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The Unnaturalists [Hardcover]

Tiffany Trent
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)

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Book Description

August 14, 2012 Unnaturalists
In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

     As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.


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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-In the world of New London, science has replaced religion, and magic and witchcraft are considered heretical. Machinery is powered by the mysterious substance, Myth. Vespa Nyx, 17, is the daughter of a scholar who works at the Museum of Unnatural History. Although she wishes to spend her life cataloging Unnatural creatures, she is being pressured to marry and abandon her studies. After a near-fatal encounter with a captive Sphinx at the museum and a mysterious Pedant named Hal, Vespa begins to realize that she is in fact the last surviving witch in New London. In a parallel plot, Syrus Reed, member of an indigent Tinker clan, is forced into hiding after a raid in which members of his family are killed or kidnapped and forced to work in the Myth refinery. The Tinkers are the only inhabitants of New London who openly respect and acknowledge the Unnatural creatures, which they refer to as Elementals and see as essential to the balance of the world order. Predictably, Vespa and Syrus find themselves working together to save their world. This is an entertaining mix of steampunk and fantasy. It is very plot-driven, with some intriguing world-building details, such as the origin story of New London involving Saint Tesla, and the stained-glass window depicting Saint Pasteur smiting the Demon Byron. Readers may be confused about the workings of this fantasy world unless they have read the short story "The Emperor's Man" in the anthology Corsets and Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances (Running Press, 2011), which is a prequel to this novel.-Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

In this gaslight fantasy, parts of Victorian London have been transported to a land inhabited by creatures from myth. Dubbed unnaturals, they are on the verge of being exterminated by a corrupt government. Though Saint Darwin’s Church of Science and Technology reigns supreme and magic has been forbidden, an odious sorcerer schemes to kill the last manticore and use the dragon’s heart it guards to power a device that will reopen the gate between worlds. Against him are 16-year-old Vespa, a naive exhibit preparator in the Museum of Unnatural History, and younger teen Syrus, member of a clan of downtrodden Tinkers (modeled on a Chinese ethnic minority group, the author claims). To no evident purpose, Trent switches her narrative’s tense and person in alternate chapters. But along with providing Vespa with magical powers of her own, an upper-class rebel magician as a romantic foil, and a genuinely nasty opponent, the author crafts an engagingly violent, suspenseful tale that leads to a wild climax and, in the end, just deserts all round. Grades 6-9. --John Peters

Product Details

  • Age Range: 12 and up
  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (August 14, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1442422068
  • ISBN-13: 978-1442422063
  • Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.9 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #691,906 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tiffany Trent grew up in Roanoke, Virginia, surrounded by mountains and books. She is the author of the young adult fantasy novel THE UNNATURALISTS, a Green Earth Book Award Honor book. She is also the author of the HALLOWMERE series and several short stories. When not writing, she can usually be found playing with bees, chasing chickens, or contemplating pie. Find her online at www.tiffanytrent.com.


Customer Reviews

The characters were beautifully thought out and very lovable. JessabellaReviews  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
I look forward to reading other books by this author.( Mandy Wilson  |  3 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but very entertaining. August 30, 2012
By John
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
So I had almost randomly picked up this book, wasn't to sure what to expect, although after reading it, I'm glad I picked it up. The book is very well written, the world that was built in this novel is great and very interesting. Contrary to what a particular review has stated, this "cast of characters" is not confusing at all, it's very obvious who the main players are and who the unnaturals are, I think that review was just trying to bash it on purpose. At times, Vespa can be a bit annoying, and her powers are underutilized. So why did I give it 4 stars and not 3? I gave this book 4 starts because in the end, the book was very entertaining and the problems are very minor in how the effect the story and the great world that was built.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The worldbuilding in THE UNNATURALISTS is top notch. Fantastical creatures, mysterious magic, deadly consequences for those who misuse it, and an origin story that is so good it deserves it's own book. An entire society sprang up after Tesla-yes the Tesla-broke through to another world and took half of London with him. There is no way back, so New London has progressed from this point in several alternate ways from ours. The Victorian era never ended, and Steampunk/magic progressed. Science and Logic are the religion of the day with references to St. Darwin and St. Bacon. All these little details unfold beautifully and naturally throughout the book without ever resorting to dreaded info dumps.

