The left-handed fate

Though by all rights Lucy's late father's ship, the Left-Handed Fate, should be hers, circumstances have landed her, her crew (including her half brother, Liao), and the schooner in the hands of impossibly young U.S. Navy Lieutenant Oliver Dexter. But Oliver doesn't know that Lucy, Liao, and their friend Max are hunting for pieces of a powerful machine, and once Oliver catches on, he gets in on the search. In painterly prose, Milford follows the foursome as they face the looming War of 1812, a ship that appears out of thin air, and others looking for the same machine components, all while trying to piece together clues left by Max's late father. Though the opening chapters sometimes drag, once the characters get to Nagspeake (the location of Greenglass House, 2014), the story teems with lively characters and a captivating sense of place, all driven along by the engrossing puzzle of the mysterious contraption. Although some story elements don't come together, there are plenty of brilliant, sparkling moments. A colorful, swashbuckling caper full of heart.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2016 Booklist

Gr 5-8-Navigating the dangers, depths, and shifting alliances of the high seas is always a tricky affair. Because Lucy Bluecrowne, Maxwell Ault, and Oliver Dexter (pirate's daughter, aspiring natural philosopher, and midshipman-turned-acting prize captain, respectively) are barely teenagers, what might have been merely tricky turns into an undertaking of epic proportions. With settings ranging from the tumultuous Baltimore harbor to the magical fictional port of Nagspeake, this sequel to Milford's Bluecrowne follows the quest for a mysterious ancient engine, a weapon that could perhaps put an end to war. Beautifully written, with careful attention to historical details, the story balances steampunk elements, mythology, and action with plenty of passion, jam, and jokes. The surprising conclusion will astonish and satisfy, despite more than one deus ex machina. Wheeler's textured illustrations add movement and lucidity, making the denser and more difficult to visualize elements of the plot accessible. VERDICT An unusually rigorous romp for lovers of steampunk, mystery, and swashbuckling adventure.-Katya Schapiro, Brooklyn Public Library © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The book begins in Baltimore harbor in 1812 with ship-captains daughter Lucy Bluecrowne, her nine-year-old half-brother Liao (a child with Chinese features), and teenage scholar Max Ault aboard the Left-Handed Fate. In a time when England is fighting Bonaparte and America has just declared war on England, Max has hired Captain Bluecrowne to search for an ancient weapon powerful enough to impose peace. With only one of the weapons parts located, the Fate is captured by an American frigate and the captain killed. Twelve-year-old Oliver Dexter, an American midshipman, is given command of the ship to take it into port, but Lucy and Max persuade Oliver to disobey orders and flee to the foreign port of Nagspeake, there to search for the weapons remaining two parts. Milford places so much of the initial action in backstory that readers may fear theyve missed an entire book before this one (and they can read Milfords self-published standalone e-book Bluecrowne for clues), but once past their initial confusion theyll find a strong narrative arc and outstanding thematic development. The spot-on shipboard settings and fast-paced nautical battle sequences owe a conscious debt to Patrick OBrians Aubrey-Maturin novels, but legendary Nagspeake (also featured in the authors Greenglass House, rev. 9/14) -- a home to magical imagery, recurring motifs, and illuminating stories-within-stories -- is a thickly textured place entirely of Milfords own creation. The idea of achieving peace through superior firepower is effectively questioned over the course of the narrative, but it is the human questions of honor, courage, and generosity -- embodied in decisive Lucy, philosophical Max, impish Liao, and dutiful Oliver -- that will leave readers cheering by the books rousing close. anita l. burkam (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.