A Spark Unseen
Exciting sequel has romance, adventure, court intrigue.
Kids say
Based on 1 review
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that A Spark Unseen, the sequel to Sharon Cameron's romantic steampunk thriller The Dark Unwinding, is an exciting page-turner, finding many of the same intriguing characters in ongoing period adventures. Violence abounds: Two people are killed in a foiled kidnapping attempt before the first chapter ends, and a beloved character or two add to the body count as the story continues. Good and evil characters meet violent deaths (a throat is cut, someone's head is fatally bashed in), and others suffer injuries dealing with assaults and disasters. Many descriptions of dead bodies and bones in the catacombs of Paris. One character is frequently drugged to keep him quiet; another is poisoning his stepmother. An amorous emperor's illegitimate children come back to haunt him.
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What's the Story?
Two years after the events of The Dark Unwinding, Katharine Tulman and her maid Mary are awakened in the night by an abduction attempt on her uncle; in the mayhem, at least two people are killed. She soon learns that Uncle Tully, a brilliant inventor who suffers from something like autism, is the target of government agencies that want to steal his inventions for military purposes. Katharine and Mary flee to France in hopes of finding Katharine's lost love, Lane Moreau, who's always been Uncle Tully's best protector. They're quickly caught up in the foibles of Parisian society and the darker intrigue lurking at the court of Napoleon III.
Is It Any Good?
A SPARK UNSEEN forsakes most of the spooky steampunk of The Dark Unwinding for historical intrigue at the mid-19th-century French court. Often terrified and conflicted, Katharine is an appealing heroine, facing romantic uncertainty, mortal danger, and the silly customs of high society with courage. There may well be a few happy coincidences -- even too many convenient meetings and out-of-left-field revelations for some readers -- but the fast-moving, roller-coaster plot keeps the pages turning from one thrilling adventure and dire peril to the next.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why social class seems to be such an issue in 19th-century Europe. How does it affect characters in this story? Has anything changed today?
Do you know other stories about government agents trying to seize scientific innovations and turn them into weapons? Why do you think this is such a popular plot in fiction?
What do you know about 19th-century France, especially the era of Napoleon III? What else was going on during this period? Does this story make you want to learn more?
Book Details
- Author: Sharon Cameron
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, History, Science and Nature
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Scholastic Press
- Publication date: September 24, 2013
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 352
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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