What do you think?
Rate this book
The Unnaturalists #2
The Tinker King
After Vespa, Syrus and Bayne defeated the Grue and restored order to their world, they thought their future was secure. Empress Olivia, committed to peace and equality for humans and Elementals alike, was a fair and just ruler. And the Creeping Waste had vanished for good, giving them hope for the first time.
But rebellion is brewing in the far-off city of Scientia, and dark Elementals are plotting war in the ruins of New London. When a wave of unimaginable terror threatens to destroy everything in its path, Vespa, Syrus and their friends are plunged into a new swamp of intrigue, deception and magic---and the cost of survival may be more than any of them are willing to pay.
But rebellion is brewing in the far-off city of Scientia, and dark Elementals are plotting war in the ruins of New London. When a wave of unimaginable terror threatens to destroy everything in its path, Vespa, Syrus and their friends are plunged into a new swamp of intrigue, deception and magic---and the cost of survival may be more than any of them are willing to pay.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 11, 2014
8 people are currently reading
801 people want to read
About the author
Tiffany Trent
31 books197 followersTiffany Trent is the award-winning creator and author of the young adult dark fantasy series, HALLOWMERE, and THE UNNATURALISTS and THE TINKER KING. With Stephanie Burgis, she co-edited the Locus Finalist for Best Anthology, THE UNDERWATER BALLROOM SOCIETY. Her short stories have been published in MAGIC AND THE MIRRORSTONE, CORSETS AND CLOCKWORK, SUBTERRANEAN, and WILFUL IMPROPRIETY. When not writing or reading, she can be found playing with bees.
Awards/Honors:
-Green Earth Book Award Honor 2013
-SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grant 2008
-New York Public Library Book of the Teen Age 2008
-Year's Best Horror Honorable Mention 2008
-BookSense (IndieBound) Children's Pick 2007
Awards/Honors:
-Green Earth Book Award Honor 2013
-SCBWI Work-in-Progress Grant 2008
-New York Public Library Book of the Teen Age 2008
-Year's Best Horror Honorable Mention 2008
-BookSense (IndieBound) Children's Pick 2007
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
August 11, 2014
2.5
As with all my half-stars, I debated for awhile whether to bump it up to three or down to two. Ultimately, though, my overall feeling at the end of this book was one of disappointment, so I had to go down.
I think a lot of it was just the writing. Like the first book, this one alternated between first-person and third-person chapters; however, unlike the first book, the first-person chapters in this one followed Syrus instead of Vespa - and the voice just didn't work. It was choppy and just didn't work. I don't know if it's the gender difference, or just the characters - but Trent seemed to have a better time getting into Vespa's head than Syrus's.
Of course, I still think it'd be better to just write everything third-person, since it's third-person limited and we get the same sort of insight into the characters, anyway. Honestly, though, even some of Vespa's chapters were choppy and off, and I remember myself thinking, "I don't remember the writing being so stilted last time."
Speaking of remembering - I didn't remember much of the events of the first book aside from the basics, but this does do a good job of reminding you of those details, and it works them into the story instead of giving huge info-dumps all over, so there was that, on the plus side.
Mostly, though, this book just suffers from sequel-itis. The characters were all annoying and doing that whole "not going to talk about things" thing - though at least this had a reason on Syrus's part.
The world didn't seem as interesting this time around, the introduction of Tesla as a character was interesting but never felt fully realized, and the attempt to make things bigger and badder just fizzled, as the end battle was just entirely anti-climactic. A lot of buildup about how powerful of an enemy they were facing, and it was all over in the blink of an eye, and far too easy.
After really liking the first book, despite it's having some issues, I was just pretty meh about this installment.
Here's hoping the next is better...
As with all my half-stars, I debated for awhile whether to bump it up to three or down to two. Ultimately, though, my overall feeling at the end of this book was one of disappointment, so I had to go down.
I think a lot of it was just the writing. Like the first book, this one alternated between first-person and third-person chapters; however, unlike the first book, the first-person chapters in this one followed Syrus instead of Vespa - and the voice just didn't work. It was choppy and just didn't work. I don't know if it's the gender difference, or just the characters - but Trent seemed to have a better time getting into Vespa's head than Syrus's.
Of course, I still think it'd be better to just write everything third-person, since it's third-person limited and we get the same sort of insight into the characters, anyway. Honestly, though, even some of Vespa's chapters were choppy and off, and I remember myself thinking, "I don't remember the writing being so stilted last time."
Speaking of remembering - I didn't remember much of the events of the first book aside from the basics, but this does do a good job of reminding you of those details, and it works them into the story instead of giving huge info-dumps all over, so there was that, on the plus side.
Mostly, though, this book just suffers from sequel-itis. The characters were all annoying and doing that whole "not going to talk about things" thing - though at least this had a reason on Syrus's part.
The world didn't seem as interesting this time around, the introduction of Tesla as a character was interesting but never felt fully realized, and the attempt to make things bigger and badder just fizzled, as the end battle was just entirely anti-climactic. A lot of buildup about how powerful of an enemy they were facing, and it was all over in the blink of an eye, and far too easy.
