• About Us
    • Disclaimer and Policies
  • Giveaways
  • Features
    • Pre-Order Deal Incentives!
    • Author Talk Podcasts
    • Flashback Friday
    • Whadda YA Know Wednesday

Fiction Fare

  • Banners
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us

The Tremblers (Blackburn Chronicles #1) by Raquel Byrnes

April 19, 2018 by Erin Leave a Comment

The Tremblers (Blackburn Chronicles #1) by Raquel ByrnesTremblers by Raquel Byrnes
(Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Pelican Ventures Book Group on January 19th 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 388
Add This Book to Your Goodreads TBR
four-stars
Charlotte Blackburn—a beautiful, intelligent, and gifted tinkerer—lives in a cloistered world of wealth and privilege beneath the Electric Tesla Dome that shields survivors of The Great Calamity. But when her father is abducted, and a strange sickness starts transforming men into vicious monsters, she discovers that technology is no protection at all.

Ashton Wells has a dire mission: Secure Colonel Blackburn and deliver his research to The Order of the Sword and Scroll. But the plan goes awry, and he is left with nothing but the colonel’s daughter who has a target on her back and is willing stop at nothing to rescue her father—including handing over to the enemy the only means to stop the monstrous plague.

Branded as traitors, Ashton and Charlotte brave the treacherous floating sky ports of Outer City to hunt down the elusive inventor, Nikola Tesla—the only person able to activate the strange device that harbors the secret to their salvation. With the government closing in, a rebellion brewing in the streets, and terrifying Tremblers attacking the innocent, the two must work together to stop their fragile world from crumbling once more into destruction.

I happened across The Tremblers by Raquel Byrnes as I was scanning through NetGalley and was drawn in by the cover.  When I read the summary, I immediately requested it and it turns out, it was an interesting story and I can’t wait to find out what happens next in this series.

Charlotte Blackburn is the main character and she has grown up in a world of privilege where she has been shielded from the dangers that were a result of The Great Calamity.  When she is forced on the run with a man she doesn’t know to try and find her father, she has to figure out what is more important, saving her father or getting the information behind what is changing people into monsters, into the hands of those who can do something about it.  Charlotte was a well-developed character and I liked her from the moment she was introduced.

Ashton Wells is the man Charlotte escapes with and he has a mission, but it isn’t supposed to include a beautiful young woman.  As an agent of The Order of the Sword and Scroll, he is supposed to find Colonel Blackburn and get his research to The Order.  As he and Charlotte do their best to avoid those that are after them, they face many dangers and must work together to survive.

I liked both Charlotte and Ashton.  Charlotte has been raised by a man who allowed her to be more than just a pretty face in a time when that wasn’t really the norm.  Because of that, Charlotte has some knowledge around creating mechanical tools which comes in handy when she’s on the run and trying to survive.  Ashton has some strong beliefs but eventually he is pushed to face the truth about them and the feelings he has developed for Charlotte.  As they work together to figure out what exactly is causing the sickness and how their actions are impacting the rebellion that is brewing, things unexpectedly take a turn for these two.

Byrnes did a great job building out the world these characters inhabit.  Steampunk is one of those genres that I don’t see a lot of, but I love it when it is done well, and I thought Byrne had a great balance of the mechanics embedded into the actual story.  It wasn’t distracting or unbelievable and that aspect helped keep the story moving forward.

There are a few things going on in this book and while Charlotte and Ashton are the main characters, we also get chapters from the perspective of the “bad guy” which gives the reader a peek into what is going on that is causing the danger as well as what Charlotte’s father found out.  I thought this added an aspect to the story that we would have missed had we only gotten the story from Charlotte and Ashton.  Sometimes I struggle with stories that have varying perspectives because I don’t want to stop reading about what is going on with the main characters, but these inserted chapters didn’t take away from the story at all for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I absolutely will pick up the next book in the series when I can get my hands on it.  If you are looking for a story that has a lot of action, a great story, and well-developed characters, consider checking out The Tremblers.  I thought this was a solid book one of this series and will look for more from Byrnes.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Raquel Byrnes

Raquel is the author of the critically acclaimed romantic suspense series, The Shades of Hope trilogy, which sold into foreign translation and garnered international acclaim.

Her fourth and fifth books, a Gothic series called The Noble Island Mysteries, were hailed by critics as, "a perfect blend of suspense, intrigue, and creepiness that will draw you into a dark world...keeping you frozen until the final conclusion..."

Known for edge-of-your-seat stories with a breathtaking pace, she continues to bring riveting characters and epic worlds to life in her upcoming YA Steampunk Series, The Blackburn Chronicles, releasing January 2018.

Website • Twitter • Goodreads

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • By Raquel Byrnes
  • Same Genre
  • 4 Star Books
Fiction Fare
Review: The Rules of You and Me
Fiction Fare
Fang Girl Promotional Blitz & Giveaway
Thumbnail
The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel
Fiction Fare
Early Review: Fangirl
Thumbnail
Lies I Told by Michelle Zink
Flashback Friday: The Tremblers (Blackburn Chronicles #1) by Raquel Byrnes
The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett
Blog Tour: Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
Blog Tour: The Prince & The Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Waiting on Wednesday: The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons
How To Keep Rolling After A Fall by Karole Cozzo
Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Blog Tour: Otherworlds by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
Secondborn by Amy Bartol
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen Blog Tour

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Reviewed by Erin, Sci-Fi, Steampunk, Young Adult

About Erin

In no particular order, I love books, music, and sarcasm. Traveling is one of my most favorite things to do and there are 3 crazy cats that basically run our house. I sometimes talk about all of these things!

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • bloglovin
  • custom1
  • goodreads
  • rss
  • custom2

Get Our Updates!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

E-Book Deals!

E-Book Deals!


Author Talk

 photo author-talk_zpscsw6iy8a.png

Archives

What We’re Currently Reading

Jaime's bookshelf: currently-reading

The Trouble with Destiny
0 of 5 stars
The Trouble with Destiny
by Lauren Morrill
The Beginning of Everything
0 of 5 stars
The Beginning of Everything
by Robyn Schneider
Forget Tomorrow
0 of 5 stars
Forget Tomorrow
by Pintip Dunn

goodreads.com

Erin's bookshelf: currently-reading

Endure
0 of 5 stars
Endure
by Sara B. Larson
The Unquiet
0 of 5 stars
The Unquiet
by Mikaela Everett
Twist
0 of 5 stars
Twist
by Karen Akins

goodreads.com

Upcoming Reviews

None yet!

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Challenge Participant

Recent Comments

  • Lisa Loves Lit on Waiting on Wednesday: The Queens of Innis Lear By Tessa Gratton
  • bookbunny68 on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • Kristy Petree on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • MischaS_ on Cover Reveal: Beyond Pain by Kit Rocha
  • Maggie @ ReadingDiva's Blog on Blog Tour: Tempests & Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Recent Posts

  • People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • Flashback Friday: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
  • Our Top Ten Most Anticipated Books to Screen Podcast Episode
  • Flashback Friday: The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels #1) by Kerrigan Byrne
  • Podcast Episode 81: #FicNews–March 2021

Recent Reviews

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
Crown of Bones (Amassia #1) by A.K. Wilder
Courting Trouble (Goode Girls Romance #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Eventide by Sarah Goodman
All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey
Review: Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
A Dark and Stormy Knight (Victorian Rebels #7) by Kerrigan Byrne

Copyright ©2010-2015 Fiction Fare All Rights Reserved Site Design by The CreativeB Login