I really enjoyed this quirky alternate-history fantasy novel. 

Set in the US in 1800’s, where America is at war with Bonaparte’s France, the story follows the adventures of thirteen-year-old Clover Elkins.

It has beautifully detailed line drawings by Karin Rytter that capture the  historical vibe perfectly.

Clover knows very little about her dead mother, other than she was a collector of "Oddities": regular looking objects that contain supernatural powers, such as a wineglass that flows with a never ending stream of wine (and drowns all onlookers). 

As these Oddities could be used as weapons in the war, there is a bounty on them. 

Clover is fascinated by the possibilities, but her father forbids Clover from seeking Oddities, knowing that they cannot be fully controlled and that ruthless forces are hunting them.

Clover’s world is turned upside down when a group of cutthroats ambush and kill her father. 

May 29, 2021 at 01:43PM Jo-Ann S