After really liking the first book, despite it's having some issues, I was just pretty meh about this installment.
Here's hoping the next is better...
August 12, 2014
3.5/4 stars. This just didn't quite do it for me like the first book. I like Syrus as a character but ultimately I preferred Vespa in first person and Syrus in third. I get why the author changed that around in this book - it was far more Syrus's journey than Vespa's but personal preference would have it the other way around.
I suppose I was looking for more of a rebuilding the world type scenario than another 'boss fight'. It is an awesome world and I'd have liked to have seen more of it. I'd have been hapier with a slower paced story that detailed the struggles of living without myth and a young untried empress, white knuckling as she keeps her grip on her realm. Of course that is the problem when you go into a book with expectations.
My niggles - Vespa's poer fluctuation is never really explained and is resolved almost without effort. Bayne comes round at the end without us seeing his change of heart - that can be fed in through other characters' eyes so we should have seen some of it.
I never really believed Charles and therefore his ending seemed implausible and a bit too convenient.
What the smeg did happen to all the elementals that went to Scientia? It's never explained!
The ending was a bit too easy.
I liked Syrus's story arc although it's quite sad as well. The friction between humans and unnaturals was hinted at but never really explored - I think a trick was missed there. Olivia's arc was interesting and vaguely repulsive. Not sure in the end how necessary it was - can't put my finger on why it didn't quite fit.
However overall it was a good read and I enjoyed the world as always. If there was another book I would read on.
I suppose I was looking for more of a rebuilding the world type scenario than another 'boss fight'. It is an awesome world and I'd have liked to have seen more of it. I'd have been hapier with a slower paced story that detailed the struggles of living without myth and a young untried empress, white knuckling as she keeps her grip on her realm. Of course that is the problem when you go into a book with expectations.
My niggles - Vespa's poer fluctuation is never really explained and is resolved almost without effort. Bayne comes round at the end without us seeing his change of heart - that can be fed in through other characters' eyes so we should have seen some of it.
I never really believed Charles and therefore his ending seemed implausible and a bit too convenient.
What the smeg did happen to all the elementals that went to Scientia? It's never explained!
The ending was a bit too easy.
I liked Syrus's story arc although it's quite sad as well. The friction between humans and unnaturals was hinted at but never really explored - I think a trick was missed there. Olivia's arc was interesting and vaguely repulsive. Not sure in the end how necessary it was - can't put my finger on why it didn't quite fit.
However overall it was a good read and I enjoyed the world as always. If there was another book I would read on.
March 22, 2014
I'm afraid my reaction to this book is tainted, because I was listening to Maggie Stiefvater's Scorpio Races at the same time. Stiefvater's writing is so lyrical and her description so perfect that I was more critical of this book than I otherwise might have been.
Tiffany Trent continues with interesting steampunk world building, but this second book focused on Syrus more than Vespa. I found the switching perspectives a little distracting. The chapters alternate between third person omniscient and first person from Syrus's perspective. Where The Unnaturalists included first person from Vespa's point of view, I often found myself struggling to remember whose head I was in. I think my struggle also came because Syrus didn't have as strong a voice.
The story was well-crafted and I enjoyed it, but this book was slightly disappointing after a great start to the series.
Tiffany Trent continues with interesting steampunk world building, but this second book focused on Syrus more than Vespa. I found the switching perspectives a little distracting. The chapters alternate between third person omniscient and first person from Syrus's perspective. Where The Unnaturalists included first person from Vespa's point of view, I often found myself struggling to remember whose head I was in. I think my struggle also came because Syrus didn't have as strong a voice.
The story was well-crafted and I enjoyed it, but this book was slightly disappointing after a great start to the series.
June 16, 2021
this was as good as the first one, i hope she writes another one with other adventures for the crew, really easy read.
September 17, 2020
2019
I wasn't in love with the last book and this one, unfortunately, didn't improve my mood about the series.
And I'm going to admit, the last book did not make a lasting impression on me. I remembered the basics, but not the specifics, so I spent a lot of time trying to remember some of the past book. Not all of it's important. In fact, you could probably read this one without reading the first and be fine. But that could also be because I didn't find either really interesting. So, I may not have been paying as much attention as I really should have.
I also got really tired of the Vespa/Bayne romantic situation. Neither of them would address it. And it got to be an annoyance after a while. The author made it know as why Bayne wasn't going for it (but honestly I thought the reasoning behind it was rather stupid). But Vespa was annoying about trying to get Bayne to change his mind. Like, sometimes someone just doesn't like you back (this isn't the case but I'm not going to go much further into it) and that means you should just move on to someone who is interested in you.
And Vespa had the whole magic on the fritz thing going on. In fact, it felt like she didn't use magic hardly at all in this book. Sometimes I'd forget she even had magic and then the author would be like, "she found that her magic was on the blink because she no longer carried the heart" or whatever (that in no way is an exact quote but I remember there was something to that affect in the book). So, she felt a little bit useless to me except to be friends with the queen.
