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    The Dark Unwinding
    The Dark Unwinding
    The Dark Unwinding
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Dark Unwinding

    Written by Sharon Cameron

    Narrated by Fiona Hardingham

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A spine-tingling tale of steampunk and spies, intrigue and heart-racing romance!

    When Katharine Tulman's inheritance is called into question by the rumor that her eccentric uncle is squandering away the family fortune, she is sent to his estate to have him committed to an asylum. But instead of a lunatic, Katharine discovers a genius inventor with his own set of rules, who employs a village of nine hundred people rescued from the workhouses of London.

    Katharine is now torn between protecting her own inheritance and preserving the peculiar community she grows to care for deeply. And her choices are made even more complicated by a handsome apprentice, a secretive student, and fears for her own sanity.

    As the mysteries of the estate begin to unravel, it is clear that not only is her uncle's world at stake, but also the state of England as Katharine knows it. With twists and turns at every corner, this heart-racing adventure will captivate readers with its intrigue, thrills, and romance.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScholastic
    Release dateApr 30, 2013
    ISBN9780545622882
    The Dark Unwinding

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    Reviews for The Dark Unwinding

    4/5

    310 ratings42 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Very interesting book! Hope there’s a sequel. I’ll definitely read if there is.
    • 4/5
      Not what I expected.
      The description of the book is incorrect but I still chose to read it. Still entertaining and mysterious.
    • 3/5
      This book was an odd pleasure, an 1800s techno mystery complete with evil aunt, clever servants, handsome strangers, a genius uncle with the mind of a child, a silent child who knows more than anyone suspects, a tricky civil servant, and a young woman at the center of it all. Once I got used to the archaic attitude of the characters I enjoyed the story and got into it.
    • 5/5
      Was so good! Well written, well read! Can't wait to listen to the sequel.
    • 4/5
      This story combines gothic mystery, British classes, a bit of steampunk, and even a disability that looks distinctly like autism with brilliance. Katherine is prickly but also like able. The romance feels odd, but that might because most of it is conducted while Katherine is not in her right mind! There's a nice bit of deux ex machine in the end.
    • 4/5
      I loved the sweet ending, the suspense and the feeling thss was a fairytale unfolding chapter by chapter.
    • 5/5
      Fabulous! I completely fell in love with the narration, plot and characters. Can't wait to read the sequel!!
    • 5/5
      I love the characters, especially the child like uncle. Good story.
    • 5/5
      A beautiful sensible book with likeable characters and gripping turns in the second half. Quite austenesque. And a great production, too!
    • 5/5
      Excellent story: strong plot with lots of twists, interesting characters who have depth, and positive treatment of people who don’t fit in the norm or who lack resources. I couldn’t stop listening!
    • 5/5
      It’s splendid & the right way!!! Always the right way!! As it should!!!
    • 5/5
      Enjoyed the evolving plot. The many excellent voices of narrator made the book come alive.
    • 5/5
      Great narration, great story, a real treat after all the cheesy romance/fantasy I have been recommended by Scribd.
    • 5/5
      The characters are so wonderfully complex and interesting; it's hard not to become drawn into this world.

    • 5/5
      If you love YA and you love historical with a slightly steampunk flair, I think you will love this book. The author brings some very unusual and extremely cool elements into both the characters and the plot of this book, which make it intriguing and compelling. I stayed up extremely late last night reading because I just had to know what happened, and usually sleep compels me long before that eventuality. Can't wait for the next in the series!
    • 4/5
      (Review edited after second reading--I enjoyed it SO MUCH this go-round!)

      Overall I enjoyed this story and I fully intend to read whatever sequels may arrive. I liked the characters (the primary and secondary characters were well fleshed out).

      I will add that I found parts of "The Dark Unwinding" to be exquisitely emotional. The anger born from grief, the way the love interest deals with that anger, and the way grief lingers, I found to be particularly resonant.
    • 5/5
      I was deeply drawn into this amazing and secret world that Katherine found herself in. Almost immediately I became attached to Uncle Tully and his toys, and completely sympathetic to Katherine and her plight. The dark richness of the grand but decaying house and complex grounds, and the family secrets which came to light all gave vivid depth to the world. An interestingly set teen mystery with a gothic feel and a satisfying resolution, though with an open end that leads to a second book which I'm definitely looking forward to! I definitely recommend to the historical, steampunk, mystery fan.


