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The Tombs

Deborah Schaumberg (Goodreads Author)

3.64 · Rating details · 199 Ratings · 64 Reviews

Gangs of New York meets Cassandra Clare in this debut YA fantasy set in 1882 Brooklyn

New York, 1882. A dark, forbidding city, and no place for a girl with unexplainable powers.

Sixteen-year-old Avery Kohl pines for the life she had before her mother was taken. She fears the mysterious men in crow masks who locked her mother in the Tombs asylum for being able to see what oth ...more

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Hardcover, 448 pages

Published February 20th 2018 by HarperTeen

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Lists with This Book

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare

YA Novels of 2018

952 books — 4,325 voters

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

YA Debuts 2018

134 books — 529 voters

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Feb 11, 2018 destiny ☠ howling libraries added it

Shelves: arcs, did-not-finish, 2018

I'm not going to bother with giving this a full, in-depth review, and I apologize for that, but this book uses a tremendous re-occurrence of a slur ("g*psy", a common slur against Romani peoples) and makes no apology for it. There's even an author note in the back of the book in which the author tries to justify and make excuses for her insistence to add this book for the sake of "historical accuracy". That's not an excuse that flies with me, and when I skipped ahead and saw this justification, ...more

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Oct 05, 2017 Kathy MacMillan rated it it was amazing

Sixteen-year-old Avery Kohl has been working as a welder in an ironworks factory ever since her mother was locked in the Tombs asylum and she and her father had to flee their respectable middle-class life. The skills Avery has developed in creating perfect metal connections are only appropriate, as she discovers that she has powers that let her see the connections between lives, and help heal other people’s auras. But in New York City in the throes of the Industrial Revolution, such powers are d ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it did not like it

Shelves: received-for-review, reviewed-by-tacoma, 2018-february-hotp

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.

THE TOMBS captured my attention with the alluring promise of a forbidding city and a young woman struggling with unexplainable powers. I was enthusiastic to read a historical fiction novel and found the stylized cover intriguing.

Unfortunately, I had many problems with THE TOMBS and almost stopped reading at multiple points. My biggest issue is that THE TOMBS often introduces problematic elements but never examines them. For example, one of Avery's love ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 Kim rated it really liked it

Thanks to Edelweiss and HarperTeen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 Stars

The Tombs is a wonderful blend of history and fantasy, and Deborah Schaumberg does a fantastic job at bringing gritty 1882 New York City to vividly to life. Almost everything works here from the well-rounded characters to the detailed world-building. The only reason why I’m not giving this perfect marks is because toward the middle of the book the pace seemed to slow down a bit. Overall though, t ...more

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Jan 27, 2018 Kathy Martin rated it it was amazing

This historical fantasy takes place in an alternate history New York in 1882. Avery Kohl is a young woman working in one of the many factories. She a welder in an iron works. She and her father are hiding from the Crows who took her mother and imprisoned her in the Tombs which is part prison and part mental asylum. Her father works as a clockmaker/inventor which brings in a steampunk element to the story.

Avery is sixteen and starting to have the sort of visions that led to her mother's imprisonm This historical fantasy takes place in an alternate history New York in 1882. Avery Kohl is a young woman working in one of the many factories. She a welder in an iron works. She and her father are hiding from the Crows who took her mother and imprisoned her in the Tombs which is part prison and part mental asylum. Her father works as a clockmaker/inventor which brings in a steampunk element to the story.

Avery is sixteen and starting to have the sort of visions that led to her mother's imprisonment. She's afraid that she is going mad. She's determined to get into the Tombs to see her mother and ask her questions. After she sees the conditions under which her mother exists and attracts the attention of the mad scientist who is experimenting on her, she becomes determined to find a way to free her mother.

Meanwhile, her own paranormal ability explodes and she needs to go to the Gypsies for training in using or hiding her powers. There she finds out that a boy named Indigo that she met years ago has been taken by the Crows too. She recruits her best friend Khan - a young black man who her father rescued during the Civil War - to help her.

This story is packed with history from the problem with race relations, the problem with organizing labor unions, and the role of women. It takes place in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge which is just being built and is a marvel of its age. It takes place in the grimy and gritty factories where children can be beaten by their supervisors. It adds in magic in Avery's power as an aura seer and a mad scientist who is making a formula to make laborers docile and obedient using the blood of seers.