Syrus was a pretty okay character and the book focused around him more than it did in the first one, but he still isn't the most interesting character from the book. Well, maybe he is. No one really impressed me, so actually he might have been the best one, but that's not saying much. He fell a little flat for me. Plus, he was struggling because his family all became spider hybrids and that was super weird. And then he was a descendant of the wolf king and that seemed forced.
And the whole Charles thing! He's a bad guy in the past book, but then in this one he's "reformed" or something. Because he lost the Grue? But then Tesla is all like, "no, dude. I think he's still into some shady stuff because we never caught the plague." But then Charles does the whole ending thing (I don't want to spoil it, but I'm going to tell you, it felt awfully convenient and definitely out of character).
And Olivia! What the bleeping heck?! She's not only not human but she's not ...... (omg I'm going to spoil things so hard for people if I keep going). Let's just say that it's super weird and super gross. And I'm all about not thinking about it anymore. I did like the whole Olivia and Syrus thing, though. I thought they were cute around each other. This started before I found out what she was. And even after the whole m*e*s*s (which I'm not going to elaborate on) he supported and loved her and I really did like that.
Plus, the whole build up was crazy. The spiders are supposedly this huge force to be reckoned with. They've been around forever and the spider queen (who is also Lucy, which is super weird) has been building this army and it's going to be hardcore. But then it just kind of ended. There wasn't really a fight. It was just kind of started and then over with. All this build up and then very anti-climatic.
Truthfully, after I started writing this review I realized that I had a bunch more problems with it than I had originally thought. I give props to the writer for building this world and characters, but I really didn't enjoy this series like I had hopes I would.
I wasn't in love with the last book and this one, unfortunately, didn't improve my mood about the series.
And I'm going to admit, the last book did not make a lasting impression on me. I remembered the basics, but not the specifics, so I spent a lot of time trying to remember some of the past book. Not all of it's important. In fact, you could probably read this one without reading the first and be fine. But that could also be because I didn't find either really interesting. So, I may not have been paying as much attention as I really should have.
I also got really tired of the Vespa/Bayne romantic situation. Neither of them would address it. And it got to be an annoyance after a while. The author made it know as why Bayne wasn't going for it (but honestly I thought the reasoning behind it was rather stupid). But Vespa was annoying about trying to get Bayne to change his mind. Like, sometimes someone just doesn't like you back (this isn't the case but I'm not going to go much further into it) and that means you should just move on to someone who is interested in you.
And Vespa had the whole magic on the fritz thing going on. In fact, it felt like she didn't use magic hardly at all in this book. Sometimes I'd forget she even had magic and then the author would be like, "she found that her magic was on the blink because she no longer carried the heart" or whatever (that in no way is an exact quote but I remember there was something to that affect in the book). So, she felt a little bit useless to me except to be friends with the queen.
Syrus was a pretty okay character and the book focused around him more than it did in the first one, but he still isn't the most interesting character from the book. Well, maybe he is. No one really impressed me, so actually he might have been the best one, but that's not saying much. He fell a little flat for me. Plus, he was struggling because his family all became spider hybrids and that was super weird. And then he was a descendant of the wolf king and that seemed forced.
And the whole Charles thing! He's a bad guy in the past book, but then in this one he's "reformed" or something. Because he lost the Grue? But then Tesla is all like, "no, dude. I think he's still into some shady stuff because we never caught the plague." But then Charles does the whole ending thing (I don't want to spoil it, but I'm going to tell you, it felt awfully convenient and definitely out of character).
And Olivia! What the bleeping heck?! She's not only not human but she's not ...... (omg I'm going to spoil things so hard for people if I keep going). Let's just say that it's super weird and super gross. And I'm all about not thinking about it anymore. I did like the whole Olivia and Syrus thing, though. I thought they were cute around each other. This started before I found out what she was. And even after the whole m*e*s*s (which I'm not going to elaborate on) he supported and loved her and I really did like that.
Plus, the whole build up was crazy. The spiders are supposedly this huge force to be reckoned with. They've been around forever and the spider queen (who is also Lucy, which is super weird) has been building this army and it's going to be hardcore. But then it just kind of ended. There wasn't really a fight. It was just kind of started and then over with. All this build up and then very anti-climatic.
Truthfully, after I started writing this review I realized that I had a bunch more problems with it than I had originally thought. I give props to the writer for building this world and characters, but I really didn't enjoy this series like I had hopes I would.
March 16, 2015
Disappointing. A pet peeve of mine is characters not communicating, and here we have it in spades. No one thought to ask how Olivia came into being? Couldn't Bayne explain his newfound coldness as something else than a lame plot device?
Alternating voices were confusing - also with one voice always in a present tense and the other in the narrative past.
And - inconsistencies. We care so much about Elementals but they die in spades and oops, just kind of disappear, well, my bad. That never gets resolved btw, but by all means let's pull every stop to help poor Lucy! That felt incredibly racist! We never find out what happened to the Elementals, nor the truth about Mr Waddingly - it's as if having crafted believable villains in the first book the writer was loath to let them go, but couldn't do anything with them.