    • 3/5
      I found out about this series when browsing through books from BEA 2013 — where the sequel was being offered as an ARC. For the most part, I just can’t read series out of order (knowingly, at least), so I left it alone and put this book on the to-read list. And yes, 3 years later, I’m just now reading it. Us bibliophiles have a problem with overly long to-read lists, yes?I have to say that this one gets off to an incredibly slow start. It tries to be too creepy too fast, to the point where I really just didn’t understand what was going on in the first few chapters. Is it trying to be paranormal? Is it trying to be just average-run-of-the-mill creepy? No idea. I think that was the point, but I personally wasn’t into it. By the first 30 pages, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to get through it, but I powered on, and it turned out to get better. Yay! It also doesn’t help that there seems to be a wide variety of genres used for this book, but by my judgment, it’s more alternate history/gothic than anything. (Especially steampunk — um, what?!) There are so many creep factors to it that it just feels dark the way only gothic books do. Anyway, once the book figures out what its story is supposed to be, it gets pretty good.One of my favorite things is how the main character, Katharine grows. It happens a little too suddenly, I think, but it is nice to see. Her uncle seems to be on the spectrum of autism in a time when that wasn’t something that was diagnosed, and she recognizes that while he has some difficulties, he’s a really nice person who cares a lot about his friends and family. I think this is a good thing for a middle grade book to bring up, and it’s done beautifully — incredibly subtle, which I appreciated.The book skims over some of the issues of factories and poverty during the era it’s supposed to take place — I don’t think it goes in depth enough to be used as a companion to any of those topics in the classroom, but it certainly can’t hurt as an outside reading-for-fun suggestion if students seem interested in the ideas.Overall, this was a fine read. It interested me enough that I want to see if the sequel gets any better, but it’s not something I’d highly recommend people to read. If you happen by it and have some free time, it’s not terrible and it’s kind of quick. I think middle grade readers would kind of enjoy it, but it’s not super amazing. The sequel is now on my to-read list, so I’ll get back to you on how it develops! (Hopefully sooner than 3 years.)Originally posted on Going on to the Next.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed the Gothic feel of this. It wasn't quite steam punk, but it did have a bit of machinery inventiveness. This wrapped up the main situation but left the characters with a bunch of loose ends. I will be reading the next to see what happens.
    • 3/5
      I picked up this book a while ago. It ended up towards the bottom of my to be read pile. As it is my goal this year to make a dent in this pile, I finally picked up this book to read it. I am sorry I did wait so long to check out this book. I liked all of the gadgets that Katherine’s Uncle Tully created. His child like imagination is infectious. I could not help but have a smile on my face. I wished that I was there with Uncle Tully having play time and winding the clocks. Ok, so where was the romance? Not that I minded that it was lacking as the story was just fine without it but when the book promotes or hints at a romance I want to see and experience it. Which for me I did not find Lane that appealing. I know he was trying to protect Katherine’s uncle from getting hurt but he was rude in his approach. Overall, I was pleased with this book. Also, there have been discussion on whether this book is steampunk or not. I do agree it is Victorian but it is also steampunk. It might not be as strong as some other steampunk books I have read but it is steampunk.
    • 4/5
      This historical fiction novel with a touch of steampunk is a solid YA read. In particular:- I like how her uncle is most certainly on the severe end of the autism spectrum, but how it is shown in a very positive light. Most everyone loves him and fiercely protects him. Within the context of the period, perhaps that attitude is almost too optimistic, but as the mother of an autistic child I really appreciated the way it was handled.- there's a romance there, but it's not handled in a traditional way, nor is it a pat "happily ever ever" in that regard.- it's a fast read with a good pace.On the more negative side, I did find the villain to be predictable, though there were still other twists and turns at the end that I did not expect.
    • 3/5
