Mariah Mundi The Midas Box - G P Taylor

My dear readers -you must know that I love books, but did you know that I am also a little bit in love with great covers (scroll down to see The Robot in the Garden, for one).  And this cover I really do like.  Thank you, David Roberts, you get a little nod from me for this smashing cover, and I believe you gave a nod to Edward Gorey?  Look at those little pointy feet, and Mariah's lovely windswept hair!

Mariah Mundi is a new hero to me, although this is the first book in a series of tales about the orphaned Mariah, the boy with the girl's name.  This is certainly not explained in this story, but of course it might come up later somewhere.

Mariah is given a train ticket by his school where he has lived and learned until at age 15, he's given a rail ticket and the confirmation of a job at The Regent Hotel, somewhere up on the cold east coast of England.  When he arrives, things are certainly not as expected, and having met some very odd passengers on the train, nothing is as it seems, either.  Many adventures, spooky in the extreme, very naughty people and others who may or may not be villains are mixed up with Mariah and his friend at the hotel, the girl Sacha.  Not only are things not as they seem, several people are not who they seems either!

I think this might appeal to people who are reading or who liked Harry Potter.  Mariah isn't a wizard (in training or otherwise), but at least one of the other characters is!  And the descriptions of the passages and rooms in the underground areas of the hotel are truly creepy and a lot of fun.  If you are a steampunk fan (adult or otherwise), this may also appeal, especially as the entire hotel - including a very speedy lift - seems to run on a giant steam boiler, somewhere in the depths.  Great fun!