Cam Baity

Phoebe Plumm and Micah Tanner return in the second book of an action-packed series by Cam Baity and Benn Zelkowicz. THE SECOND BOOK OF ORE: WAYBOUND has Phoebe and Micah primed for a quest. The two are asked to seek the Occulyth—something the Covenant hopes will be the key to defeating the Foundry and saving the machines living on Mehk from a life under the command of the Foundry.

WAYBOUND is every bit as vividly drawn as the first book in the series, THE FOUNDRY’S EDGE. The machines of Mehk are fascinating, and as I read I once again imagined a dark, adventure filled movie or video game being the result of the book. The first book laid a lot of groundwork for the second, and that information is definitely needed when a reader plunges into WAYBOUND; this is not a series that can be read out of order.

The world of Mehk continues to be the strongest “character” in the series. I loved the descriptions of the different inhabitants of it, and the religious and societal aspects were equally fascinating. Not as fascinating were some of the main characters. The Marquis and Pynch—two of the inhabitants of Mehk—are being set up for something interesting in the third book, I think, but their appearances in WAYBOUND were more a nuisance than anything. Phoebe and Micah are much more agreeable in this book than in the first, and Phoebe in particular shines in WAYBOUND as her character is developed and strengthened.

As with the first book in the series, I recommend it for the higher end of the age range for which it was written. The language is challenging and will be an excellent exercise in vocabulary building for many readers. There is also plenty of violence, and there are scary moments and terrifying characters, so the book is not for more sensitive middle grades readers.

There will definitely be another book in the series, and I will definitely be getting a copy to see where the plot leaves, and to visit the wonderful land of Mehk again.

My thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.… (meer)

The Foundry’s Edge by Cam Baity and Benny Zelkowicz is a middle grade adventure that explores a fascinating alternative world with hints of steampunk and biopunk. Phoebe and Micah are two kids from different stations in the manor house who definitely don’t want to team up, but when the lord of the manor, Phoebe’s dad, gets abducted, neither is willing to to let the other take over rescuing him. The world of The Foundry’s Edge is somewhere between the Industrial Age and current day, with technology that doesn’t seem to completely fit the time period, because its origins are much different than everyone thinks.
Note: I received The Foundry’s Edge through Netgalley for an honest review. Some things may have changed in the final version.



The Foundry's Edge by Benny Zelkowicz, Cam Baity (The Books of Ore #1)
Published by Disney Hyperion on April 15th, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, MG, Steampunk
Length: 448 pages
How I got my copy: NetGalley

Two kids on a rescue mission.
A mysterious realm of living metal.
One secret that will change the world.

For Phoebe Plumm, life in affluent Meridian revolves around trading pranks with irksome servant Micah Tanner and waiting for her world-renowned father, Dr. Jules Plumm, to return home. Chief Surveyor for The Foundry, a global corporation with an absolute monopoly on technology, Phoebe's father is often absent for months at a time. But when a sudden and unexpected reunion leads to father and daughter being abducted, Phoebe and would-be rescuer Micah find themselves stranded in a stunning yet volatile world of living metal, one that has been ruthlessly plundered by The Foundry for centuries and is the secret source of every comfort and innovation the two refugees have ever known.

Strengths:
The Foundry’s Edge takes place in a secret world full of living metal creatures that seem startlingly similar to the latest inventions in Phoebe and Micah’s world. I absolutely loved this unique blend of steampunk technology and biopunk inspiration in a middlegrade story. I can’t wait for the rest of the series just to find out more about the world :D.
Many species in the metal world of The Foundry’s Edge appear to be sentient, which raises some really interesting questions about personhood for Phoebe and Micah. Because Phoebe and Micah’s world has come to rely so heavily on the technology developed, however, the kids have to confront some difficult moral grey zones and realize that there isn’t always an easy answer. I loved how The Foundry’s Edge presented these questions and worked through both sides of the story to really give younger readers something to puzzle over.
It is always refreshing to find adult characters that are actually well-developed in middle grade stories. Phoebe’s dad and other adults running operations in The Foundry’s Edge at first seem two-dimensional through Phoebe and Micah’s perspective, but develop into well-rounded characters once the kids start being confronted with the truth of their world.
What is a middle grade book without adorable secondary characters?? Dollop quickly won my heart with his underdog role as an outcast metal creature, but becomes so much more and even gets a few scenes from his perspective!

