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The first in an exciting new young adult series from *13 to Life* writer Shannon Delany, *Weather Witch *is about a young woman enslaved for being a weather witch, and who must fight for her freedom to be with the boy she loves. Some fled the Old World to avoid war, and some fled to leave behind magick. Yet even the fiercely regulated New World--with its ranks and emphasis on decorum--cannot staunch the power that wells up in certain people, influencing the weather and calling down storms. Hunted, the Weather Witches are forced to power the rest of the population's ships, as well as their every necessity, and luxury, in a time when steam power is repressed. Jordan Astraea hails from a flawless background with no taint of magick, but on her seventeenth birthday she is accused of summoning an unscheduled storm. Taken from her family, Jordan is destined to be enslaved on an airship. But breaking Jordan may prove to be the very thing her carefully constructed society cannot weather. And losing Jordan forever may force her beau, Rowen, to be the hero he would have never otherwise dared become. ** ### From School Library Journal Gr 8 Up-Drama and intrigue abound, and this novel is built on an interesting concept, but, ultimately, Delany's steampunk fantasy misses the mark. Readers will likely be confused and frustrated by unexplained plot elements and terminology. In an alternate 1840s Philadelphia, Weather Witches control everything from the winds that power airships to the lights that illuminate homes. Yet magick is shunned by society. Seventeen-year-old Jordan Astraea's biggest worry used to be whether or not her beau, Rowen, would be a suitable match-but then she's accused of witchcraft. Despite professing her innocence, Jordan is stripped of her affluent rank and is imprisoned in a deplorable place where witches undergo torture to release their powers. The man who conducts much of the torment, Witch Maker Bran, has his own troubles: an illegitimate daughter to care for, an ominous prophecy uttered by a dying witch, and his own morality. Rowen travels to rescue his love, Jordan struggles to escape her predicament, and a rogue witch seeks vengeance. Several seemingly important ideas are inexplicably dropped soon after their introduction. The text feels weighted down by filler dialogue and overly lengthy descriptions of the setting. The numerous plots and subplots meander toward a predictable cliff-hanger, setting the stage for a sequel. Unfortunately, it's unlikely that average readers will have the patience to see this novel through to the end.-Alissa J. Bach, Oxford Public Library, MIα(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journal. LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. ### From Booklist Jordan Astraea’s seventeenth birthday party is going swimmingly until she’s accused of being a weather witch—a magical being captured and harnessed for power and shunned by high society. In Delany’s (13 to Life, 2010) steampunk nineteenth-century Philadelphia, where crystals powered by weather witches fuel automatons, airships, and other clockwork devices, Jordan and her paramour, Rowen, struggle to rescue her from prison and discover who is framing her for weather witchery. Meanwhile, a handful of plots involving high-ranking families and the hypocrisy of banning magic jostle for attention. It’s almost too much, but with an elaborate atmosphere full of mystical goings-on, chichi dresses, and romance, along with a headstrong heroine destined to bravely take the reins of her fate in her own hands, fantasy fans will find a lot to enjoy. Several plotlines lack development, and the cliff-hanger ending will frustrate some, but the promise of society intrigue and magical world building will entice others to settle in for what is sure to be an extended series. Grades 7-12. --Sarah Hunter