This is filled with action as Avery and her friends try to free her mother and elude the Crows sent by the scientist to capture her. Once captured, the conditions in the Tombs are horrible but Avery manages to make friends and design a plan to escape.

The main plot point which is freeing her mother is accomplished but there are a number of dangling threads left for a sequel. I thought the story began slowly but, once I got the rhythm, it gained momentum and became a fast paced adventure. ...more

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Dec 06, 2017 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-debuts

Deborah Schaumberg's The Tombs first landed on my radar because of its stunning cover. Then I read the synopsis and a decision was made: I needed it and pronto! As it turns out, The Tombs is a magical and rich debut. It's hard not to become completely enthralled by Avery's journey as well as rooting for her every step of the way.

There's many things Deborah does well here; however, one of the best is the descriptions. It was so incredibly easy to be transported to New York City, 1882. I could pi Deborah Schaumberg's The Tombs first landed on my radar because of its stunning cover. Then I read the synopsis and a decision was made: I needed it and pronto! As it turns out, The Tombs is a magical and rich debut. It's hard not to become completely enthralled by Avery's journey as well as rooting for her every step of the way.

There's many things Deborah does well here; however, one of the best is the descriptions. It was so incredibly easy to be transported to New York City, 1882. I could picture Avery's world perfectly - the factory, her apartment, the tombs, etc. The tombs actually offered one of my favorite settings: a greenhouse where Avery discovers more answers to her problems! The greenhouse was so cool. I wish it was real so I could go and visit it.

Additionally, Deborah did a fantastic job of fleshing out the story lines. I'll admit this isn't the most fast paced book ever. Deborah takes her time building up the world as well as Avery's past and current struggles; however, I was never once bothered by the speed. I eagerly ate up the descriptions, and I loved getting to know Avery better. More importantly, when things did speed up, I felt prepared. I knew what was going on - and had some very big questions!-and I couldn't wait to see Avery kick butt!

Avery, the main character here, was likable and easy to root for. When the book first begins, Avery has grown use to blending into the background. It's easier for both her father and her that way; however, while Avery may be quiet, she's no pushover by any means. She's strong and powerful, more so than she even thinks. The scenes were she helped her fellow factory workers pulled at my heartstrings. Avery would risk anything for their safety, and that made her even more lovable in my opinion. Additionally, over the course of the book Avery's experiences a coming-of-age. She wants to get to the bottom of her mother's illness, Avery wants to know if she's like her. This brings about many struggles: between Avery and her father, between Avery and her best friend/trusted companion, and even between Avery and herself. It was interesting to see her face this struggle - should she leave it all alone or challenge everything - and I was very happy with the end result.

Now for the one thing that dropped The Tombs down a star: the romance. There's two potential love interests - Avery's best friend & the boy Avery shared a kiss with years ago. Normally, love triangles don't bother me, but I just didn't like it here. I thought Avery's best friend was the better choice; however, she constantly felt drawn to this boy she knew almost nothing about (cue insta-love). It just didn't work for me - I wanted more for Avery, I wanted more for her best friend.

Regardless, The Tombs is a wonderful debut, perfect for YA readers who love their historical fiction with a touch of fantasy and magic. I can't wait to see where Deborah goes next. I'm personally hoping for a sequel!

*ARC was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review*

Book Blog | Twitter | Bloglovin | Goodreads ...more

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Jan 23, 2018 Kara rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorite-covers-2018, 2018-releases

I know my status updates don't seem like I enjoyed this book, but I really, really did. It was special. The Tombs is definitely one of the creepiest books I have read in a long time, and the main antagonist was horrifying. The characters were amazing, as was the atmosphere, and I thought all the issues I had were handled delicately. There was even an author note at the back about the usage of the G word.