And after all the build-up and quaking fear, all the villains turn out to be made of paper, easily vanquished, or even surrendering their power by themselves!
A last note on Vespa 'kinda' falling for Charles when she hated the sight of him 2 seconds earlier... No no no NO
In.con.sis.tent
Alternating voices were confusing - also with one voice always in a present tense and the other in the narrative past.
And - inconsistencies. We care so much about Elementals but they die in spades and oops, just kind of disappear, well, my bad. That never gets resolved btw, but by all means let's pull every stop to help poor Lucy! That felt incredibly racist! We never find out what happened to the Elementals, nor the truth about Mr Waddingly - it's as if having crafted believable villains in the first book the writer was loath to let them go, but couldn't do anything with them.
And after all the build-up and quaking fear, all the villains turn out to be made of paper, easily vanquished, or even surrendering their power by themselves!
A last note on Vespa 'kinda' falling for Charles when she hated the sight of him 2 seconds earlier... No no no NO
In.con.sis.tent
February 18, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. It started roughly a year after the first book with Vespa, Bayne and Syrus trying to help rebuild New London without elementals been killed and used as mythgas.
With there been a long gap in this book from the first it took me a while to remember all that had happened but I was glad to get back in the story of all the characters I loved from the first book.
I did however find when the story was been told from Sryus's point of view the writing style seemed blocky, has though the author couldn't get in the head of Syrus, unlike Vespa were the writing just flowed.
The twists and turns kept the book interesting and Shadow Spiders, I liked them as a badie. I was a little disappointed in how quickly the ending seemed to be and lack of any real fight. Ximu is meant to be one of the eldest known elementals and it just felt wrong that the battle ended so quickly.
But still I enjoyed the adventure and loved getting reacquainted with the characters and can't wait for the next one
With there been a long gap in this book from the first it took me a while to remember all that had happened but I was glad to get back in the story of all the characters I loved from the first book.
I did however find when the story was been told from Sryus's point of view the writing style seemed blocky, has though the author couldn't get in the head of Syrus, unlike Vespa were the writing just flowed.
The twists and turns kept the book interesting and Shadow Spiders, I liked them as a badie. I was a little disappointed in how quickly the ending seemed to be and lack of any real fight. Ximu is meant to be one of the eldest known elementals and it just felt wrong that the battle ended so quickly.
But still I enjoyed the adventure and loved getting reacquainted with the characters and can't wait for the next one
February 14, 2014
Thanks to Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for allowing me access to this title.
I had a somewhat hard time remembering what was going on and who all the characters were, but it slowly came back to me as I read farther along. I really liked how everything all worked out and who did what. I especially liked how Olivia and Syrus changed and were able to use their abilities and heritage to save their people.
I had a somewhat hard time remembering what was going on and who all the characters were, but it slowly came back to me as I read farther along. I really liked how everything all worked out and who did what. I especially liked how Olivia and Syrus changed and were able to use their abilities and heritage to save their people.
August 11, 2014
I really wanted to love this book. Asian male lead in a steampunk novel?! Love and love! So refreshing to have this protagonist, but unfortunately the book fell flat for me. It wasn't as engaging as book 1 and was terribly predictable. I felt like we the readers were waiting the entire time for the characters to catch on. It also felt underdeveloped at times. I loved the premise and the world created, but it just didn't do it for me. :(
August 15, 2017
Mehhhhhh
December 11, 2017
A nice sequel without the usual "#2" type of filler material. A good conclusion and wrap up from adventures found in #1, but you can easily tell that there will be another volume coming (hopefully soon).
This was a nice continual world development and tie-in between steampunk, fantasy, and the world today.
It was an easy read and fun adventure. IMHO, it fits in with other teen-centric fantasy books. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the forthcoming volume(s).
P.S. This is NOT a stand-alone book. Without reading the first volume, a reader will have a difficult time following the plot and character development.
This was a nice continual world development and tie-in between steampunk, fantasy, and the world today.
It was an easy read and fun adventure. IMHO, it fits in with other teen-centric fantasy books. I am looking forward to seeing what happens in the forthcoming volume(s).
P.S. This is NOT a stand-alone book. Without reading the first volume, a reader will have a difficult time following the plot and character development.
July 9, 2019
This book continued with the awkward writing style of the first, and Syrus' first person chapter voice was nearly identical to Vespa's in the previous book, apart from some even more awkward attempts at 'manly' thoughts. Not a super great conclusion, with everything wrapping up in what felt like twenty seconds, and the tired tropes of women ultimately yielding up power to a man and redemption by death. And then...gee, everything's groovy with no repercussions. Still a cool world, with some fascinating potential, but I just don't feel like the author knows what to do with this nifty world she created.
November 22, 2018
As I said in the 1st book, I don't like the author's way of writing. The book is still interesting or I would not have read it but the little romance between the characters were frustrating. The story also lacks elaboration and I can't seem to be able to form a connection between any of the characters. So I'm reading this book not like someone who is going through the adventures with the characters but rather like reading a book with recorded facts.
