The Explosionist

Reader reviewed by charlie

The Explosionist is set in an alternate history about what could've happened if Napolean had won the Battle of Waterloo. This book deals with everything: ethics, history, science, spiritualism, terrorism...
This book had mystery, action, and murder.
I thought Sophie's character was very interesting because of how opinionated she was. She knows when to ask for help, but she doesn't depend on others to finish what she needs to do.

There was too much history and science in this book for me so I didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. However, I'm sure that anyone interested in history, science, dynamite, spiritualism, or mystery then I have no doubt they'll love this book.

Reader reviewed by Kayla (Midnight Twilight)

Set in an alternate modern day Scotland this story tells of a student, Sophie Hunter is presented with a mystery about an explosionist, a medium, and a murderer. Sophie's parents died and now she's living with her Great-Aunt Tabitha, and at her all girls boarding school. Great-Aunt Tabitha often has mediums over to help her contact the dead, but one of the mediums gives Sophie a message. But before Sophie can figure out what the message meant the medium is killed. And hundreds of others are being killed in bombs all over Scotland and no one seems to know who's behind them.

I loved this book. I've read books about the past, present and, future (or at least how people think the future will turn out), but i've never before read a book about the present, in another country, if history had been changed. I've never read anything like this book before, and that's important to me in a book. Now for the bad parts, some of the parts of the book were kind of hard to believe, and a little confusing to understand, but everything came together and turned into an amazing supernatural/war/everything else, story.

Reader reviewed by Erica

Sophie's parents are killed in an explosion and she now lives with her Great-Aunt Tabitha. She's 15 now. A seance is held, and shortly later the medium is found dead, but not before she delivers a terrifying prophecy to Sophie. Sophie fills in her best friend Mikael, and together they're determined to find out why. They also want to get to the bottom of the prophecy, what could it mean?
The Explosionist is set in Scotland in a time of terroism, politics, and ever-changing alliances. Sophie is unsure of who to trust, and where she can go to get the answers she very much needs.

The Explosionist has a great story line. At every corner it has you thinking, and you never can quite get it right. You think one thing is going to happen, then something else happens. The suspense keeps you going. This is another one of those you can't stop reading it, you do not want to put it down. I read straight through this one, staying up well into the night when I had to get up for school in just a few short hours. Jenny Davidson did an outstanding job with this novel. This is her first teen novel, and did a fanomonal job with it. The story roughly follows the story of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale.

Reader reviewed by Khy

The Explosionist: Someone sets off a bomb outside fifteen-year-old Sophie's boarding school, but no one can figure out who.

The Medium: Soothsayers and séance leaders are regular guests at her great-aunt's house in Scotland, but only one delivers a terrifying prophecy, directed at Sophie herself.

The Murder: When the medium is found dead, Sophie and her friend Mikael know they must get to the bottom of these three mysteries in order to save themselveseven as the fate of all Europe hangs in the balance.

Set in a time of subversive politics, homegrown terrorism, and rapidly changing alliances, The Explosionist is an extraordinarily accomplished debut novel for teens that delivers a glimpse of the world as it might have beenhad one moment in history been altered.

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I knew The Explosionist would be good after reading the first chapter that was all about dynamite and explosions. Stupid reason, I know, but what can I say? Dynamite is exciting.

But the dynamite wasn't the only good thing about the book. Sophie, the main character, dealt with the many, many, events in a good way. I've read some books where the main character doesn't want help solving his/her problems or doesn't want to do any work at all or stand up for themselves so he/she just goes along with everyone else says, but such was not the case with Sophie. She actually had people help her but still managed do some work and have input too.

I think what really made the book work was the setting. I loved the setting. How could one not love a book set in alternate universe 1930s Scotland where the country is on the brink of war all because of politics and a single day's events? And where technology and psychics are put into play? (Not like computers technology and telling the future psychic, but electric cookers technology and talking to spirits psychics.) I don't think the book would have been as great if it was set in another place or time, or even in the real universe. Jenny Davidson really did a good job making the alternate universe and incorporating it in the story.

But I have a couple complaints. One being that it seemed as though there was too much going on. There was the talking to spirits stuff, Sophie's crush on her teacher, the explosions, the murder of a medium (the murder was one of the high points of the book. Adds a whole lot of mystery to the overall story), the "school" place that turns girls into zombies, the country being near war, and so much more. It was all exciting and interesting, but there was just too much of it. It hurt my brain slightly.

The other the complaint would be: WHERE IS THE SEQUEL? Seriously. One of the characters dropped a bomb (no pun intended) 30-40 pages before the end, and then the book stopped a really really good part. I want a sequel. Now.