The Peculiar / Stefan Bachmann / 376 pages

Debut author Bachmann writes a gothic, steampunk thriller for middle grade readers.  There's plenty of action to carry readers along though parts are pretty dark and grim...including murders, suicide, parasitic creatures, and evil intentions.  Think Victorian England that is dark, dank, smelly and populated by a good number of trolls, faeries, hobgoblins, and other creatures from the Old Country.  Peculiars are the results of mixed marriages (faery and human) and they are not accepted by either race.  The thrilling conclusion leaves the door open for a sequel.  The reader will recognize that there may be more similarities than expected when it comes to the intentions of the good and the evil characters.