However, I have thoughts about that. I need to marinate on them more and I will share my full ...more

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Mar 06, 2018 Raven_Blake (dreamy addictions) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, young-adult, scifi-steampunk, historical, fantasy

Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars!
Same Review Also Posted On My Blog: Dreamy Addictions

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it but I didn't love it. The concept of this book was amazing and the world building was a total perfection, but sadly I couldn't connect with the characters and the pacing seemed slow to me and it literally dragged in the middle. I'm really not fan of slow reads but if you can handle them then you might enjoy it more than I did. I liked the characters, but the ro Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars!
Same Review Also Posted On My Blog: Dreamy Addictions

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed it but I didn't love it. The concept of this book was amazing and the world building was a total perfection, but sadly I couldn't connect with the characters and the pacing seemed slow to me and it literally dragged in the middle. I'm really not fan of slow reads but if you can handle them then you might enjoy it more than I did. I liked the characters, but the romance was totally meh. I love triangles in my YA but this one was awful. Don't worry, you can still enjoy this book because it wasn't the central focus of the story. Anyways, For a debut, it was a good start and I hope the next book is much more improved and better.

The story is set in the 18th Century New York, Brooklyn where dangerous gangs roamed around the city and young kids worked in the iron work factory to survive. In this dark forbidden city, Sixteen Year old Avery Kohl lives with her inventor father. She used to live a normal easy life dreaming about going to a collage and marrying a wealthy husband but all of her dreams were collapsed when her mother was taken by the mysterious crow masks who works at the Tombs Asylum, a place for deranged people like her mother who could see something others couldn't. Now she's living at Slums and working hard to get back to her old life. When the same symptoms begins to show on Avery, she fears that she'll face the same fate as her mother. So, she hides from the Crow Masks and struggles to spend her days by working at the Ironworks Factory, hearing the adventurous tales of her best friend Khan who's an ex-slave, and caring for her pet falcon Seraphine. When Avery's power starts to become uncontrollable, she makes an explosion at the factory which creates a huge trouble for her. She believes that she finally needs answers that only her mother can give but she's in the Tombs. Her father has restricted her to meet her because it was dangerous to her because if she get caught by them then she would get locked up like her mother and face the horrors of the tombs forever. Against her father's wishes, Avery decides to meet her mother even though it was risky and when she sees the state of her mother, she feels bad that she couldn't do anything. When she learns about the strange experiments done on the patients, Avery is determined to get her mother out of there with the help of her mother's people from the gypsy camp.

The characters were good but I can't seem to connect with any of them. Avery is strong yet Vulnerable. She's pretty likable character who's good hearted, compassionate, selfless, and very protective. I really liked her relationship with her fellow factory workers who're younger than her. It's pretty sad seeing boys that young working at an iron factory facing all the abuse. The side characters were intriguing but they weren't fleshed out well enough. I really wanted to know more about Khan and Indigo. The romance was totally meh. Khan and Avery were best friends since young and their relationship is beginning to turn into something more but suddenly comes another guy and bam, she loves him. Even though I like the other guy, I wish it wasn't so abrupt because it felt quite unrealistic and nonsensical. Anyway, I really liked the boys Geeno, Leo(12), Tony(14), and Oscar(12) but my favorite was Geeno. He's pretty adorable and a very smart kid. Dr. Spector is a creepy and mysterious villain. He's only a human but he's totally giving off the vampire vibes.

The plot was interesting but It didn't excite me enough to love it. The pacing a bit frustrated me because It really moved a bit slower than expected and I wanted more action. It's a historical fantasy and the author did a great job in executing the historical and steampunk part but when it came to the fantasy part everything seemed okay-ish but not well detailed. However, I liked the Idea behind this concept and I really enjoyed the Steampunk elements in this book and I had already figured out what's Avery's father is building in his secret basement. The writing was good and easy to understand. The story was told in Avery's first person POV. The world building was amazing and felt authentic, I would give it an A+. I think it's the major highlight of this book. The author described everything in detail and gave a clear image.

Overall, I liked it but I didn't love it! Even though It didn't blow my mind away, I still want to continue this series and hope the next book is much more improved and more action packed. ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Sara (sarabara081) rated it liked it

Shelves: february-2018

You can find more of my reviews at Forever 17 Books.

3.5 stars!

There were so many aspects of The Tombs that urged me to pick it up. The setting is a fantasy world blended into the real NYC of 1882, a time after the civil war where racial segregation is still quite prominent. In this fantasy world there are people with unique powers, powers they must keep hidden because seemingly lurking around every corner is a scary doctor and his men wearing crow masks, ready to take you away to an asylum calle You can find more of my reviews at Forever 17 Books.

