The Broken Lands (review)

The Brooklyn Bridge is still under construction in 1877, but its potential to connect two parts of a growing city and its intersection with East River make it a source of great energy—energy that one particularly sadistic entity would like to use to create hell on Earth. Fortunately for the residents of New York, Sam, a streetwise cardsharp, and his hopefully-more-than-just-a-pal Jin, a Chinese immigrant girl who also happens to be a fireworks expert, have cottoned on to the devilish scheme and may just have the power to stop it. First, however, the two friends must identify and find the five pillars of the city, plan and set off a massive fireworks display (which serves as a public announcement), and deal with their own confusing romantic feelings—all within a couple of days or else the big bad guy is going to win. Much like Bray's The Diviners (reviewed above), this pays tribute to a time and place in U.S. history with vivid detail, capturing both the beauty and the struggle of New York in the late nineteenth century. The backstories of Sam and Jin, along with those of several secondary cast members, add nuance to their characterizations and also imbue the city with a sense of humanity—it is good and bad, gorgeous and flawed all at once. The battle for New York's soul then becomes even more urgent, and the race against the clock makes the four-hundred-plus pages fly by. Though this is a prequel to Milford's debut, The Boneshaker, it requires no knowledge of the other book, and it will be a true delight to fans of history, fantasy, and the triumph of good. Final illustrations not seen.