Many stories tell of a strange earth-like steampunk world but none are as unique as The Mark of The Dragonfly. In the beginning of the book, the reader is greeted with a map of an unusual and unfamiliar continent called Solace, but as the reader goes on, the world of Solace is built with it, and the different areas on the map are explained. The world is made up of two rival kingdoms, the Merrow Kingdom and the Dragonfly Territories, but in the north of the continent lies a great field where meteor showers bring strange artifacts from other worlds with them. This strange occurrence has dictated the lives of many people, including the main character Piper, who works as a mechanic for artifacts found in the meteor field. Piper's life alone, after losing her father, was bland and uneventful until the biggest meteor shower in years brings something that will change her life forever and allow her to leave the miserable scrap towns. All in all, the location-based narrative structure immerses the reader in the fantastical world the characters travel through on their journey to escape.
One of the most interesting characters of the story is the character Anna. Although Anna becomes a more established character as time goes on, her origins are mysterious. When Piper finds Anna in the wreck of a caravan destroyed by the meteor showers she brings her back to her house to recover. There she finds Anna is a member of the royalty in the Dragonfly Territories, bearing the Dragonfly tattoo, but has lost her memory in the accident. Anna's mysterious past, including the mystery behind why a member of royalty was in the middle of a meteor storm in the first place, causes problems along their journey. This mysterious element in the story makes the reader want to keep reading to investigate and uncover the truth behind Anna.
Although Piper's journey to return Anna to the Dragonfly Territories comes with reward and later proves to be necessary to protect Anna, it does not come without conflict. One problem Piper has with her journey is that since Piper chose to break the law by leaving the shelter to save her friend Micah, Piper is wanted by the authorities. This forces Piper to act discretely in her journey and make the decision to leave her home town to protect herself and safely return Anna. Piper's fugitive status makes returning Anna to the distant Dragonfly Territories even more difficult and outlandish, yet interesting to follow. In addition to this problem, Piper has an internal conflict with the fact that her father died while working in a factory belonging to the Dragonfly king, and blames it on him. Piper's line "King Aron had built the factory in Noveen, the monster that had swallowed Piper's father up and made him breathe poisonous smoke" (Johnson 47), shows that she is resentful and seeks revenge for her father. Therefore, she is not inclined to help the king by returning a member of his royalty. These conflicts and her desire for revenge make Piper a complex and interesting character to follow.
Only thirteen years old, Piper is on her own without any immediate family and works as a scavenger and repairer. For Piper, her only remaining family are Micah, Jory, and their parents who have always helped and been kind to her. When Micah, Piper's best friend, is injured during the meteor storm and slips into a coma, Piper is worried she will lose a part of the only family she has left. The adventure ahead of her not only helps her fulfill her dream of exploring the world, but helps her to make new friends and find new family. Overall, this is a very well written novel and the first of a series that explores the mystical world of Solace, following Piper and her friends on a journey to uncover mysteries and find a better life.
Kelby
The conflict that Piper faces amidst the tension between the two rival kingdoms, as well as her internal debate about whether to return Anna to the Dragonfly Territories or not, seems to make Piper a very complex character. Reading this post is making me curious about how Piper would go about her challenges and the role that extraterrestrial artifacts play in the plot of the novel. At the same time, the more I think about this book, the title "the World of Solace" sounds very ironic, as the progression of the story only puts Piper in a more troubled situation.
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