Saturday, July 19, 2014

The Mark of the Dragonfly / Jaleigh Johnson / 386 pages / 8 disks / narrated by Kim Mai Guest

     I love trains! I don't know about you but they are the coolest thing. Riding across the countryside watching the world whiz by is just about Heaven for me. So when I read about this girl who escapes from trouble by jumping a train I was very interested. Meet Piper who lives in a world that isn't a thing like ours. It is a mining town that has weekly meteor showers not of rocks but of objects from other worlds. Things like books, dolls or mechanical devices like a music box and such. Piper is a scrapper meaning she earns her living by repairing the items she scavenges from the area.
     During one of the showers, Piper sees a small caravan trying to make it to safety across the meteor field. She watches helplessly as the wagons are destroyed and when she investigates finds an unconscious young woman who is barely alive. After getting her home Piper is told by neighbors there is a mysterious man asking about a survivor from the wagons. When the two meet Piper realizes he isn't who he says he is. They escape by jumping on the 401, a train that travels the width of the country delivering people and packages on behalf of the King. Piper discovers a group of people on board who become her allies in the search for answers. Who is the young woman and why does the man want her and what is it about the Head of Security that is so fascinating?
    What an enjoyable and thrilling story. I was sucked in from the beginning and it was hard to put it down. Piper is a feisty young woman who has a stubborn streak when is comes to finding out the truth. She also discovers magic and that it is a part of her. I enjoyed the ride on the 401 and the adventures in each of the towns where the train stops. I am hoping this is a beginning of a series. It felt like it but the story did tie up at the end. I heartily recommend this novel to adults as well as some younger ones. You will be rewarded.

Six degrees of Reading: Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald and The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel.

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