I'm sure we all have those books that we absolutely LOVED but it seems like they aren't very popular. So I decided to start a feature here on the blog that will allow me to spotlight some books that I have loved that I feel don't get a lot of recognition. My plan for this feature is to share the cover and summary of the book along with the first sentences or paragraphs and if it's a book that I didn't write a review for, I will probably also throw in a few reasons why I loved the book along with links to find out more about the book.
This week's Hidden Treasure is:
Steel Lily by Megan Curd
AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.
She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.
Or so she thinks.
That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.
…Which means digging deeper.
When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.
Steam hissed, billowing from the brushed steel teapot my mother always used. Within seconds the vapors wrapped around me like wispy tendrils and tickled my arms. The mist left a dewy spider web that sunk into my tattered suede gloves, creating a miniature constellation of droplets. Student stopped what they were doing at their own stations and watched as I waved the evidence of my ability away.Do your best, they'd said.It'll help us survive, they'd said.But what good did it do to survive, if you were stuck being exhausted and your classmates thought you were a freak because of your "gift"?Professor Evans, my Elemental Concepts professor, clapped her hands together and then shook my shoulders excitedly. Her silver bangles clinked and clanked, and her soprano voice trilled through the air."Excellent, Avery, excellent! I've never had a student embrace their abilities so quickly! You'll help our society rebuild what the war took from us. Be proud, be proud! Dome Four needs more students like you, ready to keep our rations up."I glanced at the rest of the class. Their haughty glares and eye rolling made me think they weren't as impressed. One of the many perks of being in an advanced class. "Showoff," my desk partner muttered as she wiped the condensation off of her goggles. She flicked the water in my direction, and I flinched as it hit me in the eye.
Here's a piece from my review:
Overall, Steel Lily is an amazing dystopian with just enough mystery and humor to keep you intrigued until the very last page. Steel Lily was beautifully written, I literally highlighted a TON of amazing lines in this book and it was hell trying to choose only a few to use for my favorite quotes. And did I mention Jaxon?
