Author: Sarah Fine
Series: Of Metal and Wishes #2
Pages: 288
Genre: YA, Retelling
Date Published: August 4th, 2015
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Format Read: Purchased Hardcover
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Summary:
War erupts in this
bittersweet sequel to Of Metal and Wishes, inspired by The Phantom of
the Opera and called “relentlessly engrossing” by The Romantic Times.
In the year since the collapse of the slaughterhouse where Wen worked as her father’s medical assistant, she’s held all her secrets close. She works in the clinic at the weapons factory and sneaks away to nurse Bo, once the Ghost, now a boy determined to transform himself into a living machine. Their strange, fragile friendship soothes some of the ache of missing Melik, the strong-willed Noor who walked away from Wen all those months ago—but it can’t quell her fears for him.
The Noor are waging a rebellion in the west. When she overhears plans to crush Melik’s people with the powerful war machines created at the factory, Wen makes the painful decision to leave behind all she has known—including Bo—to warn them. But the farther she journeys into the warzone, the more confusing things become. A year of brutality seems to have changed Melik, and Wen has a decision to make about him and his people: How much is she willing to sacrifice to save them from complete annihilation?
In the year since the collapse of the slaughterhouse where Wen worked as her father’s medical assistant, she’s held all her secrets close. She works in the clinic at the weapons factory and sneaks away to nurse Bo, once the Ghost, now a boy determined to transform himself into a living machine. Their strange, fragile friendship soothes some of the ache of missing Melik, the strong-willed Noor who walked away from Wen all those months ago—but it can’t quell her fears for him.
The Noor are waging a rebellion in the west. When she overhears plans to crush Melik’s people with the powerful war machines created at the factory, Wen makes the painful decision to leave behind all she has known—including Bo—to warn them. But the farther she journeys into the warzone, the more confusing things become. A year of brutality seems to have changed Melik, and Wen has a decision to make about him and his people: How much is she willing to sacrifice to save them from complete annihilation?
-Goodreads
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My Thoughts:
An Open Letter To Of Dreams And Rust,
You made me feel all of the emotions. Every single one. Most books only give you a few feels, but you actually made me use all of my different emotions in less than three hundred pages. You should be proud of yourself for that. I honestly can't say how much that I enjoyed you, because I'm not sure that there is enough time for that. You're the best!
-The White Unicorn
I'm a Sarah Fine fan girl for life, so it should be no surprise that I pre-ordered this novel as soon as I knew that it was going to exist, or the fact that I started it the day it showed up at my house. As a lover of musicals, Phantom of the Opera has always been a favorite of mine. Mix Sarah Fine and Phantom together and you get magic. Of Dreams and Rust, and it's predecessor Of Metal and Wishes prove that.
It's true that Of Metal and Wishes was supposed to be a standalone novel, but when Fine was asked to continue the story, she did. I think that the first book would have been fine as a standalone, because it's brilliant, but I'm glad that Fine decided to continue Wen, Melik, and Bo's story.
This book reads really quickly, and it's not very long. I could have done with a few more chapters myself, but I think that Fine puts everything that needs to be said into the novel as is. I think I just didn't want to say goodbye to the characters, so I would have been pleased if this book would have gone on forever. But it didn't.
Because the characters were so established in the first novel, we jump right into the action in book two. I like that we didn't have to wait for Wen to do something dramatic. She finds out that Melik might still be alive, and that she might be able to save him, and she rushes off to do just that.
Melik becomes a really complex character in the book. I don't remember him being quite as dynamic in the first novel and I really liked where his character progression went this time around. He's conflicted about a lot of things and it shows in the way he responds to everything around him. It's also interesting to see the story taking place in his comfort zone. It adds something new to the tale.
Bo is who he's always been, and I like that while the rest of the cast has grown a bit since we met them in the first book, it is safe to say that Bo might have actually digressed. I love this about him. It makes him different. It makes him the wild card. It makes him the boy who does what he wants when he wants, which keeps us all on our toes.
This book is sad people. Like the kind of sad that might mean that you should not read it without some tissues on hand. It's brutal, and it's beautiful. It's everything you want from a Sarah Fine novel. So read it. Just read it, okay?!
Rating:
5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!
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