Of Metal and Wishes

The blurb on the front cover of this book touts it as vivid, grisly and beautiful. I found it to be none of these things. Perhaps if I were 14 I would have enjoyed this; I'm not, and I didn't. I don't get it, Powell's is pushing it and the reviews are all super gushy. I don't see it. I also have got to stop starting YA trilogies. Inevitably they are all awful and I get no payoff of any kind for slogging through the damn thing. Waste of time.

Rating - 3.5 stars

The writing immediately pulled me into the narrative and soon I was invested in the main character's development. From the beginning we know that Wen is prejudiced against the Noor and those problematic thoughts are soon addressed after the climactic events with the Ghost of Gochan One. From that point on it is easy to follow and enjoyable to see Wen's growth in her self-awareness. The Noor aren't destructive but nor are they angels, as Melik said about Wen once, they are real as she is real. Their flaws don't make them monstrous and the fear of difference is greatly questioned and symbolized in many ways throughout the book.

Some of the characters did seem a bit two-dimensional, like Wen's father and the oily slimeball who runs the compound Underboss Mugo. They seemed to serve a purpose as either a weak-willed individual or an obvious impending moment of drama. Ultimately as a plot device they worked well but could have benefited from more development.

There were two points in this book that stood out to me and really reeled me in. The first enthralling thing I found when I started reading Of Metal and Wishes was the atmosphere that the author so easily created with the dreary circumstances and doom-and-gloom depiction of the slaughterhouse compound. There are three compounds comprised of factories with different purposes to support the warring times outside their city. Gochan One is the set for majority of the book and is known for housing the slaughterhouse and the workers who attend to it. In a real world perspective we are set somewhere resembling East Asia and are expected to see the Noors (white men, presumably of European-like origin) to be the invaders but who are treated as lower-class citizens and unworthy of notice by the government.

The second thing that drew me in was the unexpected twist with the plot of the story. There's a side plot that delves more into the steampunk realm which is unexpected. I won't reveal much as I think it's best to go in without too much information but while the plot itself is formulaic in the character's actions and decisions, it is ultimately unpredictable with the high stakes that plague every encounter with the Noor and the Itanyai in the enclosed quarters.

This is a solid read that I would recommend if you are in a reading slump and trying to get out of it (like I very much was). Of Metal and Wishes is fast-paced, heartfelt and overall a quick read. It's certainly doesn't deal with light topics so there are trigger warnings you may want to look into before diving in.

For the full review, visit my blog post: https://liliandherbooks.wordpress.com/2019/03/06/of-metal-and-wishes-of-metal-and-wishes-1-by-sarah-fine/