Book Review: The Orphan of Awkward Falls

I've decided to add book reviews to this blog occasionally, since I've just read a really good book and I can't think of anything else to write. This is my first one, so it's probably going to be really awkward. The Orphan of Awkward Falls, by Keith Graves, isn't strictly steampunk, since it takes place in the modern day, but it does feature a robotic butler, a murderous insane asylum escapee, and a plethora of mad scientists. 

The Plot: After moving to the small town of Awkward Falls, twelve-year-old Josephine Cravitz expects her      life there to be dull--until she meets her next door neighbor, Thaddeus Hibble. Thaddeus is a brilliant but reclusive tween who enjoys performing bizarre experiments  in the basement of his decaying mansion. Upon discovering that Thaddeus in the intended victim of a mad cannibal, Josephine is determined to keep him safe--even if it means risking her own life in the process. 

The Good Stuff: It was mostly the title that made this book leap off the shelf at me. I mean, really, can you think of a better title than "The Orphan of Awkward Falls"? A good title is often a sign of a creative author, and this one does not dissapoint. While it features a whole slew of Gothic archetypes--mad scientists, boy geniuses, cloning, decaying mansions, etc.--the clever and lightly satirical details of these things make them feel as fresh and unpredictable as they are familiar.  

The blending of humor and horror was fantastic. Quirky characters and dark humor provide spectacular comic relief throughout the story. Some of the horror elements might have been done a little too well, considering that this is a children's book. While kids in their late preteens to early teens should be able to handle it, there are numerous gory scenes that could frighten some younger children. 

The Bad Stuff: The pacing in this book is downright weird. Nearly all of the mysteries are solved about halfway through, while the next hundred pages or so are filled in with well-written but too-long action scenes. I like fast-paced writing, but this early climax made me feel as though I'd been cheated out of time with the plot and characters. 

As much as I loved the characters, the portrayal of their personalities sometimes felt a bit forced. Some of the dialogue was exaggeratedly slangy, and just came out sounding goofy. The narrator would often state things about the characters that had already been shown through action. For example, he at one point writes that Josephine is nosy and curious immediately after a scene where she is caught peeking through a neighbor's window. All these bits of info really do is damage the suspension of disbelief.

The Overall: Although the few issues with this book were fairly large, they did little to distract me from the immense fun that this book is. Even though it's a kids' book, I had great fun reading it as an adult, and I wouldn't hesitate to read more by this author.