but this one suffers from too much back-story, and consequently it drags.

The premise is intriguing: In the land of Solace, Lina Winterbock is a loner—and always in trouble. When she learns the true identity of a boy named Ozben and they exchange secrets, suddenly they’re both targets for assassination. Slow-paced until the last third of the book.

[Jennifer S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 in the World of Solace introduces a new cast of characters and a new perspective on the fantasy kingdoms of Merrow and Dragonfly. Lina Winterbock is an apprentice studying to become an archivist, one of the group of people who analyzes the things that arrive in Solace from the meteor showers. She is constantly getting in trouble for her curiosity and sense of adventure which includes eavesdropping from the ventilation system and sneaking through hidden passageways to her own secret workshop. She meets Ozben, who is a prince being hidden away for his own safety, and takes him in as her friend and accomplice to help restore an airship that she has found hidden away in a long-abandoned cavern.

Loved Lina as a character. Also loved the imagination of the items in the archivists' museum, like the book that has a different story for each reader, and the airship is a character in and of itself.
4.5 stars, rounded down because I was hoping that we would see the characters from book 1. Maybe in book 3?

[Lizzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOVE the first book in this series!!!! This one was okay, but it just wasn’t as much of a fit for me as the first one was so 🤷‍♀️

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an exciting and thrilling story! These characters were so fun to get to know and to share with them their discoveries. Even though this is a sequel, no one from the first was in this one. It is set in the same world, but far removed. I loved this one, just as much!

[Charlotte B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐
CW/TW: Bullying
Age Rating: 10+

- I didn't enjoy this book as much as The Mark of the Dragonfly
- I thought that Lina made one too many silly decisions, which was really frustrating.
- I liked the characters though. I thought that the main characters were pretty fleshed out. I liked Ozben. I also liked Simon at the end
- Tolwin suckkeddddd, but he was meant to so...
- I loved how this book explored the relationships between the characters. I loved Lina and Ozben's friendship, and Lina and Zara's adoptive-parent-child/mentor-mentee relationship.
- The plot was medium paced and fairly engaging, though not as much as The Mark of the Dragonfly.

[Trini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one!

In general, I thought it did really well on every aspect. There were some pacing problems in the beginning, it was pretty slow-burn and sped up to an incredibly fast pace at the end of the book. I felt like there were some things left out in the end, there just wasn't enough room to sufficiently conclude all the plot threads because too much time was spent lengthening the beginning. (Even not resolving something as small as Aethon bothered me.) I did think the story itself was nice though, I liked it. A sentient ship is really interesting to read about, and I liked how it brought questions to the archivists' purpose too: if a foreign object doesn't want to stay in the archivists' stronghold, is it right just to keep it there for the purpose of "studying" it?

I really liked the characters too. Lina and Ozben are really likable protagonists, they both have their strengths but they also have their weaknesses and flaws and painful parts of their stories that form their characters. They're strong, but also realistic, what they want makes sense (especially Ozben -- I appreciate that he never lets go of wanting to see his family again). The supporting cast is pretty nice too. I will admit I thought Councilman... Tolwin (I think that's his name) was a little "cartoonish" bad guy, I wish he was developed more. But I liked characters like Simon, Zara, and Niraen. I even liked the development of the royal family! Though we never met King Easmon I think he was an interesting character, and the dynamics in the family was nice to read about. I like how we actually had a royal who liked fighting but wasn't bloodthirsty or reckless. It's a nice change of pace.

I do think the dual perspectives were a little clunky sometimes, and at times I didn't really get why they were necessary to keep switching back and forth in the first place. But it proved to be an interesting way of telling the story at times.

It's just a really interesting book in general. The world is so creative, I love all the cool items in the museum, and I don't remember much about Mark of the Dragonfly admittedly, but I think this book still built upon its world, and leaves enough open questions for the third book to answer.

