Marissa's Reviews > All Men of Genius

I was lucky enough to get an advanced readers' copy of this book from one of my colleagues who met the author at Book Expo! I absolutely loved it!

In alternate Victorian England, there are many scientists who have mastered the ability to create inventions beyond the common man’s wildest dreams, using gears and steam for power. Illyria is a prestigious private school run by Duke Ernest, and takes only the best of men. Violet is not your typical Victorian girl; rather, she is a gifted scientist and inventor and wants nothing more than to go to lllyria. Violet concocts a scheme to impersonate her twin brother, Ashton, in order to attend the school. She plans to keep up her disguise until the final exhibition at the end of the year, and hopes that after proving herself as a worthy scientist, she will be allowed to stay. As one would expect, keeping up this ruse is not an easy task for Violet, especially when she starts getting close to the Duke. Within Illyria, there are also dark secrets that threaten to ruin Violet’s plan.

A mixture of steampunk, The Twelfth Night, and The Importance of Being Earnest, All Men of Genius is a book that will suck you in from the prologue. The attention paid to the details of the elaborate inventions will satisfy any steampunk fan, though it is not overdone to the point that newcomers will grow bored with the descriptions (which are done very well). The combination of action, mad science, humor, and romance allow for the novel to have a wide audience.