Oddity

 By: Eli Brown 

Location: FIC BRO

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

The daughter of a murdered physician vows to protect the magical Oddity he left behind—if only she knew what it was—in an alternate nineteenth century where the United States is at war with France.

It’s the early 1800s, and Clover travels the impoverished borderlands of the Unified States with her father, a physician. See to the body before you, he teaches her, but Clover can’t help becoming distracted by bigger things, including the coming war between the US and France, ignited by a failed Louisiana Purchase, and the terrifying vermin, cobbled together from dead animals and spare parts, who patrol the woods. Most of all, she is consumed with interest for Oddities, ordinary objects with extraordinary abilities, such as a Teapot that makes endless amounts of tea and an Ice Hook that freezes everything it touches. Clover’s father has always disapproved of Oddities, but when he is murdered, Clover embarks on a perilous mission to protect the one secret Oddity he left behind. And as she uncovers the truth about her parents and her past, Clover emerges as a powerful agent of history. Here is an action-filled American fantasy of alternate history to rival the great British fantasies in ideas and scope. 

"This book is an adventure. There were at least four plot twists I didn't see coming and a beautiful full circle ending. I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book - the way it was worded, the characters Clover, Nessa, Susanna and Hannibal, the plot and the magical objects that bring the story to life. It was a brilliant, imaginative, fantastical story that brought me into another world with ease. I look forward to reading more from Eli Brown. Each magical object story was an anecdote for a life lesson. Pure genius. Loved it." Nicola