Of the two protagonists in THE UNNATURALISTS, I only ended up connecting with Vespa, the curious and ambitious daughter of The Museum of Unnatural History curator. She had a contagious excitement about the creatures she studied and a reckless streak that got her into just enough trouble to be interesting without being foolhardy. Syrus fell a bit flat for me. He was written in 3rd person and is much younger. His life as an outcast Tinker just didn't grab me even as numerous tragedies befell him.

There is a small romance in THE UNNATURALISTS, though not between Vespa and Syrus. It didn't quite come together for me as I never fully bought into Vespa's attraction for this guy. She fell pretty quickly and repeatedly threw herself at him. I would have preferred it if Vespa had kept her hormones in check and let the potential relationship simmer. I didn't end up feeling her anxiety when various obstacles sprang up between them.

Splitting chapters between two protagonists slowed things down as ultimately only one had a compelling story. The romance also failed to entice. The real saving grace is the worldbuilding. The amazing New London and even more amazing history in THE UNNATURALISTS make it a good read for Steampunk fans. No word on a sequel, but the ending certainly leaves room for a potential series.

Sexual Content:
Kissing
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a surface read September 1, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I may be rather peculiar as a reader; some people read for the plot, but I get lost in the settings and the characters. In this respect, The Unnaturalists was a masterful work. The setting was unique -- an alternate, magical London. The characters were convincing and, while not perfect people, real enough that you didn't question their motives, which makes them -- in my book -- perfect characters.

The one thing I would question about this book is its target audience. While I think this was written for people in their teens, there are aspects of the plot which I think would evade some younger readers. The characters -- especially in their relationships with each other -- are very complicated, and there are many facets at work here that do not lead to a pat ending -- and, in fact, there is no "pat" ending and in the other reviews I have read, I believe that this was unsatisfying for some of the young readers. An adult reader, however, would not be disturbed by it ... I'm afraid that is all I can say without needing to tag the spoiler flag.

I look forward to reading other books by this author.(
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
The Unnaturalists is a book that you are sure to never forget once you read it. If you're like me you probably will find or have found yourself looking up certain things mentioned... Read more
Published 27 days ago by James Agee
5.0 out of 5 stars Unnatural
Gave this to my resident Steam Punker. She hasn't been able to put it down. Great story, a compelling read.
Published 4 months ago by vivian rojas
4.0 out of 5 stars Steampunk, sci-fi, alternate history, and mythology - this book has it...
I was quite excited to read The Unnaturalists - I was able to meet Tiffany Trent at the Baltimore Book Festival back in September, where I bought a signed copy. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kaitlyn (The Bookworm)
4.0 out of 5 stars like a bag of Doritos, for the spicy fun of Manticores and clockwork...
Vespa Nyx and Syrus Reed live on opposite sides of the economic tracks in New London. Vespa works in her father's museum-- tending to stuffed sylphids, frozen Sphinxes, and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by kblincoln
3.0 out of 5 stars Young person book
Not what I expected when I ordered it, but I did give it to a pre-teen friend and she loved it.
Published 5 months ago by Small Boat Doc
3.0 out of 5 stars Barely scraped the surface of its potential
Trent has created a world with nuance and history and while I didn't have a problem stepping into her creation I often stumbled around. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Missy Frye
5.0 out of 5 stars A World Where Science and Magic Collide
Vespa Nyx works at the museum with her father, spending her days studying and stuffing Unnaturals - the term used by New Londoners for the magical creatures found in the wild. Read more
Published 6 months ago by J. M. Kramer
3.0 out of 5 stars The Unnaturalists
Enjoyable read mixing a victorian setting with myth and magic. Only wish more effort was given developing the characters relationships but I understand this is to be a series so... Read more
Published 7 months ago by lilly
4.0 out of 5 stars Hobbitsies Reviews: Amazing world-building
The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent is one of those books where I am just in awe of the creativity and world building that went into it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Tara Gonzalez
5.0 out of 5 stars By St. Tesla, it's a great read!
It's a parallel steampunk London infused with magical power and inhabited by magical bests that are only legend in our world. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cheryl Ruggiero
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