May 23, 2018
Being completely honest I bought this because it tipped me over to free delivery and it was cheaper than paying postage on the book I did want. That said, it's a decent enough steampunk style adventure, with some interesting characters and plot twists. It did get a little bogged down for me in the middle though.
October 7, 2018
Unfortunately, it was not as compelling as the first title in the series and I found myself putting it down too many times to finish. Others might not feel the same way so don't take my review as if this were a poorly written or thought out read. I am rather jaded and it just wasn't enough to keep me intrigued.
June 23, 2021
First one was better (although not that great)
April 21, 2016
A year has passed since the destruction of the Refineries which turned Elementals into fuel for the city of New London. Some things have changed for the better, at least for the Elementals, but most of New London is finding it hard to adjust to the lack of their accustomed luxuries. Olivia is pushing hard for peace, but the Queen of the Shadowspiders is rising to claim the city for her own . . .
This improved somewhat on the first book, although not by much. Someone realized Vespa was a mess of a character in the first book, so her powers get a mysterious downgrade where they just stop working randomly to help add some tension (spoiler: I still didn't care, although it's worlds better than everyone pretty much worshiping her). And it is totally random. The only attempt the book makes to explain is as growing pains. Vespa's having troubles with Bayne, too, who--shockingly--still isn't responding to her interest in him. She thought he was over that whole forcing-him-to-marry-Lucy thing.
I still don't like Vespa, but she was a lot more tolerable now that she's no longer the center of the plot.
Syrus has grown up a lot in the past year. In the first book he sounded more like a child. Now he's definitely more of a man. Interestingly, he doesn't have any problems with being a werehound (though I wish it had played into the plot a tad more, as that was something I was hoping to see work out); he's as comfortable in hound shape as man-shape, though the whole losing-clothes bit means he tries to hold himself back most of the time. This time around, Syrus takes the first-person point of view, with the alternate chapters in third person for Vespa. I found the shift in tone a bit jarring---I would've pegged him as 13 in the previous book, and somewhere around 17-18 in this one, but only a year has passed.
I was also disappointed by the choice of villains. It felt like bringing those people in again took away from some of the fresher ideas this book went after, and although I don't mind so much what they did with the girl, I was not at all convinced by the reason why the spider was included. Sure, spare life where needed. But keep in mind that someone else sparing the spider is what led to everyone who died this time around---it's kind of saying that Elemental life is sacred, but human life is disposable.
So all in all while this was in some ways better than the first book, in many ways it's the same. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
This improved somewhat on the first book, although not by much. Someone realized Vespa was a mess of a character in the first book, so her powers get a mysterious downgrade where they just stop working randomly to help add some tension (spoiler: I still didn't care, although it's worlds better than everyone pretty much worshiping her). And it is totally random. The only attempt the book makes to explain is as growing pains. Vespa's having troubles with Bayne, too, who--shockingly--still isn't responding to her interest in him. She thought he was over that whole forcing-him-to-marry-Lucy thing.
I still don't like Vespa, but she was a lot more tolerable now that she's no longer the center of the plot.
Syrus has grown up a lot in the past year. In the first book he sounded more like a child. Now he's definitely more of a man. Interestingly, he doesn't have any problems with being a werehound (though I wish it had played into the plot a tad more, as that was something I was hoping to see work out); he's as comfortable in hound shape as man-shape, though the whole losing-clothes bit means he tries to hold himself back most of the time. This time around, Syrus takes the first-person point of view, with the alternate chapters in third person for Vespa. I found the shift in tone a bit jarring---I would've pegged him as 13 in the previous book, and somewhere around 17-18 in this one, but only a year has passed.
I was also disappointed by the choice of villains. It felt like bringing those people in again took away from some of the fresher ideas this book went after, and although I don't mind so much what they did with the girl, I was not at all convinced by the reason why the spider was included. Sure, spare life where needed. But keep in mind that someone else sparing the spider is what led to everyone who died this time around---it's kind of saying that Elemental life is sacred, but human life is disposable.
So all in all while this was in some ways better than the first book, in many ways it's the same. I rate this book Neutral.
See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....
March 24, 2014
Update: It's not a trilogy! My bad. There is a ebook novella tie-in though. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
A trilogy’s second book is often overlooked, sometimes cursed to be the disappointment in a series. Through some feat of elemental magic Tiffany Trent has managed not only to live up to the first book’s standards, but improve on them in some ways.
The plotting here is swift and tight. It helps that, after reading the first book, there’s not much world-building to be done. Not that world building is bad, but this is a complex land of fantasy. But The Tinker King doesn’t focus on info-dumps and tutorials, it stays with its characters and plot.
I complained about geographical descriptions in the first book, there’s no such complaint to make with Tinker King. The settings are wonderful and visually described. We get taken from our former home in New London by a zeppelin (not really but that’s the best description I have), off to the land of Scientia and its palace of bone. It’s a refreshing new land that harbors deep and ancient secrets.
