The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake

Oh my gosh, I originally thought that A Curious Kind of Magic was my favorite Mara Rutherford work, but I think The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake has officially usurped it.

The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake by Mara Rutherford is a YA novel that bends genres between dark academia and steampunk. In Wisteria, the very act of innovation is forbidden. Any creation—art, music, engineering—conjures a demon from the other side. The greater the innovation, the more dangerous the demon. This has never stopped Aurelie from inventing—but it has made it more difficult. Her inventions are small by necessity, producing demons that she is capable of dispatching alone. But she knows she’s meant for something greater, and each day has her chafing more at the boundaries of her society. Destrier lost his parents to demons as a child, and has devoted his life to preventing more senseless murder at the hands of demons. He was young when he joined the hunters, and each year he’s grown stronger. But it’s never enough. When a mysterious figure offers Aurelie a job she can’t refuse—an impossible, magnificent invention—her decision to accept sets off a chain of events that will alter every aspect of their world… and sparks the connection that will change both Aurelie and Des irrevocably.

First of all, I must hark on the fact that Rutherford ALWAYS has fantastic writing style. It always caters to the genre she's writing to, and the simple fact that it always draws the reader into the plot
and doesn't let go. Which leads to her always have fantastic world building and style. And this novel, has one of the best settings I've ever encountered, and I can't wait to get my hands on book two.

One thing that tripped me up with this novel, was the romance subplot. I know it's supposed to be enemies to lovers, but the way it actually played out was almost instant lovers. Which I normally don't mind too much in my fantasy books, but I was expecting enemies to lovers in some capacity. In that, they HATE each other first then slowly learn to trust and love each other. Not.....whatever this was.

Regardless, The Demonic Inventions of Aurelie Blake by Mara Rutherford is a perfect novel for anyone needing a book similar to Heartless Hunter or need to fill the hole that Arcane left.