      The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron is a YA novel published by Scholastic Inc. in 2012. It is aimed at readers ages 12 and up, but due to the language, I'd recommend this book to readers who are advanced at age 12. The language is similar to something like an amateur version of the language of Tolstoy or Edith Wharton. The language came across as a little off-putting to me, largely because it did nothing for the likability of the protagonist.Katharine Tulman is a little spoiled, a little self-centred, and a little rude. She is poorly treated by her aunt, who is also her guardian, and she is treated like a servant girl in her own home; poor little rich girl! She is a difficult character to like, but she DOES redeem herself by the end of the novel, transforming from an entitled girl of misfortune to a heroic and brave young woman.The characterization of Katharine's mad uncle was interesting, but at times, a little off-putting as his character and his background wasn't really developed. Sometimes I even found the uncle to be a touch offensive. I have a grandparent with Dementia--this character comes across more as silly than unstable. As this novel is aimed at a younger audience, I think the author chose to keep the text very "PG" and light, and while I can respect that, his madness needs to have rhyme and reason. I'm sad to say he wasn't a very convincing character who harboured my interest or sympathies--usually he harboured my disdain.While the analogy of the clock bound up with one's sanity was very good, and as the action leading to the end of the book was gripping, the character development was lacking and I found the "romantic, London language" to affect my enjoyment of the text.I think this book would have done better if it had been written for an older audience. Considering the themes and some of the shocking revelations, it could have been a teen read. I think it would have been much better as a teen read.I didn't dislike this book, but it was nothing special for me. The beginning is a little dry, and I dislike books where I need to work to like the protagonist, the book picks up about halfway through and sets up a promising sequel. A Spark Unseen was published Oct 2013 by Scholastic Inc.
    • 3/5
      The Dark Unwinding missed a few opportunities to do something different with the gothic genre. In the end, it added a bit of a steampunk element but added nothing new to the mix.Spoilers---I'm generous to give it props for using the gaslights as a hint that our heroine, Katherine, was being gas lighted. The film Gaslight was worse because the damage came from someone she loved. Katherine had no interest in Ben but as a means to an end. His one attempt at a love con was so half-hearted he never posed as a contender for a love triangle let alone crushing to the character when he was revealed. Jane Austen, at least portrayed Emma's ego as being damaged when used. How were we going to be worked up?The story would have been creepier if we had a different villain than Ben. I knew straight off he was the bad guy and never went to Cambridge. Mrs. Jeffries was over the top to be just a red herring which was what she amounted to.Katherine’s plight is to deem her Uncle mentally unfit to run his own estate so her fat cousin can inherit. The people living on the estate should have worked it out that her own life was miserable enough. I liked when Katherine sympathised with Mary, the only girl nice to her, but they never had a strong friendship. Mary chastised her for inappropriate relationships with servants.This book was sorely missing allies. If we had less Victoria Holt and more Iva Ibotson on that score the book would have been more fun. The love interest should have been more Victoria Holt and less Iva Ibotson. I loathe the love interest that spends the book being a jerk to the heroine. Barbara Michaels won me over years ago when the love interest wasn't the scold.Katherine was just too easy to gaslight. She hated herself and took too long to make a decision. The relationships were all left unresolved. Why did her grandmother disown her father?The uncle was creepy. Was he insane or autistic?
    • 3/5
      A person whose opinion I trust was really high on this book. It was solid, not like anything I've read in awhile, but just slightly off the mark. It dragged in some places, went triple quick in others, maybe by design, I'm not sure. A good read, but not overly great.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely loved this book! It had romance, mystery and just a darn good plot! Katherine Tullman must go to her uncle's house and declare that he is crazy, so her Aunt Alice can take over the family estate. Katherine meets some new people and starts to question her aunt's motives to send her uncle to the asylum. The characters are all great and I listened to this through Audible and the narrator, Fiona Hardingham, did an awesome job! I think I enjoyed the story so much more because of her narration, she caught each character's personality so well, especially Uncle Tully. What really brought my attention to this book is it's cover, I really like it and now that I've read it, it fits the book so well. Great read and looking forward to reading the next one!”
    • 4/5
      I wasn't quite sure what to expect in this book. I definitely wasn't expecting what I got, which ended up being a good thing. When I started, I was feeling kind of bored and less than impressed with the story. I very nearly set it aside for better things.