In fairness, I did have a few gripes.
The story is very late to peak and it’s a short climax. The hardcover is 310 pages long and the conflict only comes to a head in the last 20-30 pages. It’s not a major buzz-kill though because this time the mystery and intrigue carry you along more so than action-packed battles.
I also found myself a bit confused during the ending. I’d like to elaborate but I don’t want to spoil anything. I’ll just say that in one moment a character is sacrificing himself to be trapped forever, and in the next paragraph he’s perfectly fine. I’m not sure what transpired between those two points.
The main villain from the last book makes a surprising appearance. While his resurrection and relocation are talked about, I didn’t find the explanations very convincing. That may be expanded upon in the next volume though.
There’s also at least one major plot point left unresolved. That, however, is most likely on purpose. There’s another book coming out in the series and I expect that point will become the major focus.
So, another great effort from Tiffany Trent. I very much look forward to continuing my journey with Vespa and Syrus and looking into Trent’s other work.
A trilogy’s second book is often overlooked, sometimes cursed to be the disappointment in a series. Through some feat of elemental magic Tiffany Trent has managed not only to live up to the first book’s standards, but improve on them in some ways.
The plotting here is swift and tight. It helps that, after reading the first book, there’s not much world-building to be done. Not that world building is bad, but this is a complex land of fantasy. But The Tinker King doesn’t focus on info-dumps and tutorials, it stays with its characters and plot.
I complained about geographical descriptions in the first book, there’s no such complaint to make with Tinker King. The settings are wonderful and visually described. We get taken from our former home in New London by a zeppelin (not really but that’s the best description I have), off to the land of Scientia and its palace of bone. It’s a refreshing new land that harbors deep and ancient secrets.
In fairness, I did have a few gripes.
The story is very late to peak and it’s a short climax. The hardcover is 310 pages long and the conflict only comes to a head in the last 20-30 pages. It’s not a major buzz-kill though because this time the mystery and intrigue carry you along more so than action-packed battles.
I also found myself a bit confused during the ending. I’d like to elaborate but I don’t want to spoil anything. I’ll just say that in one moment a character is sacrificing himself to be trapped forever, and in the next paragraph he’s perfectly fine. I’m not sure what transpired between those two points.
The main villain from the last book makes a surprising appearance. While his resurrection and relocation are talked about, I didn’t find the explanations very convincing. That may be expanded upon in the next volume though.
There’s also at least one major plot point left unresolved. That, however, is most likely on purpose. There’s another book coming out in the series and I expect that point will become the major focus.
So, another great effort from Tiffany Trent. I very much look forward to continuing my journey with Vespa and Syrus and looking into Trent’s other work.
July 17, 2025
The Tinker King
By Tiffany Trent
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
February 11, 2014
The Tinker King is the sequel to The Unnaturalists. The novel begins during the cleanup after the destruction of the Grue. The point of view switches between Vespa and Syrus. We are reunited with Vespa, Syrus and Bayne as they take on another big bad in this second novel, each having a darker mind-set after losing innocence, gaining experience and growing a little from the first novel. Piskel and Truffler add some comic relief but not near as much as the first novel. Vespa is dealing with feeling guilty and ashamed after her spell with Lucy and Bayne and trying to seek forgiveness from Bayne. Bayne is being dark and aloof. Syrus is dealing with his feelings for Olivia and the massive loss of his people. They each are disgusted at being a society that allowed the devastation of a species to gain ease in their own lives.
There is a new element added to this novel which is the melding of science and magic, whereas before it was Science vs. Elementals (magic) and now it is blending them together to get an unknown science. We see this through magically melded automatons. This fits well into the steampunk genre, along with corsets, tinkers, metal, grease, Cthulhu-like creatures and airships. Tiffany Trent makes you feel as if you are there in the novel with the characters in the dark, dank, dripping underbelly of pollution left after the near decimation of the elemental race. Such a lovely flow of words and sentences that makes you long for more.
There undercurrent theme from the last novel takes front seat in this novel and that is the theme of removing the wasteful tendencies of the world and stop eliminating a species or ecosystem to make your life easier. Tiffany Trent shows this by the cleanup of Vespa’s hometown and the characters trying to make amends for personal wrongs and trying to cleanup other people’s messes to make the world a better place.
Overall, it was a lovely novel filled with a nice blend of action, suspense and romance, with beautiful world-building.
By Tiffany Trent
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
February 11, 2014
The Tinker King is the sequel to The Unnaturalists. The novel begins during the cleanup after the destruction of the Grue. The point of view switches between Vespa and Syrus. We are reunited with Vespa, Syrus and Bayne as they take on another big bad in this second novel, each having a darker mind-set after losing innocence, gaining experience and growing a little from the first novel. Piskel and Truffler add some comic relief but not near as much as the first novel. Vespa is dealing with feeling guilty and ashamed after her spell with Lucy and Bayne and trying to seek forgiveness from Bayne. Bayne is being dark and aloof. Syrus is dealing with his feelings for Olivia and the massive loss of his people. They each are disgusted at being a society that allowed the devastation of a species to gain ease in their own lives.
