"A Spoonful of Gunpowder," by Katherine H. Brown (Steampunk Mary Poppins Cozy Mystery #1)

Audience: Young Adult

Genre: Steampunk/Gothic Fiction, Retelling,

Overall Content Rating: Clean

Content Warnings

Suggestive Content

Mentions of being paid in something other than money, just a few minor hints

Skimming gazes over people suggestively

Overall Review

Alright, this might be where I admit that I'm a sucker for good steampunk novels, and when I saw this one, I immediately had to pick it up and set aside all my other books. The basic premise is that it's a Mary Poppins Steampunk retelling, as the series title states. It's not a mystery in the traditional sense—I'm not even sure I'd call it that—but I'll respect the author's opinion on that. But let's delve more into this premise!

In this story, you follow the journey of Anna-Marie Pauper, our faux Mary Poppins character, as she struggles to free orphan girls from being kidnapped and forced to work in small, deadly spaces. With secretive characters that draw you in from the start and worldbuilding that allows you to see this technological masterpiece, it entertained me from start to finish and the whole time I was excited to read this book, even in the moments where things got a little awkward and uncomfortable.

The twists that I found in this book reminded me of those in my favorite fantasy books, where you're constantly waiting to see how each piece will fall into play because you simply can't predict it. I didn't know who was good and who was bad until the very end. The various directions that this book went in reminded me of a well-written fantasy book, where you're constantly waiting to see how each piece will fall into play. Nothing makes sense until it happens and you're better off not trying to make sense of it and just enjoying what's building up in front of you.

I believe that the strongest part of this book was the characterization and worldbuilding. The characters were so well-written and respectful. They fit into the story quite well and they draw you in with their wit and their unpredictability. The world just molds around them and it's so easy to see that they belong here, in this fantastical Victorian-era world, full of steam-powered tech and whatever else you find in steampunk novels.

Overall, I absolutely adored this book, and maybe it was just me and my obsession with anything steampunk, but I think this one was worthy of a reread.