The Emilie Adventures are a steampunk-with-magic duology of young adult novels. Our Protagonist is Emilie, a young girl running away from an extremely toxic home situation. (Her uncle is convince that since her mother became an actress, that Emilie will be no better than she should be. He is kind of horrible.) Her plans to become an assistant at a girl’s school run by a cousin are rear-ended by The Call To Adventure.
In Emilie and the Hollow World, Emilie’s attempt to stowaway on a ship (due to not having enough money for passage) leads to her accidentally ending up on an exploratory vessel. This particular ship is leaving to explore the “Hollow World” discovered by a sorcerer-philosopher named Dr. Marlende. A sorcerer whose ship broke down, and has gone missing.
In Emilie and the Sky World, Emilie briefly goes to visit her cousin, to visit and explain that she’s taken on a job as a secretary to Miss Marlende, the daughter of the sorcerer-philosopher who went missing in the previous book. (Miss Marlende is extremely involved with her father’s work, so Emilie is going to be going on More Adventures.) The visit is cut short by the appearance of a strange vessel appearing in the sky.
(From here, we learn that this setting doesn’t just have a hollow world. It’s actually a series of layers more or less tied together by magic streams called “Aetheric Currents.” The ship is empty except for one plant-like alien.)
So, what I like the most aside from the adventures themselves is what seems to be the underlying message of the series: sometimes family is great. Sometimes it is toxic and unpleasant. Sometimes it’s simply estranged.
Another thing I liked is that Emilie isn’t expected to forgive her uncle because “he means well.” She is allowed to be angry when he rudely turns up and tries to drag her away from her new job. (And then goes to get a constable because he thinks that’s going to help.) She is allowed to be angry with her younger brother for siding with her uncle. This is a thing that tends not to happen in young adult or even adult novels where family is concerned.
A few aspects of “you are allowed to be angry with a parent-figure,” also shows up in the relationship between Miss Marlende and her mother. Professor Abindon is a member of the Philosophical Society, but when she had been a student, she had only been allowed to audit classes, and hadn’t been allowed to earn a degree. She divorced Dr. Marlende for unstated reasons (that are most likely because he takes absolutely insane risks). The Professor has a strained relationship with many other characters, and seems to be extremely abrupt with no patience for the mistakes/stupidity/general obtuseness of others.
I liked this book for the “found family” and adventure aspects! Well’s worldbuilding is always fascinating, and I am intrigued by the cultures she comes up with. I also liked the “bio-family is why found family exists” themes. This review was based on a copy received from NetGalley.
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