This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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PLACING THE BOOK
It's been too many years (and too many books) since I read the early books in The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series, so I'm a little fuzzy on the Ministry Seven. But from things said throughout this book—and my dusty memory—I'd put this book slightly earlier than that series (or maybe right after book one...but I'm pretty sure it's earlier). We're in your classic Victorian Steampunk area dealing with an agent for the Ministry dealing with fringe science and other weirdness and the street urchins that he uses for things he can't do.

Think the Baker Street Irregulars. But with goggles.

WHAT'S THE CURSE OF THE SILVER PHAROAH ABOUT?
Verity Fitzroy's primary focus in life is finding out what happened to her parents and why. She's tracked down one person who she's convinced could help her—and when she attempts to contact him, she disturbs a Ministry operation involving their Ministry contact, Agent Harrison Thorne. Because things go so wrong during this operation an Egyptologist is kidnapped and Verity's contact is gone.

Thorne recruits the Seven to help him track down the kidnap victim. All tracks lead to the Delancy Academy—a school outside of London for students gifted in the sciences (most of whom come from money, obviously). The oldest two are enrolled (and, shine, it should be said) in the Academy to try to discover the tie between the Academy and the kidnappers.

The rest take up residence on a nearby farm to wait for their chance to help out. These children aren't ready for life in the countryside—the work is different from what they're used to doing (scrambling for scraps on the streets of London) and the environment as a whole takes some adjusting.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE CURSE OF THE SILVER PHARAOH?
I don't have a lot to say about this, and it kind of bugs me. Because it seems like I should. I had a real blast with this—it had a different flavor as a whole than the Ministry books—there's more of a supernatural bent to things, and the whole sexual-tension thing between Books and Braun is absent (obviously).

There's more of a YA-feel to it, too. Largely because the oldest two in the Seven are young adults. But it doesn't ever scream YA—it's just a fun fish-out-of-water adventure for a bunch of Steampunk kids.

I liked the devices that the Academy's students cooked up and would've been very content to spend a few months watching things at the school before the main action of the novel kicked in. Verity's new friend Julia McTighe is part Luna Lovegood, part whatever Amari Peter's best friend was called (I can't believe I can't come up with it)—and all sorts of fun. I hope they find a way to bring her back for the second book.

It's a short, fast, steampunkily fun adventure. That's good enough for me. ( )

This steampunk adventure is a spinoff from the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. It stars the Ministry Seven who are a group of street orphans who work for Agent Harrison Thorne. The main character in this one is Verity Fitzroy who is noted for her abilities as a "clanker" - an inventor who makes all sorts of machinery. Her proudest achievement is a clockwork mouse. She is also developing a power over machinery which makes her wonder if she is losing her mind.

The story begins with Verity hitching a ride on the vehicle of some bad guys through the use of magnets. We learn that Verity is trying to track down the people who killed her archaeologist father and engineer mother and caused her to begin living on the streets when she was eight. She is keeping her search a secret from the rest of her crew because she wants to keep them out of danger.

Verity learns that her hunt is coinciding with a hunt that Agent Harrison Thorne is on. An egyptologist has been kidnapped and Thorne is convinced that it has something to do with the missing Silver Pharaoh. Legend has it that the Pharaoh had some sort of mystical powers. Verity doesn't believe in mystical powers or legends because she prefers rational, scientific explanations.

Clues lead them to the Delancy Academy for Exceptionals and Verity, Henry, and Emma are tasked to go undercover to see what is going on. Meanwhile, the other four boys are sent to a nearby farm where they do some investigating of their own.

I loved the adventure and all the steampunk gadgets. I loved the setting in a highly fortified school with eccentric teachers and the usual entitled students who looked down on Verity as a charity student. I liked that Verity make friends with another student who had an interesting family situation of her own.

This book begins a series that should be a lot of fun to read. ( )