Speaking of the third book, I'm also looking forward to reading that one. Let's hope it doesn't take me 4 years to get to that one too.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lina is a thoughtful, rule-breaking, nearly manic-pixie of a girl who lives below one of the three Archivist mountains in her homeland of Solace. It is cold but it is filled with wonders: machines, technology, and animals salvaged from the meteor fields and brought back to be studied, repaired, improved upon and used. Lina's archivist mentor has grown increasingly distant and one leading archivist seems to hate her; as does his apprentice. So she spends her time hiding away in her workshop; a nearly impossible to get to cavern where she works on a half-buried air-ship the archivists have long forgotten. While the Iron War rages on above her, Lina meets Ozben, the "spare-heir" from one side of the war who is masquerading as a refuge to hide from assassins. Together, they might finally be able to free the ship from the boulders blocking its entrance. Ozben would love to use the ship to get back home. Lina wants to know the ship's secrets. Neither expect the ship to have its own desires... There are fantastical animals, delightful technology, and Lina is a strong and smart girl many will quickly connect with; particularly with her habit of (a bit Harry Potter style) taking things into her own hands a bit recklessly to seek out the truth and the best solution to problems on her own (and sometimes with her new Prince friend's help).

Anything you didn’t like about it? A few plot points which seemed to be strung along nicely for most of the book are a bit haphazardly and disappointingly info-dump-style explained/resolved in one chapter near the end. The world may have been more deeply developed in the first book set in this universe (Mark of the Dragonfly) but there does not seem to be a lot of character overlap; the book reads well as a stand-alone but likely would benefit from having read the first one to know the world you're stepping into better.

To whom would you recommend this book? Readers who enjoyed Mark of the Dragonfly but also readers who love a good bit of light fantasy with a hint of steampunk styling.

FTC Disclosure: The Publisher provided me with a copy of this book to provide an honest review. No goody bags, sponsorship, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fantasy world of Solace was previously introduced in the excellent science fiction fantasy novel, The Mark of the Dragonfly. It isn't really necessary to read that before The Secrets of Solace, but it would provide a more in-depth description of Solace.

The Merrow Kingdom and the Dragonfly Territories have been engaged in a war over the important resource, iron. The Dragonfly Territories cut off the supply because they fear the Merrow Kingdom wanted to use it for weapons to destroy the Dragonfly Territories. The story takes place in the neutral Archivist's Stronghold of Ortana, and the main character is a young apprentice girl, Lina Winterbock, whose parents died some years ago in an epidemic. Lina has no friends and spends her time exploring the underground city (built into the side and heart of a mountain) of Ortana, and working on a mysterious ship in a hidden workshop that was apparently blocked off by cave-ins many years ago. The only access to this workshop is through a hidden passage that is too narrow for an adult.

Lina sneaks around in ventilation shafts and eavesdrops. She also has a habit of getting into mischief. The plot thickens when she finds out about a mysterious boy who is being hidden by a senior archivist (and Lina's guardian).

The book reinforces the ideas that you don't have to be an adult to make a difference, sometimes you need the help of others, it is important to respect the rights of other living things, honor, determination, and other positive values. The writing is easy and natural. The pace is quick and engaging. Characters solve problems through hard work and logical planning rather than unexplained sudden 'miracles'. Not everyone is as they first seem. I look forward to another book in this series (due out in a few months).

[Sophie Riggsby / allthingsequilateral · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Review posted on Page Turners Blog on 3/18/2016*
he first book in the series, The Mark of the Dragonfly, has sat on my TBR shelf for over a year. I am so glad that I had the chance to read the companion book in the series, Secrets of Solace. Jaleigh has structured a world so rich with details that you easily fall into it especially because the voice of our main character, Lina, rings so very true. Lina is an apprentice archivist who catalogues foreign objects that end up in her world. I really enjoyed her job. Imagine having permission to explore and satisfy your own curiosity on a daily basis? She soon finds an object and a boy with a secret that lead her on an adventure which was enjoyable and riveting.

