Mr. and Mrs. Robert Brian Thomas
Jul 10, 2026
Great
'For Steam and Country' has good plot, pacing, and prose. Jon Del Arroz knows writing as a craft and there is nothing to be critical about in this story. The story centers around a 16 year old girl named Zaria Von Monocle. For the last two years, she has lived by herself, farming on her family's land. She gets an unexpected visitor who tells her that, since her father's been missing in action for two years, she is due her inheritance from him. Not long after that, we learn that her father is not dead, just captured, and thus the daring adventure to rescue him begins. Zaria is a stubborn, impulsive girl, but one of the things I enjoyed most about this story is that what she is best at, and what her family is known for, is thinking outside the box and coming up with the right plan at the right moment. This author did a great job of having Zaria think of farming and vegetables long after she left the farm. As an adult reading this story, it didn't hit as well as I wanted it to, despite not having any clear negatives. Its plot lines might have been a little too straightforward for my tastes, but this is perfect for a YA audience. For them, this book is a five star read.
