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The Tombs
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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
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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![destiny ♡⚔♡ [howling libraries]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1614916030p2/15335689.jpg)
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
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
Mar 19, 2018
All Things Urban Fantasy
rated it
did not like it
Shelves:
received-for-review,
reviewed-by-tacoma
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
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
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 ...more
Avery is sixteen and starting to have the sort of visions that led to her mother's imprisonm ...more
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
**** 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
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 ...more
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 ...more
this was legitimately the worst book I’ve read all year lmao
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 ...more
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 ...more
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
However, I have thoughts about that. I need to marinate on them more and I will share my full ...more
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.
...more
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
Schaumberg's seamless prose was probably my favorite part of this novel. The ...more
I loved this book! The setting and time period were beautifully interlaced with the plot, the characters are to die for, and the mystical feeling is outstanding. A wonderful read for anyone who loves fantasy and/or history. I read an ARC of the book and I can't wait to see it out on the shelves!
An absolutely amazing and magical story :) ...more
An absolutely amazing and magical story :) ...more
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
...more
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
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
A different twist on the dystopian theme, one taking place following a civil war not unlike ours. Avery has a power that terrifies her at first because it's similar to the one that got her mother hauled off to the asylum underneath the Tombs in New York City. It's been years since Avery has seen Mom and her father, wounded in the war (he lost a leg and fashioned his own prosthesis) and bereft by the loss of his wife, spends much of his time drinking. When somewhat sober, he tinkers with inventio
...more
*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
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
This book is wonderful. The characters are loveable and it was really well written. It would have been one if my favorites IF there is a second book coming out. The ending, if not having another book, ruins that. It's not that it's a terrible written ending, it's that it leaves you with so much questions. It feels incomplete. If she were to continue and make another book then it'll definitely be a 5 star and a favorite of mine.
...more
Loved it. What a roller coaster of a book.
I hope there will be a sequel.
full review to come
I hope there will be a sequel.
full review to come
Hopefully there will be a second book!
Couldn't put this down. An intricate and interesting world!
...more
I loved this book and everything about it. I read it 2 times because I loved it so much. I am so hoping for a second one. Every detail made me feel like I was right there living through it all with Avery. I loved this book so much I am truly having a hard time describing how much I loved it
Feb 25, 2018
Andria Sedig
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
once-upon-a-book-club-books,
read-in-2018
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
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
I appreciate Avery's determination and perseverance throughout the book, even when she thought she would give up she thought of so ...more
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.
Feb 20, 2018
Elisquared
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
owned,
friendship,
historical-fiction,
young-adult,
mystery,
supernatural-paranormal,
fantasy,
romance,
arc
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
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
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
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
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
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
I thoroughly enjoyed this book more than I expected I would. This was my first historical YA fiction novel and I am definitely interested in reading more after this.
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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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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