If your children are looking for a fantasy, steampunk style read or if they enjoyed The Magisterium series by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, make The Secrets of Solace their very next read. This story is a good read book to read aloud to children younger than 10, but those older will easily devour the story. Just a quick aside for adults who enjoy reading well-written, middle grade books — be sure to put this one on your list. As for me, I’m now moving on to The Mark of the Dragonfly.

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of an unlikely friendship between a rebellious female apprentice archivist (Lina) and a neighboring prince (Orzen) in hiding from assassins. Lina is a free spirit, crawling through vents, eavesdropping, and tinkering in her secret hidden workshop. Ozben is the spare heir to a warring kingdom, and was hidden away in the neutral area of Ortana when his royal family was attacked. Lina has found a ship in her private workshop, but needs someone's help to access it. She and Orzen have their shared secret. The ship itself is a mystery, where it came from and what it is.

The highlights are Johnson's amazing creativity, such as the magical artifacts displayed in the archivist's museum and various living creations: Aethon, the carnelian (flaming) cat and the chamelin shape-shifters. And the mystery ship itself. I wanted to give this five stars, but I think the backstories were underdeveloped and took too long to be revealed (i.e., a slow start.) 4.5 stars.

[Melaniemouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I may be rounding up a wee bit. It was pretty slow. And most of the dialogue was kind of cheesy, bordering on trite. I feel like the story lines in this series would be better suited to a teen novel, rather than making it JV. Giving the characters that extra bit of depth really would have taken the book from being okay/good to great. The story really wants to run away with you, but it's stuck with characters who constantly express feelings like, "I'm happy that you're my friend." (That's not a direct quote, but it encapsulates the feel of the dialogue). I assume younger readers would not be quite so critical, so maybe I shouldn't be, since I'm not the target audience. But really, it's kind of a credit to the story that I feel like it could easily have been so much richer. I love the setting of the series, and the different plot lines, and the characters had the potential to be very engaging, but the execution just falls a little flat for me. I've got the third one on hold, we'll see if it goes up a notch.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too long-winded, especially in the beginning. Some parts are even repeated from another pov. (which can be clever, but here is trivial). I hope it's just middle-book-itis, but since it's new characters, it seems that this may not be a trilogy that will thankfully get to a point, but will be an epic series which bores me stiff.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked this book out intending to see if I should gift it to my step-daughter, but I ended up so intrigued by the story that I was the one who read it instead. As someone who has always been fascinated by archaeology and cultural anthropology, the work and lives of the archivists, who meticulously collect and study otherworldly artifacts, excited and interested me. I wish we could have learned more about their lives -- it felt strange to learn so much about Ortana, their home, without much context for why it and their profession exists in the first place, other than to learn about and protect Solace from the potential dangers of the artifacts and species they study -- but instead the book focuses primarily on Lina and Ozben.

They were very relatable characters who had had very relatable experiences, and I was impressed that Johnson did not shy away from subjects such as death, the cruelty of unpleasant family members, war, and violence in a middle-grade book, making the book all the more impressive and Lina and Ozben all the more real. However, I itched to learn more about the archivists, and while I enjoyed the story (although I found it fairly predictable) and the protagonists, I was disappointed by the end to find that the archivists were never given as much depth as the main characters.

Solace is a fascinating world (which is what caused my disappointment in the first place -- I want to know so much more about it!), though, so I do plan on reading The Quest to the Uncharted Lands , and maybe The Mark of the Dragonfly , too.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the land of Solace, where the kingdoms of Merrow and the Dragonfly Territories are at war, Lina lives in the land of the neutral Archivists. The Archivists have carved vast cities into several mountains, where they study the strange objects that fall into Merrow through a weak spot between the worlds. Orphaned Lina is studying to be an archivist, but enjoys almost as much exploring and mapping the myriad tunnels, rooms, and vents of her mountain home, as well as listening in when she shouldn’t. It was on one of these explorations that she discovered her greatest treasure—something some past archivists had hidden away, before one of the frequent cave-ins apparently destroyed it. Since then she has been working away to understand what she’s found, as well as continuing her studies and explorations, and yearning for more contact with her mentor, Zara, who had promised to take care of her when her parents died but who has been distancing herself. Then Lina runs into a strange boy, one of the war refugees the Archivists have taken in, and it seems he might have even more secrets than she…