3.5 stars!

There were so many aspects of The Tombs that urged me to pick it up. The setting is a fantasy world blended into the real NYC of 1882, a time after the civil war where racial segregation is still quite prominent. In this fantasy world there are people with unique powers, powers they must keep hidden because seemingly lurking around every corner is a scary doctor and his men wearing crow masks, ready to take you away to an asylum called the Tombs at the slightest inclination of a power. With a tenacious main character out to rescue those she cares about in the Tombs, this was one book to check out!

I found the world building to very interesting. I love the blending of real and fantasy together in a way that felt like it could be true. The city details were very vivid and bold. The streets and factories especially. There are airships and even touches of steampunk thrown in as well. The hospital itself was very mysterious and sort of eerie. The evil doctor and his crow men were quite scary and revolting, giving my the heebie jeebies. There was a method to his madness, his big plans meant to control and to further the divide between races and nationalities.

I loved the character of Avery. She is very confused and scared at first, in need of guidance when suddenly her own powers develop. When she gets herself into trouble and in the sight of those who want to lock her away, like her mother, she must learn how to use and control those powers in order to save those she cares about. She is the protective type who is just super compassionate and selfless, which we get to see time and time again with the kids she works with at the factory. She becomes quite unwavering in her determination to break out her mother and friends from the asylum and is willing to risk it all to do so.

With so much to enjoy there were a few things that brought it down a little for me and mainly it was the slower pace in the middle. It dragged quite a bit and I was anxious for some action to perk it back up. There were also a few characters in the mix that had an important place within the story but I just never felt were hashed out as well as they should have been, mainly Khan, Avery’s best friend. And then Indigo who we barely know at all. This was especially bothersome since a love triangle-ish type situation sort of arises between them all and it just felt very thrown in and unnecessary.

The story ending was explosive and exciting yet left quite a bit unresolved. I’m assuming and hoping a sequel is in the works to close those holes up. I can only imagine what will be in store for these characters in the next installment. If you are looking for something unique and different than this is worth checking out! ...more

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Apr 21, 2018 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) marked it as dnf

Shelves: egalley

Though I'm DNFing after eight chapters, I do think there's a lot of promise in this debut. Nothing quite worked for me personally, but everything has a lot of potential. I feel like I'll probably really like Schaumberg's next book but it's not quite there yet for me. I like what I've read fairly well, but I'm not invested in the story. Worth a try if you're into horror and paranormal historical novels.

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Jun 10, 2018 Vanessa rated it liked it

Shelves: steampunk

Teenage Avery’s life changed the day her mother was committed to the Tombs, a ‘hospital’ for the insane. In an effort to hide their disgrace–and out of necessity as their middle-class standing is ruined–Avery and her father change their names and move to a less desirable part of town, where her father opens a clockwork shop and she begins working as a welder at a local factory. It’s not the life she lived before, where she went to school, wore nice clothes, and was friends with girls her age–and Teenage Avery’s life changed the day her mother was committed to the Tombs, a ‘hospital’ for the insane. In an effort to hide their disgrace–and out of necessity as their middle-class standing is ruined–Avery and her father change their names and move to a less desirable part of town, where her father opens a clockwork shop and she begins working as a welder at a local factory. It’s not the life she lived before, where she went to school, wore nice clothes, and was friends with girls her age–and when her father didn’t drink himself into a stupor every night. But not everything is bleak. She has her peregrine “Seraphine”, best friend Khan, and welding work that she realizes she has a knack for.

Everything changes again when new abilities begin to manifest and she realizes that her mother was hospitalized for being crazy when in reality she has empathic powers.

Avery’s abilities and her mother’s abilities are similar, but aren’t completely the same. Avery discovers that she can see others’ auras in shades of white, grey, and black, and they’re influenced by a person’s good and evil natures and experiences. When she uses her abilities on someone, it strengthens their better natures and they’re given the strength to make the right choice.

Unfortunately, there are people with auras so black that her ability won’t work on them, and in particular, Dr. Spector, the man who runs the Tombs, is such a person. After witnessing Dr. Spector testing a street boy for abilities and whisking him off to the Tombs, Avery’s suspicion is aroused and she begins to put together the pieces of the real reason the Tombs exist and what Dr. Spector is doing with her mother and other people with abilities.

