What an exciting debut! However, I feel the need to point out immediately that fans of steampunk may be disappointed by The Dark Unwinding which to me belongs firmly in the historical fiction genre. I would define steampunk as a kind of Victorian science fiction and wouldn't count merely having an inventor who creates a few wacky machines - you're likely to believe this novel is steampunk if you believe Frankenstein is steampunk. But whatever, this was an incredibly enjoyable story that gets better and better as the book progresses so I would suggest you persist a little longer than usual if you are not gripped straight away. Upon finishing it, I was absolutely delighted to discover that there will be a sequel.

Frankenstein, by the way, is a terribly inappropriate comparison. I would say this book reminds me in many ways of The Wicked and the Just: historical setting, somewhat bratty protagonist (but not as much), large portion of the novel held up by the extremely charismatic set of characters, main plot line kicks off in the latter half of the book, etc. The story starts off fairly simplistic and the stakes seem relatively low to the reader. Katherine Tulson is sent by her inheritance-greedy aunt to have her uncle committed to a lunatic asylum and, by doing so, release the family fortune to her aunt. What she finds at her uncle's estate is not a lunatic, but a genius inventor who I believe - though it is never stated - to be autistic. Not only that, but her uncle also employs more than nine hundred people from workhouses who would have nowhere else to go otherwise. So, Katherine becomes torn between protecting her inheritance and protecting this strange community.

When the plot starts to really get going in the second half, it packs a punch. There is a mystery complete with twists and tension, perhaps more astute readers will fail to be fooled by this book but I was surprised numerous times. There is also a little romance going on but it comes second to the bigger issues and doesn't swamp the story - my favourite kind. The novel is not without faults; for example, some events were a little rough around the edges and perhaps could have been explained better, but the good most definitely outweighed the bad. For me, anyway.

But you might be thinking "if the plot doesn't really start to happen until the second half, then what keeps you reading during the first half?" And the answer is quite simply: the characters. I will use The Wicked and the Just as an example again because that book had me wildly entertained even when very little was happening. The Dark Unwinding is the same. You can't help but be charmed by all the different, weird, not always nice characters floating around in here and the way they interact with one another.

The best character has to be Uncle Tully, I'm straining my mind to think of a character in something else to compare him to but he's pretty unique. I imagine him as a kind of autistic Santa Claus, one of those sweet, harmless and brilliantly intelligent old men that you can't stand anything bad happening to. So, naturally, you hate Katherine's aunt for even daring to threaten this man's peaceful existence. Mary, Katherine's maid, is another delightful character and I like the way the friendship develops between her and Katherine with the latter being a "lady" of a higher social class but Mary frequently has to scold her for being tipsy and roller-skating with guys. Hehe.

And, of course, the friendly and cheerful Ben Aldridge. And the dark, brooding Lane Moreau. Smell a love triangle? I did too, but you have nothing to worry about.

I was really pleased with this book that I nearly almost didn't read! If you like young adult historical fiction then don't make that mistake, there's much to love here and Cameron seems like an author we need to watch out for. I only hope the sequel is as entertaining.