[6TG]⋙ Download Free The Cabinet of Wonders The Kronos Chronicles Book I Marie Rutkoski 9780374310264 Books

The Cabinet of Wonders The Kronos Chronicles Book I Marie Rutkoski 9780374310264 Books

Download As PDF : The Cabinet of Wonders The Kronos Chronicles Book I Marie Rutkoski 9780374310264 Books

The Cabinet of Wonders The Kronos Chronicles Book I Marie Rutkoski 9780374310264 Books

I was a bit hesitant about this book at first. The cover, the blurbs, and the general vibe suggested that it would be light on action, character and style and might tilt rather toward gearhead steampunk, alternate Bohemian history, and court intrigue. Well, please excuuuuuse me for being too quick to judge. Within a few chapters, (and certainly once we get to Prague), we have a ripping action/adventure, a feisty and resourceful heroine, and practical magic that is charming and yet muscular. The tin spider sidekick is also deadpan funny and a fully realized character in its own right, which was a completely unexpected bonus.

This isn't wand and wizard stuff; it entails more of an earth/elemental magic in which artisans can use magic to create above and beyond the norm. So, you get sentient metal pets, intuitive music boxes, metal work with intrinsic magical properties, and so on. Indeed, it's sort of a very fun variation on all of the STEM oriented books we've been seeing recently. Between the mechanical marvels, the magic power sources, the clever inventions, the gears and clockwork, and the other "wonders" this is like a pre-Enlightenment fantasy STEM book, with the bonus of a plucky heroine and some especially engaging characters.

So, while it may be that if you boil down the plot to its absolute basics this could appear to be a same-old same-old quest adventure, it turns out that the book has a number of engaging zigs and entertaining zags, and a crisp, fast paced adventure vibe that sets it nicely on the younger, and sometimes underserved, end of the magical action scale. That made it a nice find for me.

This is the first book in a series, but you can read it as a standalone. By the end the basic story arc, (the quest for the return of Dad's eyes), has been resolved. Prince Rudolpho is still out there though, as is slimy John Dee, and more adventures await; it seems to me that the reader could dive back in or not depending on how he or she felt about the series as a whole.


Tags : The Cabinet of Wonders: The Kronos Chronicles: Book I [Marie Rutkoski] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>Marie Rutkoski's startling debut novel, the first book in the Kronos Chronicles, about the risks we take to protect those we love,Marie Rutkoski,The Cabinet of Wonders: The Kronos Chronicles: Book I,Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR),0374310262,Family - Parents,Magic;Fiction.,Princes;Fiction.,Romanies;Fiction.,Action & Adventure - General,Children's BooksAges 9-12 Fiction,Children: Grades 4-6,Fantasy & Magic,Fiction,Historical Europe,Juvenile Fiction,Juvenile Fiction Action & Adventure General,Juvenile Fiction Family Parents,Juvenile Fiction Fantasy & Magic,Magic,Princes,Renaissance Bohemia,Romanies

The Cabinet of Wonders The Kronos Chronicles Book I Marie Rutkoski 9780374310264 Books Reviews

When Petra's father, a genius metalsmith, makes a weather clock for the young Prince, he is rewarded by having his eyes stolen by the Prince who wears them as his own. Angered, Petra with her tin spider confidant journeys to Prague to steal them back. She is befriended by a gypsy boy with magical fingers and a Countess that secretes acid. This masterfully told tale is aptly named, as it is, itself, a cabinet of wonders, full of enchanting and charming magic that tickles the imagination. It is a child of L. Frank Baum, Diana Wynne Jones, and the oral tradition stirring together history and fairy tale. This is what children's literature should be brilliant, eloquent, exciting, engaging, charming, imaginative, and just a bit grotesque. Grade A
I found this book on the front of my on . the title sounded intriguing so I asked for a sample. I liked what I read so ordered the book right from my . It is so easy and within minutes I was able to start reading.

Petra is the twelve year old daughter of Mikal Kronos who is a master artisan of tin. He infuses magic in his works which make them extra special. He made a tin spider for Petra who she calls Astrophil. He talks and reads and is intelligent. He is her constant companion. Of course, Astrophil is infused with magic which makes him so delightful. All of Mikal's animals are of special value because they are imbued with his special magic.