Unfortunately Avery makes some dumb mistakes (pfft teenagers), like visiting her mother in the Tombs despite her father’s warnings not to. And in effect she puts herself on Spector’s radar, which considering the resources the man has, it’s only a matter of time until he finds her. She escapes with the help of friend Khan, a former slave her father brought home on his return at the end of the Civil War. But now Khan is a man with his own mysterious activities around the city.

The story continues to unravel itself, with visits to gypsies, who become an important part of the story, a new understanding of her and her mother’s abilities, and the real reason why Dr. Spector is imprisoning anyone with supernatural abilities. The story takes time to unravel, though, and at 430 pages seemed a little long to me; but actually it was less about the pacing and more about the problems I had with the too formal prose and adequate dialogue. I spent too much time getting caught up in the inconsistent use of contractions, look-at-me adjectives, and lack of personality dialogue that seemed the same no matter who spoke (other than the gimmicky crazy chemist in the Tombs). I wanted to like this story more than I did, and in some ways it was clever and interesting, but in others I had a hard time believing contrived plot points and character choices. And the romantic elements were, I dunno, ok and then it got sappy; typical teenager fare, really.

THE TOMBS is set in post Civil War New York, and we get a little bit of the feel of the place and time, although it’s a little different with a few steampunk elements thrown in. The story itself takes center stage here, so plot elements move the story forward and there’s less time for real in-depth worldbuilding. I would have liked a better handle on Avery’s abilities, I wasn’t 100% clear how or why they worked, as well as the difference in abilities of the people around her. Why does she and her mother have this ability? Why do some of the gypsies have these abilities? Are they from the same place or are they different? Why do they exist? Same goes for Dr. Spector and his methods, which I can’t ask questions here or else spoilers.

Avery is our main character and the entire story is told from her point of view, which worked great for this story as it provided nice continuity, although it limited our knowledge of other interesting characters like Khan, Geeno, Indigo, Avery’s father, her mother, and others. I personally didn’t find Avery particularly relatable. She was a stereotypical heroine character type in a lot of ways (didn’t like wearing dresses, didn’t realize how pretty she was, tended toward more action than thinking things through), although the author did her best to give Avery a few differences from the usual heroine. She did things I thought were colossally dumb that I would never do. I had a hard time not finding certain plot points contrived, they needed better foreshadowing/buildup/explanation or something because this happened multiple times, and was frustrating because the story revolves around these incredulous events. Maybe I’m just the wrong audience for this.

If you love drama (think WUTHERING HEIGHTS) and some of the unexpected in your teenage romantic, paranormal, steampunky stories, this is the one for you.

Recommended Age: 13+
Language: Minor
Violence: Some ungruesome on-screen death and torture, but could be unpleasant for your sensitive teens
Sex: Teen kissing and references to affairs

***Find this and other reviews at ElitistBookReviews.com*** ...more

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Feb 01, 2018 Heather (The Sassy Book Geek) rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, historical-fiction, fantasy, arcs

Originally Posted On The Sassy Book Geek

**** Huge thank you to HarperTeen for approving me for this eARC in exchange for an honest review! ****

I have to say I’m a little confused about my feelings for this book, because it started out excellent and then for some reason dragged at the end and the story got really jumbled up. I think it had a lot of potential but that ending just made everything fall really flat for me.

What I Liked:

-Avery Kohl, our main character, is a fantastic protagonist. S ...more

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Mar 16, 2018 L.V. Pires rated it it was amazing

There was so much to love about Deborah Schaumberg's debut novel, THE TOMBS. First off, the setting for this novel is New York City in 1882, which peaked my interest and made me want to move this novel to the top of my reading list. Then, I found out there was a secretive asylum with all sorts of mysterious testing going on as well as elements of fantasy and the supernatural, so I dropped everything and started reading.

Schaumberg's seamless prose was probably my favorite part of this novel. The ...more

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Jun 20, 2018 Danielle Hammelef rated it liked it

The cover of this book and premise made this a must read for me. I enjoyed Avery and found her very kind, loving, loyal, as well as a risk taker and hard worker, all of which I admire. I loved the rich writing and felt the world was real.

