Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Death of a child, implied Hoarding Disorder, near-death experiences, murder of a person
Score: Six points out of ten.
This review can also be found on The StoryGraph.

10 years ago, this would've been hot off the press. 10 years later, it didn't age well.

First off, as with the last book I read, I couldn't find any representation. Not one. I'm assuming representation mattered less 10 years ago than now in 2023. I understand why this is the case though, since it's set in Britain in the 1800s, specifically 1875. That doesn't excuse the fact that I struggled to get through this to the point where I forced myself to finish it; if I didn't, I would've DNF'd this. There's too many flaws. It starts with the main character, Clod Iremonger, or Clod for short, and he lives in this Victorian mansion called Heap House, but here's the catch: objects are alive. (Yes. Really. It's weird, but this is a fantasy novel.) Unfortunately, from there on, the book was incredibly slow and tedious to read, and it didn't help that I didn't connect to any of the characters. They weren't well written anyway, even if one of them, e.g., Tummis, died, I was apathetic (that's the word!) for him. The multiple POVs of the main characters, Clod, and Lucy Pennant, or Lucy for short, made this book more intriguing, but not by a lot, the ending did; it was more action-packed, as the heaps came to life, invaded the house, afterward the novel cuts to a new POV, and that's the end. Wow. I'm not disheartened that the library I borrowed this book from does not have the following two books in the trilogy, since I won't continue it. ( )

I really enjoyed this story ~ It's both inventive and intriguing! I haven't read a story like this before, it took me by surprise countless times throughout the book. From the first moment I was instantly taken in and hooked by the storyline. The twists and turns along the way had me on the corner of my seat!
There are so many characters and they all play an important role, and I can't wait to read the next book and find out what happens next! ( )

According to Wikipedia, "Steampunk refers to a subgenre of science fiction and sometimes fantasy that incorporates technology and aesthetic designs inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery." I'm not sure this really falls into the category of steampunk, and in fact I have not read much steampunk (I'm not much of a sci-fi reader generally), but that word kept popping into my head as I plowed through this. It describes a world which is covered by garbage, and in the middle of the garbage-filled world (the Heaps) is a family home, a mansion really, which is occupied by the Iremonger family and its myriad Serving Iremongers (people who are kidnapped or otherwise recruited from among the unfortunate classes, to give up their identities and serve the ruling family). That seems pretty dark, right? Well, it gets even darker, as the truth about the Iremongers and their inanimate "birth objects" becomes clear over the course of the story. The narrative follows Clod Iremonger and Lucy Pennant, an accidental interloper into this weird world. One of the most interesting conceits in this story is the strangeness of the names: Clod, Tummis, Ormily et al, names which are almost familiar but somehow warped, just like the world they inhabit. That Lucy is the only "normal" name should be a clue to the way the story progresses, but I don't usually pick up on those kinds of clues. This is supposed to be a YA book (or even a middle-grade book), but some of the concepts here are very sophisticated, and certainly the world and the story playing out are extremely dark. I suppose a less sophisticated reader could take it for a kind of sci-fi romp, but there is much more to it than that. Weirdly enjoyable though, and given the way it ended (no spoilers here!) I shall add the next installment to my reading list. ( )

No. Just no. It isn't that it's 'too out there' because I enjoy bizarro and surreal fiction. It just doesn't work. The story isn't compelling enough and the characters aren't captivating enough. Basically it's just not enough. But I can't give it a 1 star rating because I have to admire any author that at least attempts originality... So 2 stars, just. ( )

Weird, gothic, coming of age, mystery. I liked it! ( )