Now the Prince of Bohemia comissioned Mikal Kronos to make a clock for him, a very special clock that will be infused with more than a touch of magic and will be able to do much more than just tell the time of day. He finishes his masterpiece after three months in Prague and is sent back to his home in Okno.

Petra is there to receive her father but is agast at what she sees. Her father's eyes are bandaged and his is weak and can hardle move. It seems that the Prince ordered his surgeon to remove Mikal's eyes before releasing him; supposedly to prevent him from fashioning another clock just like the one he crafted for the Prince.

Petra is so sad at seeing her father with no eyes. His eyes were especially beautiful. They were a silver color and her eyes are exactly the same color. Petra goes from being sad to being very angry and starts thinking of a way to recover his eyes that were stolen from him. She always has been very close to her father as her mother died giving birth to her.

Petra has a good friend, Tomik, who is to become involved in her plans to regain possession of her father's eyes. Tomik is helping her by making some spheres, magical spheres, that will enable her to achieve her goal. Of course her father knows nothing about all of this and he must not know anything as he is sure to disapprove of any action on the part of his daughter.

From this point on Petra channels all of her attention and energy into figuring how to get to the Cabinte of wonders where the Prince is said to keep them. A very tall order for such a young girl. However, she finds help from the most unlikely places and from the most unlikely people.

She has scary experiences in the streets of Prague that turn out to be a blessing. She meets a pickpocket who tries to steal her money but events turn in a way that he becomes her friend and ally. Through him she comes in contact with the Gypsies who are not at all bad like she has been told.
And it so happens that Neel has a sister who works at the Castle. But you have to read the book to get the real thrill of all the intrigues and twists and turns this story takes. It is a real page turner and hard to put down. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone betwee 10 and 70+ years. I loved it.

Bookwormetc.
Cabinet of wonders was a fantastic book, but only a good audio book.

The story has interesting characters peopling a fascinating world. The setting mixes history, fantasy, steampunk, and adventure. The villain is truly chilling. The magic, innovative. The secondary characters are unforgettable.

Some readers may be put off by the slightly open ending. While the current adventure does conclude, there is still a bigger plot line yet to be solved, making way for the rest of the series. Far from leaving me unsatisfied, this book left me wanting more.

Although the book is about a girl, the boys in my household were captivated and never felt this book was "too girly." They loved the mix of technology and magic set in a less industrialized society.

I have read this book before and so was disappointed the narrator did not do the story justice. Her voices were caricatured and slightly annoying which kept pulling me out of the story. The narrator also had such a juvenile tone, that she turned off the older kids in my household.

If this is the only copy of the book you can get, get it anyway, but it's better in print.
I was a bit hesitant about this book at first. The cover, the blurbs, and the general vibe suggested that it would be light on action, character and style and might tilt rather toward gearhead steampunk, alternate Bohemian history, and court intrigue. Well, please excuuuuuse me for being too quick to judge. Within a few chapters, (and certainly once we get to Prague), we have a ripping action/adventure, a feisty and resourceful heroine, and practical magic that is charming and yet muscular. The tin spider sidekick is also deadpan funny and a fully realized character in its own right, which was a completely unexpected bonus.

This isn't wand and wizard stuff; it entails more of an earth/elemental magic in which artisans can use magic to create above and beyond the norm. So, you get sentient metal pets, intuitive music boxes, metal work with intrinsic magical properties, and so on. Indeed, it's sort of a very fun variation on all of the STEM oriented books we've been seeing recently. Between the mechanical marvels, the magic power sources, the clever inventions, the gears and clockwork, and the other "wonders" this is like a pre-Enlightenment fantasy STEM book, with the bonus of a plucky heroine and some especially engaging characters.

So, while it may be that if you boil down the plot to its absolute basics this could appear to be a same-old same-old quest adventure, it turns out that the book has a number of engaging zigs and entertaining zags, and a crisp, fast paced adventure vibe that sets it nicely on the younger, and sometimes underserved, end of the magical action scale. That made it a nice find for me.

This is the first book in a series, but you can read it as a standalone. By the end the basic story arc, (the quest for the return of Dad's eyes), has been resolved. Prince Rudolpho is still out there though, as is slimy John Dee, and more adventures await; it seems to me that the reader could dive back in or not depending on how he or she felt about the series as a whole.