However, the book pace was too slow and not much happened over too many pages. I also felt the secondary characters were not well developed. I also didn't like the love triangle or understand Avery's attraction to Indigo, although maybe in the sequel (it's set u ...more

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Mar 02, 2018 Kassie rated it liked it

*thank you HarperTeen for sending me a copy of his book in exchange for review!*

This book was really very okay.

The plot is so intriguing, curious, and did leave you wanting to turn the page, but I kept finding myself rolling my eyes at dialogue or squinting at the small moments.

I felt like the writing fit more of a younger audience than i was expecting considering the dark plot, and it just wasn’t for me.

Like I said. It was okay. There were things I enjoyed and things I didn’t, bringing it to a ...more

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Jun 06, 2018 Talia Colley rated it really liked it

Shelves: tower-teams-vi

This book, like all the historical fiction I’ve been reading lately, led me to Google and Wikipedia to learn more about the real history of the Tombs and the Five Points neighborhood in NYC. Fascinating! And I had no idea what this story was going to be about, so the plot was surprising and unpredictable. It did seem a bit too long, but it was a good read.

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Apr 01, 2018 Elaine Carass rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018, dark-fantasy, magic, steampunk, young-adult, paper-back

Loved it. What a roller coaster of a book.
I hope there will be a sequel.
full review to come

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Mar 16, 2018 Ginger added it

Shelves: electric-18, first-person-pov, steam-punk, ya

Couldn't put this down. An intricate and interesting world!

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Mar 15, 2018 Marianne rated it it was amazing

Hopefully there will be a second book!

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Mar 04, 2018 Imré Welnicki rated it really liked it

Shelves: giveaways

This book was FANTASTIC! I absolutely love historical fiction and this had everything I love about it plus action. I do enjoy some of the darker sides of history, and this gave me exactly the right amount. It may seem a little macabre, but it's just enough to give an idea of how badly the working class and supposed "insane" or "mentally disturbed" people were treated.
I appreciate Avery's determination and perseverance throughout the book, even when she thought she would give up she thought of so ...more

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Feb 25, 2018 Andria Sedig rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018, once-upon-a-book-club-books

Three years ago, Avery's mother was taken and placed in an asylum for being insane; she saw visions, something unusual in new York. Now, Avery fears that she will also be locked away in the Tombs because she is starting to see things as well. When her unusual gift causes an explosion at her place of work and places her and her father in danger, Avery knows that she will have to figure out the truth behind her gift - and possibly learn to control and accept it as well. But this will not be easy. ...more

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Mar 07, 2018 Samantha Glass rated it really liked it

A very good first book from a new to me author. I enjoyed the steampunk and paranormal aspects and am interested to see if a follow-up book is in the works. Well written, vivid prose.

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Feb 20, 2018 Elisquared rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, debut-2018, fantasy, fiction, friendship, historical-fiction, mystery, owned, romance, supernatural-paranormal

The reader finds themselves in a haunting, dark, gritty New York City, one that holds powerful secrets and powerful men -- all of which work toward trying to harness the abilities of "witches", the people who are branded as such and then locked away in The Tombs, a horrible asylum/prison where unspeakable experiments are being performed.

Avery's mother is taken to The Tombs for being able to "see" the unseen, and Avery ignores all signs of this same ability in her, fearful she will also be locked ...more

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Feb 15, 2018 Gmr rated it it was amazing

I was curious about the title, intrigued by the cover, and once I began, I just couldn't stop. That's how mesmerizing I found the story to be.