There is a new element added to this novel which is the melding of science and magic, whereas before it was Science vs. Elementals (magic) and now it is blending them together to get an unknown science. We see this through magically melded automatons. This fits well into the steampunk genre, along with corsets, tinkers, metal, grease, Cthulhu-like creatures and airships. Tiffany Trent makes you feel as if you are there in the novel with the characters in the dark, dank, dripping underbelly of pollution left after the near decimation of the elemental race. Such a lovely flow of words and sentences that makes you long for more.
There undercurrent theme from the last novel takes front seat in this novel and that is the theme of removing the wasteful tendencies of the world and stop eliminating a species or ecosystem to make your life easier. Tiffany Trent shows this by the cleanup of Vespa’s hometown and the characters trying to make amends for personal wrongs and trying to cleanup other people’s messes to make the world a better place.
Overall, it was a lovely novel filled with a nice blend of action, suspense and romance, with beautiful world-building.
January 29, 2016
2.5 stars
I still really like Trent's ideas, but there are quite a few things that bothered me in terms of execution.
As another reviewer said, there was a frustrating lack of communication between characters! I really don't like it when the plot of a book relies on misunderstandings to create tension and pacing. So many things could have been resolved if the main characters just talked through what was going on.
I suppose that's personal preference though, since some people like that style of plot.
As with the previous book, I don't like the switching between third and first person! It was interesting to read from Syrus' point of view, but I would have preferred it if the whole book was in third.
I really think that Trent's third person point of view is well written and interesting to read - a strong point of her writing.
Regarding plot, what happened to all the other Elementals? So much of the books revolve around them, and yet where are they all? We have were-spiders in spades (yay..) but not much else.
One of the things I loved about the previous book was that they were working to stop the exploitation of all these creatures. I liked that element in The Tinker King as well, and think it could have been followed through even more.
Vespa and Bayne.. what can I say? Why didn't
To conclude, not a favourite, but enjoyable.
I still really like Trent's ideas, but there are quite a few things that bothered me in terms of execution.
As another reviewer said, there was a frustrating lack of communication between characters! I really don't like it when the plot of a book relies on misunderstandings to create tension and pacing. So many things could have been resolved if the main characters just talked through what was going on.
I suppose that's personal preference though, since some people like that style of plot.
As with the previous book, I don't like the switching between third and first person! It was interesting to read from Syrus' point of view, but I would have preferred it if the whole book was in third.
I really think that Trent's third person point of view is well written and interesting to read - a strong point of her writing.
Regarding plot, what happened to all the other Elementals? So much of the books revolve around them, and yet where are they all? We have were-spiders in spades (yay..) but not much else.
One of the things I loved about the previous book was that they were working to stop the exploitation of all these creatures. I liked that element in The Tinker King as well, and think it could have been followed through even more.
Vespa and Bayne.. what can I say? Why didn't
To conclude, not a favourite, but enjoyable.
January 3, 2024
Well, the problems that I had with the first book continued into this one. Though I did enjoy the perspective changing from Vespa to Syrus. Syrus was honestly a much more interesting narrator since he had Truffler and Piskel around most of the time.
A lot of my issues stem from the characters themselves. Vespa pining over Bayne seems so token and Bayne's weird 'vow' not to have a relationship lasted until it wasn't convenient anymore. Syrus and his Tinker heritage was treated like an ex machina that could just advance the plot. Though his relationship with Olivia was cute in a puppy-love kind of way. Honestly, Piskel the fairy was my favorite because his desire for jam cake at least made sense.
I can't really recommend this series. Nothing about it stood out except maybe the setting. Steampunk meets fantasy is a fun place to be. 2/5
A lot of my issues stem from the characters themselves. Vespa pining over Bayne seems so token and Bayne's weird 'vow' not to have a relationship lasted until it wasn't convenient anymore. Syrus and his Tinker heritage was treated like an ex machina that could just advance the plot. Though his relationship with Olivia was cute in a puppy-love kind of way. Honestly, Piskel the fairy was my favorite because his desire for jam cake at least made sense.
I can't really recommend this series. Nothing about it stood out except maybe the setting. Steampunk meets fantasy is a fun place to be. 2/5
February 24, 2014
The worldbuilding that Trent does is utterly brilliant. This novel gives us insight into the time before, and I hope there are more stories coming from that time.
The "baddie" here is so delicious that I cringe even now thinking about it. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time this particular creature has shown up in fiction (I may be wrong about that, but I certainly haven't heard of it happening...and I'm pretty sure I would have).
The Olivia plot is really interesting. That last chapter hinted at all kinds of pivot points for this world to continue, and I hope Trent picks those threads up (pun VERY much intended).
The only complaint I have is that so much has happened in the gap between books that it took me a bit to catch up and adjust early on. By about chapter four, though, it all clicked.
I think Trent's world, here, is clever, clever stuff. This book, and the first one, both HIGHLY recommended.