      Something made me keep going though, and I'm glad I did. I ended up getting totally into the story and loving it in the end. It had a pull that I didn't expect

      Katharine's uncle is described in the synopsis as 'childlike', but I think a more accurate description would be autistic. I feel like Sharon Cameron portrayed Uncle Tully in a positive light - as someone you want to know and be around. I read a book not long ago (which shall remain nameless on purpose) where a side character with autism was treated like a freak. Sorry, but that just doesn't fly. People with disabilities are people first and should be treated as such. I didn't feel even a little bit of degradation in Uncle Tully's character. Cameron didn't treat him like some sideshow to come and gawk at...no, he was a real person with hopes, dreams, feelings, cares, and everything anyone would experience. I really loved Uncle Tully.

      That's what kept me reading. A respectful treatment of a person with a disability.

      Plus, steampunk.

      I ADORE steampunk. Tell me a book is steampunk and I'm pretty well guaranteed to pick it up.

      I ended up really enjoying the story. I worked through Katharine's issues right along with her, and wondered what I'd do in her shoes. I wanted desperately to protect the people at the estate. I hoped so hard that Katharine would make the 'right' choice (that being the choice *I* wanted her to make, of course). I think I figured out 'the thing' before she did, and I despaired that she'd make the wrong choice by default. No!!!!!

      I also really liked Mary and Lane. Mary appoints herself to be Katharine's ladies' maid, and she's absolutely delightful. A ton of fun. I loved her scenes. Lane, on the other hand, is very dark when he wants to be. I wasn't sure at all what I thought of him at first, except that I found him strangely alluring. I wanted him to win out in the end. I never, ever liked the other what's-his-name. Never.

      Overall, with a great story and some great characters, it's a 4 Eiffel Tower book.