We're in the early 1800's, Brooklyn, New York, and seeing the world through the gritty, muddied streets of the average Joe/Jane...or rather the ones that once were higher up, knocked down by circumstance and odd occurrences. Young Avery is a girl in a boy's world, just trying to help her father, the only family she has left, as they claw and crawl each day ...more

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Feb 24, 2018 Amy Braun rated it it was amazing

Having just finished this book, all I can say is: I want the sequel! Please, please, please let there be another book because I'll go crazy if it just ends like that! Right from the start, I was hooked by the concept and the characters. It was a beautifully told story with layered individuals and a strong lead character in Avery. Not to mention there was a series creep factor regarding the Tombs itself. The story was interesting and engaging, and there were genuinely sweet moments that pulled at ...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Beth rated it liked it

Avery lives in a tenement and works with the other undesirable kids as a welder. Her mother is gone, taken away to The Tombs as a mental patient years earlier, and her father has struggled ever since. While he used to make amazing clocks, he no longer does that, preferring to tinker on other things instead. When Avery starts to believe she may have the same mental issues as her mother, and defies her father to learn more, they find themselves making a great enemy—one that will stop at nothing to ...more

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Mar 02, 2018 Robert rated it really liked it

Excellent teen appropriate steampunky historical thriller. Danger and threats increase steadily in scenes around 1890s New York City. The denouement reads perfectly and really screams to be filmed.

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Feb 23, 2018 Steve rated it it was amazing

This is a fantastic book. Loved the story and I couldn't put it down. Avery and the other characters were really interesting, and the writing brings them to life wonderfully. So well-written, and in reading it I felt like I was living in 1880s New York. Definitely 5 stars!

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Oct 26, 2017 Cassie James rated it it was amazing

Shelves: action, adventure, arc, badass, beautiful-cover, edelweiss, fantasy, great-read, fiction, historical-fiction

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review, This doesn't in any way influence my opinion on it.

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The Tombs by Deborah Schaumberg is yet again another absolutely brilliant debut novel. Avery's story is a captivating one that grabbed my attention from the very beginning and never let go. Dashing through the streets of 1800s New York with Avery was a fantastic experience I enjoyed having. Avery Kohl works in a ironworks factory and tries to keep her inventor father out of trouble. Their relatively normal life was upended a few years back when her mom was branded a witch because of her abilities that seemed to do strange things, Avery's mom was taken by the fearsome Crows (Guards with Crow masks) to The Tombs. The deadliest prison in New York where the worst of the worst goes. Avery and her father have spent the past few years laying low in the slums but it all changes once again when her powers (just like her moms but no less confusing) emerged in a situation that threatened to expose her. Wanting answers, Avery visited her mother in the Tombs despite her father having warned her of the danger. She finds out that her mother wasn't insane as she was accused and wrongful experiments have been conducted on her. It was all the work of a scary evil doctor,Dr. Ignatius Spector who has been kidnapping people with his Crows under the guise of 'helping' them to deal with mental illness. He tries to capture Avery but she luckily escapes due to the help of her ex-slave best friend Khan who she has been having feelings for. Avery follows the only link her mother could give her, the Gypsies. She seeks after the Gypsies though her father forbade her from seeing them due to a reason he's not sharing. The Gypsies teach Avery more about her powers and what she is and what she can do. Eventually forced to leave her life behind and go into hiding with the Gypsies, Avery begins to realise the problems before her is more vast than it seems and the very fate of the whole of New York may depend on her success.
Determined to rescue her mother and a boy she once liked from the Tombs, Avery delves into her power and discovers she has a lot of fight in her. The moments before the ending were action filled and a total whirlwind of awesome events. I loved how it ended with a vision of hope but still leaving me with thirst for what's next. The Tombs has everything engrossing characters, quality writing, vast character development, creepy horror, action, romance and impressive powers. Deborah Schaumberg had made me a fan of her work with this interesting book, YA readers will have a blast devouring it.

P.S: I'm still not sure if I'm team Khan or team Indigo. ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Misty rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018, adventure, steampunk, sci_fi-fantasy, romanciful, social-commentary, historical, juvenile-ya, review-copy-accepted

I'm so torn on this book, and I feel like it's been a common refrain for things I've read this year: I liked it, but...

The Tombs definitely had some things working for it, that I think will draw a lot of readers in. It's got a strong female protagonist, a bit of a steampunk-ish take on turn-of-the-century New York; there's action, there's romance. . . it will certainly win some people over. And though I pretty much enjoyed it throughout, there were always some things (a number of things, real ...more

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About Deborah Schaumberg

Deborah Schaumberg

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Deborah Schaumberg's debut novel -- THE TOMBS-- is a historical fantasy about aura seers. It has a hint of steampunk and an evil doctor. She grew up in New York, and now lives in Maryland with her family and two big dogs.

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