The "baddie" here is so delicious that I cringe even now thinking about it. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time this particular creature has shown up in fiction (I may be wrong about that, but I certainly haven't heard of it happening...and I'm pretty sure I would have).
The Olivia plot is really interesting. That last chapter hinted at all kinds of pivot points for this world to continue, and I hope Trent picks those threads up (pun VERY much intended).
The only complaint I have is that so much has happened in the gap between books that it took me a bit to catch up and adjust early on. By about chapter four, though, it all clicked.
I think Trent's world, here, is clever, clever stuff. This book, and the first one, both HIGHLY recommended.
August 21, 2014
Becoming a huge fan with this sequel to The Unnaturalists. It's steampunk with a twist. This one is easier to follow than the first, maybe because you already know the characters. Expect several surprise appearances. I will say it reminds me a bit of Philip Reeve's Larklight (because of the spiders) and his Mortal Engines series (because of the belief in science and the automatons). It also has hints of Howl's Moving Castle with the creeping Waste. But the rich character development and the finely drawn world pull you right in and don't let go. I will admit the ending falls a little short for me, but I'm guessing there will be sequels... Also, take note that the POV changes in this novel from the first. You get a closer look in Syrus's head and some distance from Vespa. Takes a bit of getting used to, but luckily I like both characters very much :-)
March 25, 2014
What a great sequel to The Unnaturalists! Vespa, Syrus, and Bayne back and they must be prepared to defend Empress Olivia and the kingdom from the Shadowspiders. Syrus will discover more about who and what he is. There is more to Empress Olivia than meets the eye. Yes, there is much here to keep you turning pages.
I really enjoyed the first book and this one didn't disappoint. It is a well built world and has all the fun elements of Steampunk with magic and mythological creatures too. Ms Trent is a great storyteller who is a pleasure to read.
I would give this book to lovers of Steampunk fantasy and especially all the teens I talked into trying The Unnaturalists and came back looking for more books.
I really enjoyed the first book and this one didn't disappoint. It is a well built world and has all the fun elements of Steampunk with magic and mythological creatures too. Ms Trent is a great storyteller who is a pleasure to read.
I would give this book to lovers of Steampunk fantasy and especially all the teens I talked into trying The Unnaturalists and came back looking for more books.
November 15, 2014
The Tinker King felt a lot more toned down in terms of action, compared to other YA books I've read so far. The scenes felt like they didn't really flow at times, and the story just wasn't very engaging. One major problem I had was the POV for each of the chapters. It would switch between first and third person, and was very confusing for me. Each chapter felt disconnected from the other, and there was no indication before each chapter of who was talking. The romance also felt very rushed. Syrus and Olivia didn't have a romance that felt real, and Vespa and Bayne's relationship was constantly on and off in a way that irritated me. As a whole, The Tinker King was a pretty good book, but I wanted a lot more than what I got.
June 3, 2014
Rereading the first one before reading this would probably have helped. It was ok, and I still like the characters, but there's so much we're not told, and so much undercurrent of what wants to be ecological-scientific lecture/lesson (can't remember the word I want because I just woke up), but we're not told enough it to be really clear... I guess I'd read a third one, if there is one, but I'm not sure I'd have to be the first on my block.
September 18, 2014
Sequel to the Unnaturalists.
Although all the new empress Olivia wants is peace in her kingdom, that is impossible as an old enemy is re-awakened and poses a serious threat to all that has just been established.
For a second book in a series, it was quite good and although a bit slow in a few spots, it kept me turning pages to see what would happen. A few unexpected plot twists also added to my enjoyment.
Although all the new empress Olivia wants is peace in her kingdom, that is impossible as an old enemy is re-awakened and poses a serious threat to all that has just been established.
For a second book in a series, it was quite good and although a bit slow in a few spots, it kept me turning pages to see what would happen. A few unexpected plot twists also added to my enjoyment.
November 23, 2015
At first I was a little skeptical, but then it got really, really good. It's a very different sort of book. I would label it as steam-punk, historical, futuristic fiction, if that makes any sense. It would if you would just read the book. Well, actually read the first one first. Anyway, I really liked the characters, and there were some extremely cool plot twists, and unexpected things that happened. I really, really liked it.
August 15, 2015
In the follow-up to The Unnaturalist, Syrus Reed becomes the narrator.
The action picks up shortly after the Elementals have been freed.
This poses a problem, when Vespa and Syrus learn that Ximu has returned.
This plot has a firmer hold on Steampunk. Trent also seems to have been inspired by the ancient Chinese Terracotta warriors.
A fun action packed story.
The action picks up shortly after the Elementals have been freed.
This poses a problem, when Vespa and Syrus learn that Ximu has returned.
This plot has a firmer hold on Steampunk. Trent also seems to have been inspired by the ancient Chinese Terracotta warriors.
A fun action packed story.
February 24, 2014
Although I preferred the first book, I thought The Tinker King was a good read. There was continuity and there was expansion, both character- and world-wise. The ending was just a little bit too 'polished', in my opinion. Recommended to genre lovers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews