Lumière (The Illumination Paradox #1) by Jacqueline Garlick

4 stars!

The beautiful cover art of ‘Lumiere’ first caught my attention, and when the description mentioned a steampunk invention and an unknown world, I was excited to read this book!  It was everything I had hoped for; a fun adventure through a descriptive fantasy world with well-developed characters and enough mystery to keep me guessing until the end.

In ‘Lumiere,’ we follow main character, resilient Eyelet, as she flees the only home she’s ever known and unknowingly runs into the perfect person for her situation; clever and resourceful Urlick.  As a guest in Urlick’s strange house full of mysterious and intricate inventions, in a geographical area she hadn’t known existed, Eyelet discovers what happened to the world the night her father died, the night of the Great Illumination.  As Eyelet and Urlick team together on a quest in attempt to make her father’s machine function and undo the consequences of that fateful night, they encounter vapours, beings that behave as ghouls, and evil, power-hungry ordinary men.  A good portion of this book is action-adventure, traveling through the well-described scenery of a dystopian altered-Earth.

Garlick’s tale includes a fascinating combination of magic, science and steampunk, with the potential for hidden worlds, Valkyries, talking ravens, and delightfully wonky inventions.  The characters are easy to root for, having human qualities, kind hearts, and noble intentions.  Their various physical deformities endear them to each other, and the reader.  That Eyelet and Urlick developed feelings for each other over time and thanks, in part, to the various situations they found themselves in is a refreshing break from the popular YA-genre ‘instalove.’  Their entire interaction, including their feelings for each other, is realistic and develops over time.

‘Lumiere’ is written mostly from Eyelet's point of view, with several chapters narrated by Urlick.  This book is suitable for younger audiences and enjoyable for older YA readers as well.  Looking forward to the sequel, Noir, releasing on 8/18!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lumiere on Amazon - Currently available as part of Amazon's Kindle Unlimited program!