I loved the first in this series, and loved this one too. I love the creativity of it, not just the thought of otherworldly objects falling into Solace and being studied, but that the objects and beings are so unusual and creative themselves. Wow would I love to visit that museum! The whole world is just so well-built, and I really liked the characters, too, even if their situations are not particularly original in and of themselves. The loner/outsider orphan who knows a world inside and out is pretty common (see Icebreaker by Tanner, for one, and Leviathan by Westerfeld, and Airborn by Oppel), but it’s a trope I enjoy, and is really well-done here. Steampunk and fantasy combine for a fast-paced, creative adventure.

[Isabelle S · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start off my review the book I will be reviewing is called The Secrets of Solace by Jaleigh Johnson. The book is about a girl named Lina and she lives in the mountains and she is a very curious girl who loves to explore the kingdom that she lives in. She discovers a ship that crashed into the kingdom and was left there. She finds an undercover prince at her kingdom, because there is a war going on and he needs to be undercover to stay protected at the kingdom. She puts her trust in him and tells him about her secret ship she found, and they fix it up and use it for a good use and save the day at the end of the book.

Some of the things that the author does to make you want to keep reading is she always keeps it interesting, and never has a boring part in the entire book. For example Apprentices, quiet!¨. That is the first thing you read when you open up the book right away you would think
¨What's going on, why is someone yelling?¨. Another thing that this author does is very good cliff hangers to keep you interested in the book and want to read another chapter. For another example in the text it states ¨The Merlin was alive.¨. Here they are talking about the ship in the book so the first thing I thought was ¨How is a ship alive? What do they mean by ´alive´?¨. So that was one really interesting cliff hanger and she puts that at all of the chapters so you just want to keep reading.

Lastly, I would recommend this book to boys and girls ages 12-16 because I feel it would be too hard for anyone younger than that age to read and understand, and people older than 16 I feel it wouldn't be as interesting to them. The reason I like this book so much is because it is really interesting to me. I liked the ending too because it ended happily and not a cliffhanger, because I do not like an ending that makes you question, they get me frustrated. Now that concludes my book review thank you-Isabelle

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book review
I like the book The Secrets of Solace because of all the descriptive writing, this book is by Jeligh Johnson; and when you read the book you can see it all in your head. The book is about a girl named Lina that has no parents and tutor bales on her, then she finds a ship, but the ship has a mystery to it. she meets a boy named Ozben; who has his own little secret, but Lina hears about it; in the book they explore all sorts of places and they both have trouble ahead of them… Especially Ozben. My opinion about this book is that it is a great book if you like mystery and action, “this book has a lot of that.” “I think this book is appropriate for tweens and older.” I also think it is great if you are a young reader like me. Like if you are doing a report on this book, it is very easy to describe, and picture it all! My favorite character is Lina because she is adventurous and never gives up, she is strong and determined; and is very creative. And I know this about Lina, because in the book she always wants to know more, she makes maps and can basically predict a few options of what might happen next. My favorite part of the book is in the beginning of the book when Lina first meets Ozben she was eavesdropping in his rafters not knowing who he was, then they talked and bonded over all sorts of things. And that is why I think this is a great and amazing book for tweens and older and for young readers like me. This book is outstanding and amazing!

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a companion to The Mark of the Dragonfly , this novel is all I could have asked for.

Lina should be studying to become an archivist, not crawling through ventilation ducts to eavesdrop or discovering secrets chambers. She should be working, not overhearing dangerous things about the Iron War, running into boys with fake bandages in the middle of the night, or discovering air ships in deep tunnels. And yet, Lina is hardly ever doing what she ought to be doing. She possesses a head for risk and a deep, innate curiosity. Curiosity that gets her into trouble. Despite her better judgement, Lina discovers things in Ortana that could change the war, and all of Solace.