Weaknesses:
Phoebe and Micah are really not very likable characters. They are pretty bratty and mean to each other and the other people around them. Phoebe especially starts as quite the spoiled child, treating the servants rather badly whether they deserve it or not. I’m hopeful since they both grow during The Foundry’s Edge, but it lessened my enjoyment of this first book when I couldn’t really root for them.
The Foundry’s Edge gets pretty violent towards the end and so might not be entirely appropriate for some younger readers. It deals with torture and the near death of central characters, so keep that in mind if you’re deciding on whether a youngster should read this one.
While I always hope that a middle grade story will have a plot to interest adult readers, The Foundry’s Edge didn’t manage to surprise me with any of the big plot twists since they were pretty heavily foreshadowed.

Summary:
The Foundry’s Edge is an excellent start to a really exciting new middle grade series. The world that Phoebe and Micah explore is just so cool and I can’t wait to see what else there is to discover. The Foundry’s Edge deals with some tough issues of morality and personhood as well as violence, so it is definitely on the older end of the middle grade spectrum. While I wasn’t really surprised at any point, I highly recommend The Foundry’s Edge for adults who enjoy middle grade and steampunk!… (meer)

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: This book wasn’t for me. I didn’t connect with the characters and spent most of the time confused.

Opening Sentence: The man in the fog was watching her.

The Review:

Phoebe Plumm’s dad helps run the Foundry, he’s the world leader in machines and all new technological advances. But it seems the Foundry might not be as innocent as citizens were led to believe. Phoebe is an escapee of the recent kidnap of her and Mr. Plumm, she teams up with one of her worst enemies to get her father back. This journey leads Micah and Phoebe into Mehk, a world that the Foundry has been abusing for years as a way to discover the new advances that Phoebe has coveted in the past. Because Mehk is a world of living, breathing metal.

We start in the future, a not-so-far future but one rich in technological innovations. I loved the way all the different trends were described, and it was really interesting to be immersed into such an advanced society. For example, we have cable bikes: bikes attached to thick wires that intersect and cross like roads, except in the air. Also, the honeygum, which made my mouth water: a flavored, thick liquid that solidifies into gum in your mouth. Learning about the bright civilization the world had become was one of my favorite parts of reading this story. However, once things got complicated, it went into a downward spiral. I started enjoying myself less and less and got more confused with every page. It all started when we were introduced to Mehk. Suddenly, the duel point of view of the Foundry chairman that was also added only made things harder to get into. There is supposedly a war that is about to erupt, but I wish that I could have seen more groundwork behind the two countries before learning about their troubles.

Enter the Mehk, an astoundingly unique world full of living metal. Throughout the ages, this world has been plundered and its inhabitants murdered by the Foundry, so that the corporation can create greater machines and tech for the human world of “bleeders”. Its inhabitants mostly speak in rattletrap, the language of the metal creatures. It was awesome to hear about the different species of metal things, but at the same time it was difficult to understand. The originality of the concept is so amazing that before reading I was excited to dive in, but I wasn’t able to get lost in the world building because of I would still be muddling through what had been talked about last paragraph. So much was put into the stories of Mehk and how it connected with the Foundry but that was when I most wanted to chuck the book at the wall. Once, a character mentions CHAR, which captures the metal creatures in eternal torment. I didn’t realize until the end that the character had been describing that the creatures were melted down to liquid. Finally, my last complaint about Mehk. The Mehkans speak so annoyingly. Dollop, a main character during the children’s time in Mehk, talks with a stutter. “S-s-so.” And another large amount of the book is devoted to two characters that talk with words that sometimes I have to search on the internet because they aren’t often used by today’s people, even if they are English.

This book is technically considered middle grade but I didn’t see it. The words used were YA level and the emotions the characters had belonged in a YA book as well.

Phoebe and Micah were two enemies turned friends. If you love book romances, I warn you not to start this one as you will be disappointed. The relationship is a cute friendship and doesn’t stray behind one hug at the very end! Maybe this is why it is considered young adult…

If you are drawn in by the exciting and unique premise, and can easily keep up with hard and confusing plotlines, I encourage you to pick this up. However, this novel was not for me. I didn’t appreciate the characters very much. The setting was the only redeeming quality that I very much enjoyed, except when I was angrily rolling my eyes because I didn’t get it. Mehk is such an interesting and intriguing idea that I wish I could have had a better experience with it. While the end of the book has a couple of twists, I saw one coming for awhile, and the other just didn’t affect me. I didn’t connect with the Micah or Phoebe enough to really care about what happened to them. In fact, the only character I loved was Dollop, who I just thought was a really adorable metal creature I imagined in the shape of a dog. Plus, the plotline really dragged towards the middle. I hope you like this novel better than I did!

Notable Scene:

Is that… me?

Her hair was a matted nest, her face sunburned and strained with sweat-streaked grease. She held her own gaze for a long moment, marveling at the hardened girl staring back at her.

She was doing this. She was going to find him.

FTC Advisory: Disney Hyperion provided me with a copy of The First Book of Ore: The Foundry’s Edge. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.… (meer)