A Perilous Journey of Danger and Mayhem #1: A Dastardly Plot audiobook

Dastardly indeed! (Dastardly is such a great word, isn't it?!)In this . . . not steampunk . . . electro-punk? . . . adventure, young Molly Pepper and her mother Cassandra are trying to get one of Cassandra's inventions into the upcoming World's Fair. But they will be foiled time and again by various villains! Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Chester A. Arthur all make appearances, as do many other luminaries of the age. This was very, very fun, it reminded me of Philip Reeve's Larklight series.

New York City is gearing up for the 1883 World's Fair, and Molly Pepper is hoping her mother, Cassandra, will be able to snag a spot in the inventor's hall to show case some of her amazing inventions. However, when the spot is given to a man - again - Molly and Cassandra devise a plan to break into the Inventory's Guild. That's where Molly stumbles upon the plans to sabotage the opening ceremonies. Who is the villain? Can Molly stop them?The book starts out a little slowly, some of which is introducing us to the new characters and new series. Once the plot got going, the pacing certainly improved, and we got some fun twists that kept the pages turning. The climax introduced some new threads, and I can't wait to find out what happens next as the series continues. The characters are strong, and the real and fictional rubbed shoulders with ease. I did feel the book stopped at times to lecture us on equality - an important topic to be sure - but it felt like it slowed things down briefly when it came up. This new series has a slight Steampunk element to it, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. I also enjoyed the pages at the end that told us about some of the same real people and events that underpinned this fictional world.Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

Fun, quirky and full of charm.World: The world building is wonderful. Just like his Prince Charming series this series' world is full of archetypes and cliches that get turned on it's ear. The ideas of the turn of the century and the worlds fair and the industrial revolution is a beautiful backdrop for this story. The pieces of history both real and fictional coming together is a beautiful steampunk dream.Story: The story is great, it's fun, it's charming and features a strong female character. I love the banter and the sense of humor that this book has and also the sense of discovery and adventure. The ideas of dueling scientist is not a new one, it happened in real life, and with this book the real become the fantastic. The inventions and the ideas here are fun and quirky and makes the plot really move. I like that this book did have an end and opens itself up for more books which I am looking forward to.Characters: The characters are charming and fun. They are quirky and full of personal voice and even the historical figures that come into the book are spun in a fun and unique way. This is the best part of Healy's writing, much like his Prince Charming series, the characters and their interaction is what makes it so special. A wonderfully fun read.Onward to the next book!

3.5 stars. Hard not to compare this to his Hero’s Guide series. It just wasn’t as good. However, the kids and I enjoyed this after we got into it. (I did think that there was a little too much action haha. I kept thinking that now THIS was the final showdown with every altercation starting at only halfway through the book!)

I didn't think I would like it. I was surprised. I loved it and can't wait for the next one.

I was a little leery when I started the book thinking it wasn't my thing but then after a few chapters it grew on me and I ended up liking it. Im now reading the sequel.

Hilarious historical sci-fi from the author of the Hero's Guide series!

Fast-paced with lots of twists and turns. This made for a fun start to my summer reading!

Delightful historical story with wonderful male and female characters. Zany and silly but full of heart, creativity, and history.

Molly Pepper is determined to see her mother's inventions in the World's Fair. But certain powers that be won't let a woman showcase. Upset, Molly decides to do a little sabotage work and inadvertently stumbles across plans in Alexander Graham Bell's office for something dastardly to be unleashed at the World's Fair. With the help of Emmett Lee, an orphan who works for Bell, her mother Cassandra, and others they pick up along the way, Molly is out to save the world. This isn't as funny as Healy's League of Princes books, but it is a romping steampunk adventure in 1800s NYC with gangs, immigrant rights, women's rights, and misunderstood inventors. I really like that the women's inventor's group Molly eventually runs into features actual historic women inventors. Molly's mother Cassandra is an entertaining, heads in the clouds inventor that Molly spends a lot of energy trying to keep safe, though Cassandra does eventually realize that she needs to beef up her parenting game. Emmett was a great companion for Molly. He's not as impulsive as she is, and he offers a unique perspective of NYC as a Chinese immigrant who doesn't speak any Chinese as he grew up in the US. He gets misunderstood a lot, as do the women inventors. I eventually figured out who was behind the attack plans before it was revealed, but it did take me a while. There are lots of red herrings. Overall, a fun steampunk adventure with some memorable characters. Recommended to steampunk fans, women's rights proponents, history rewrite fans, and madcap adventure/mystery fans.Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Violence is threatened a few times, and there are some battles. The worst injury appears to be a bad concussion.

12-year-old Molly Pepper is great at assisting her inventor mother Cassandra. Unfortunately for the brilliant Cassandra and equally enterprising Molly, the year is 1883 and women aren't accepted as inventors or any other career that requires science. The World's Fair is coming to New York and Cassandra is desperate to get her invention a spot in the inventor's hall, but the powerful Inventors' Guild is blackballing her, just because she's a woman. Molly comes up with a plan to get her mother a spot, but it involves a bit of breaking and entering. While inside the Inventor's Guild, she runs into Emmett who is also not supposed to be in the building in the middle of the night. They uncover plans that appear to be a plot to take over New York City at the opening ceremony of the World's Fair. This alternative history is fun, exciting, and full of creative inventions and inventors. Molly's determination and fearlessness makes her an endearing character even if she is her own worst enemy at times. Lots of real history included with the fiction.

Although this book says it is targeted to the 8-12 age group, as an adult it never felt childish or shallow. I thoroughly enjoyed it.As a kid, I loved historical fiction. A lot of my base knowledge of history came from those books, where I absorbed information without ever feeling like I was being taught anything. This book is a great example of that.Edison, Bell, Strauss (levi jeans) and Tesla are a few of the historical figures that come to life in the pages of this story. But you also meet just as many female inventors of that era, all of whom were unknown to me before I read this story. Kids also hear about the Chinese Exclusion Act, which I feel is one of the most racist policies ever put into place in the US.The way to avoid it being boring like kids imagine history to be is through a crazy, fast-moving plot peppered with equally as crazy inventions. Having the main characters be eleven years old brings a kid that age into the story. Although the author is male, female empowerment is the driving force in this story. Hats off!