I love the adventure in these books. The detail. The way the archivist world is set up gives the same feel as I got when reading Harry Potter, with that world I so wished I could get into. Like Harry Potter, this universe is speckled with things that I wish I could see. There are humanoid characters. There are "magical" objects. There are deep friendships. There are bullies. There are disagreeable teachers, and there are gentle guardians. Heck, there's even assassins.

If you like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, and have a penchant for steampunk, you should like this quite a bit.

This book is clean and great for anyone.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the next book after The Mark of the Dragonfly, but it's with all new characters in the archivist strongholds of Solace. I loved the characters of the first book so it was a little hard to get into new ones. And these were pretty different. I really disliked Lina for a good portion of the beginning. She was so bullheaded, listened to no one, and did what she wants for no good reason other than she wanted to. So not that different than a teenager. That really doesn't change until about 180 pages in when she starts learning from the consequences of her mistakes. By the end of the book, she was a lot better. lol... The really great parts of this book was the world building with all the cool stuff in the museums, the ship, and the warm cat that can do cool and dangerous things. Her friendship with Ozben was great too. Overall, it was a good book. Great for the imagination and would be a good one to reread. Also a good sections to talk to the kids about thinking things through, respecting authority, etc. Looking forward to the next book in this world, but my daughter tells me it's all new characters again. Ack! There better be a book where all of them cross at some point. These characters are too good to leave behind!

[Aqua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better than the first book in my opinion. This book covers the archivists stronghold in the mountains where they study artifacts from other worlds that fall during the meteor storms, another corner of Solace briefly mentioned in the previous book, The Mark of the Dragonfly. It's interesting to read about different areas and cultures of the world. This book follows the same basic format as the first, lonely orphan girl meets boy and an adventure ensues. The main character this time is Lina Winterbock, a socially awkward, lonely, curious, and adventurous archivist apprentice. The plot revolves around Lina researching an airship she found in a hidden room inside the mountain. She eventually meets a boy named Ozben, and together they have to deal with flaming kittens, war, and assassins. I found Lina to be a much more relatable main character than Piper, and her adventure was engrossing from start to end. Although I'm sad Lina is not the next book, I'm excited to read about the uncharted lands. Highly recommended for any steampunk/fantasy fans.

[Eetwidomayloh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is by far one of the best that I have ever read, having a thick story-line combined with a mysterious setting that's quite different from how we live today. Living in caves studying artifacts for a living is definitely going to lead to an interesting life, who knows what you'll come across. Books that read different for every person, paintings that smell, and a variety of exotic plants and animals are just the tip of the Iceberg in this story.
Lina Winterbock is at the top of my list of favorite characters in this book, even though it only has three. She has an adventurous spirit, and uses a variety of tools to accomplish her goals. But you could always use a helping hand in your challenges, which led to THAT guy, (I won't say who for spoilers).
But overall, the story has been very well thought out and planned carefully. I like the ending, and it's one of the few endings that could have stopped there or continued into another book. 5/5

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my normal fare - "Secrets of Solace" is aimed at middle grade and is an innocent romp into a claustrophobic steam punk fantasy about an intelligent, spunky young girl who has an accidental penchant for trouble. LOL - I jest about the claustrophobia because of my own, but little Lina loves to explore the smallest shaft, cavern, or vent, and it's so realistic, that it's dizzying. It's definitely different from "Mark of the Dragonfly" wherein the characters explore the open world instead of a fortress stronghold. But, that also gives this book more intensity and even an innocent intimacy to the reader's connection with Lina as she navigates bullying, school, all those tiny, rocky crevices, and finding solace (heheh!) in her secret workshop. Clever wording and turns of phrase bring the pages to life and I couldn't put it down. I want a Carnelian Cat!! If you want to know what that is and why, you have to read the book.