      Content Advisory
      Language: Mild
      Sexuality: Mild
      Violence: Moderate
    • 5/5
      Highly Recommended Seventeen-year-old Katherine Tulman, lost her parents when she was young and has been living with her aunt. Aunt Alice is not very nice and is counting the days until her son inherits the title and estate. However, Katherine’s Uncle Tulman is the current owner of the family fortune and Katherine has been tasked with making sure that her Uncle ends up in an asylum. She sets out for Stranwyne to figure out where all the money has been going and whether or not her uncle is a lunatic. Readers will quickly realize that Uncle “Tully” seems to be autistic, but mechanically brilliant.This book has an attractive cover that makes it look like a steampunk novel. Readers will not be disappointed. The story is set in Victorian England with some elements of science fiction, historical fiction, mystery and romance. It is somewhat dark and gothic, with many twists and turns. Readers will be kept on edge until the story finally plays out at the end.I really think that this book has broad YA appeal. This seems to be a stand alone book. It had a satisfying ending, although not the perfect happy ending. I think it is a good fit for a school library because it is well written and does not really contain any objectionable content. The history of Victorian England is accurate in many of the details. It introduces students to the sub-genre of steampunk, if they are not familiar with it. The book can be used in a variety of library displays: historical fiction, science fiction, mystery, etc. It would be a good book club book with many things for students to discuss. In terms of curriculum, this book could be used on contemporary literature classes when students are allowed to select their own books. I would put this book on a stand alone display so that students would notice it. Once I started this book, it was difficult to put down. Very enjoyable read!
    • 5/5
      I was really pleased with this one—it’s the first in a trilogy (of course). Catherine Tulman lives with her aunt and cousin in London, where she is basically her aunt’s accounting slave. Her cousin is set to inherit everything, and she is constantly reminded of that fact and she is only allowed there at his generosity (little brat). Her aunt becomes concerned that her uncle, on whom their financial legacy rests, is becoming unhinged and is spending all of his (their) money, so she sends Catherine to see just how crazy he is and wants him placed in an asylum. She discovers that he isn’t crazy, just eccentric, and a brilliant inventor of these interesting little steampunkish creations. And clocks, he loves clocks. Unlike the other estates in the area, he has moved all of his workers into the walled area of his estate and takes care of them. He and Catherine take to each other immediately, and she knows there is no possible way she can commit him to an asylum—it wouldn’t be fair to him or to the people he takes care of. In the meantime, as with all geniuses, there are those who would pray on his innocent eccentricities and steal his work. Catherine falls in love with one of the young men who live on the property—her uncle simply takes lost people in and provides for them. I liked Catherine as a character—she is young and not always sure what is best or what to do, but she’s not sure how else to do things. She has been so stifled living with her aunt, her aunt has managed to suck most of the curiosity and interest in life out of her, but it’s still there, and it reawakens at her uncle’s. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next one in this series
    • 4/5
      The Dark Unwinding had a slow beginning, and was therefore hard to get into at first. After the story picks up, however, it quickly becomes impossible to put down. While I really enjoyed the characters (especially Lane), they aren’t interesting enough to make the first half of the novel truly enjoyable—that is until the romance is introduced. Since it’s a forbidden love of sorts, we get to see Katherine and her suitor of choice dance around each other in a semi-innocent and entirely unsure manner. The plot, however, is what really makes the novel shine. It is intense enough to keep the reader up all night turning pages just to see what will happen next. Even though the plot doesn’t really get moving until the second half of the novel, it is well worth the wait.Katherine grows a lot in the novel. She is a very Cinderella-esque character as she is an orphan who is being cared for by a wealthy aunt, who treats her as a servant. Katherine is very intelligent, however, and has plans to break free of her Aunt’s suffocating grip. The only problem with her plan is her heart. In order to one day become independent of her Aunt, she will have to destroy the lives of thousands of people by shutting down Stranwyne—her Uncle’s potentially mis-managed estate.As Katherine decides between doing what’s best for her and what’s best for the people of Stranwyne, she meets a lot of interesting people. Lane was by far the most interesting with his dark, brooding personality. Lane and Katherine just fit together really well, and it’s impossible not to hope that their relationship will progress to the next level. Then there is Ben Aldridge. He is likable on the surface and clearly interested in Katherine, but he is a hard character to root for.Once we get into the second half of the novel, it is just packed with intrigue. There is so much mystery and action, my head was almost spinning! I staid up very late to finish this novel and I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a book so good that I decided reading it was far more important than sleeping. There is just so much that happens in the second part of the book and it was so incredibly well done. The second I closed the book, I wanted to pick up the sequel, A Spark Unseen. Unfortunately, A Spark Unseen won’t be available until the Fall of 2013, so it will be a bit of a wait.The Dark Unwinding is a phenomenal debut! Filled with interesting characters, a good romance, and a fantastic plot, readers just won’t want to put this one down. Even though the beginning was a bit slow, the book was so amazing that it is worth reading until the very end. At the half-way point the book just takes off and the reader is completely immersed in Cameron’s world.
    • 4/5
      Overally, I enjoyed Cameron’s debut – dark, mysterious, intriguing – and very much look forward to the sequel. (I have to assume there’s a sequel. Otherwise. Anger.)

      Katharine was an interesting character. And by interesting I mean: not the type of character I normally love. Throughout a large portion of the story she’s torn between duty and freedom and she doesn’t always pick/do/say the right thing because of it. BUT. She totally won me over. She is not in an enviable position, given her station and the fact she’s female in the time period. And her acts of rebellion (both tiny and large) are quite ass-kicking.

      What I really, really liked, though, was this wasn’t just a story about Katharine trying to get her inheritance from evil elder-guardian. No. There is a mystery afoot. Which was awesome. It made the plot BIGGER and darker quite effectively.

      I had one gripe: as I mentioned above, there are some epic steampunk touches in The Dark Unwinding. Which led to some technical discussions of how things worked and my brain did not compute those scenes. They kind of brought the quick plot to a halt for me a few times. But only a few. I also haven’t had a science or math class in nearly ten years, so, there is that.