3 out of 4 stars
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The Engine Woman's Light by Laurel Anne Hill is one great coming-of-age novel, I should say. Featuring a young Latina heroine in a life-saving mission and a plot set in the early nineteenth-century California, the book speaks of a tale full of mysticism, showing characters, our main girl, Juanita and her great-grandparents included, talking to spirits of people who have long passed, to either seek guidance or ask them for instructions. Written by the award-winning author, Laurel Anne Hill, this book has received the 2017 Independent Press Award and the National Indie Excellence Award (Steampunk Category), as well as a “Kirkus Star” with a Kirkus listing as one of the top 100 Indie books of 2017 and one of the top six (6) Indie teen books at that. More over, the San Francisco Book Festival declared this book the winner in Science Fiction and the runner-up in Young Adult.
The book opens up with an old woman named Zetta, trying to escape from an asylum-bound train, with a foundling, a baby girl, who, she later knew, was truly her great-granddaughter, thanks to her late husband, Javier, who told her the truth. But she had to be careful not to let anyone know that she’s being guided by her late husband’s ghost. In her death bed, she has named her Juanita Elise Jame-Navarro. Fast-forwarding 15 years later, we'll see her living peacefully in the village of Promise, a sanctuary for the lost, the abandoned, and the unwanted. At this very young age Juanita functioned as a mystic traveler, serving as Promise’s ties to all other spirits that roam the earth, with a tall mission to save the abandoned children, the lepers and the elderly, the so-called "thrown people", from the fate of the asylum, from the hands of the hated Mendoza Family. Despite her hardships, our heroine grew up under the love and guidance of her adoptive parents and friends, her mentor, and her devoted lover. Even her Navarro ancestors reach out to her from beyond the grave. The spirits linger around her, manifesting themselves in different forms, possessing anything they could possess, at times, Juanita herself.
The Engine Woman’s Light poses a lot of twists and turns in its story, showing how our young heroine, Juanita, being led by the spirit of her ancestors, adapts to a life that causes her to mature faster than she ought to. With such great mission in her hands, she's willing to give everything, even her own life. In today's time and age, we can see smart young ladies like Juanita, who are willing to do everything for their family and for people they truly care for. Author Laurel, in the richness of her imagination, created characters significant enough to demand an audience of their own, although they're all connected to our main girl, Juanita. I somehow see this connection Juanita has with the spirits, even the spirits of her ancestors, as the "light" being pertained to in the book's title, as our heroine uses this connection to seek guidance. This inspiration must have come from her great love and respect for her deceased husband and her great-grandmother, and her eagerness to still have a way to communicate with them. Although this book is considered fiction, she created a story that dwells into controversial truths, stories of harassment and abuse, wherein those who are weak are being ruled by the strong. These are stories that some, if not all of us, can relate to, and, with God's divine help, will be able to overcome victoriously. There are stories of love, lust and sexual relations between men too, but I'm relieved to see that there are no wild scenes being presented here. Last but not the least, of course, we can not deny the fact that there is what we call corruption of the innocent, especially where Juanita is involved. However, the author maintained a good control over her storyline and that's one of the reasons why this book is considered great!
Author Laurel Anne Hill truly poses a superb talent in writing, having her readers experience exactly what she writes. There were even times when readers would actually smell, taste and see the visions or images that she depicts in the story, her writing admittedly arouses the senses. However, I think this book is a little too lengthy, that the story tends to drag a bit. And because it touches on some quite mature topics, like sexual intimacy and that May-December affair, to say the least, I may not count this as a book for the really Young Adults but rather for the more matured Young Adult readers, identifying their age around 18-28 years old and up, coming from the higher tip of Generation Z and more from Generation Y.
I rate The Engine Woman's Light 3 out of 4 stars. Although it was well-written and seemed to have undergone a strict grammar check, it failed to present us with a complete Table of Contents with the complete list of chapters and page numbers where readers can find them. The book also has two (2) blank pages before and after the list of Journals, I guess those are the pages intended for the Table of Contents. People who are mature enough to digest the complexity of the story and who love fictional novels that is of a steampunk genre, a sci-fi and fantasy story, will truly appreciate reading this book.
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The Engine Woman's Light
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Yes, it might seem complicated, with a lot of twists and turns, and a bit lengthy as well, but once you got hold of what the story is about, i’m sure you’d see just how inspiring this book is too. Thanks for visiting and for being my very first commentator 
Best regards!
Wow! I'm so glad to know that you liked it too 
yes I agree that it deserves better, and I would've given it 4 stars as well if not for the missing Table of Contents and the 2 blank pages, and because I find it a bit long, but other than that, i think it's perfect too
Thanks again for dropping by and leaving me this wonderful comment 
I even thought that I won't be able to finish it 
but as I progress in my reading, I can see myself being drawn to the story, which truly speaks about a young woman's bravery and heroism and her determination to help others, while, at the same time, desiring a better life for her as well. Through this read, I'm reminded also of how great a grandparent's love is, and how blessed my son is to still have his grandparents, my mom and dad, with him, loving and supporting him through their prayers and guidance, up to this time. I'm so sure you'd get to see these things too
Thank you for taking time to read my review and comment 
and I’m sure you’re just as brave and as determined as our Latina heroine, Juanita, is
Oh you mean the ScI-Fi label, I thought you were talking about its Young Adult Genre label. I agree with you
they must’ve based it on popular belief when they declared this book the winner in Science Fiction and runner-up in the Young Adult Category
Thanks for your wonderful comment and for sharing your very loving culture 
