Obernewtyn - Isobelle Carmody

[goodreads]

Title: Obernewtyn Author: Isobelle Carmody Genre: Fantasy Rating: 8/10 # pages: 254 Date read: July, 2008

Summary: After the nuclear holocaust of the Great White, the surviving humans condemn all Misfits (mutants) to either death by fire or exile to Obernewtyn, a remote mountain institution where mysterious experiments are performed on some exiles. Elspeth Gordie is a Misfit, struggling to hide her mutant mental abilities and earn a Normalcy Certificate. But when her secret is betrayed, she is sent to Obernewtyn, from which no one has ever escaped. At Obernewtyn she finds not only dreadful experiments, but ambitious overlords who seek to use the Misfits' paranormal powers to recover the devastating secrets of nuclear war.

Review: The first book in a series recommended to me by aurillia. I have to say I have great hopes for the sequels, because while it was very obvious that this was the first in a series, and a lot of time was therefore spent on setting the atmosphere and introducing the universe it was still very well written and captured my attention nicely. The main character reminded me a lot of some of Tamora Pierce's heroines personality-wise, and that's always a good thing :)

What I found most fascinating about this book is that it takes place in the future after some great nuclear disaster. As technology was the reason for the "Great White" all 'old fashioned' (to them) technology is now viewed as evil and dangerous and they have therefore gone back to a world of horse-carriages and magic rather than cars and medicine. Horse-carriages and magic seem standard in any fantasy book, but I liked this different take on it - that the characters kept referring back to things I recognise as belonging to 'the before-time'. Reminded me a lot of Rocco by Sherryl Jordan.

Book List