10% First Impressions: Smoke by Dan Vyleta

So after reading the first 10% of Athena's Choice by Adam Boostrom, I decided I was going to keep the train going and just start reading 10% of another book I hadn't yet started. And I did that. I started reading the second oldest (by borrow date) of my library books, Smoke by Dan Vyleta. That is to say, I read 10% yesterday and am writing about it today. This book had been on my wishlist and was one of the only ones I saw initially as I ventured to my first library in the interlibrary system.

I'm sure I've borrowed or had the book auto-borrowed for me in eBook for or audiobook (probably the former), but I never got around to reading it. This time round, equipped with physical copy, my determination to read it has been appropriately high. So what are my first impressions after reading it? Of the books I've started reading, this is probably going to be one of the highest, if not the highest rated one. It's that good. Assuming we keep going the way we're going I'm sure this will be at least a 4-star rating. Published back in 2016, the book hook is as follows:

In an alternate Victorian England those who are wicked are marked by the smoke that pours out of their bodies. The aristocracy are clean, proof of their virtue and right to rule, while the lower classes are drenched in sin and soot. Thomas Argyle is the only son of a wayward aristocrat. Charlie Cooper is his best friend. When Thomas finds himself under the boot heel of a sadistic headboy in the treacherous halls of their elite boarding school, he and Charlie begin to question the rules of their society. Then the boys meet Livia, the daughter of a wealthy and powerful family. She leads them to a secret laboratory where they learn that smoke may not be as it seems, and together they set out to uncover the truth about their world.

So far I'm getting Susanna Clarke, but darker vibes. Our protagonist are young, so I guess we're YA, but they're not super young to the point where it's just a mash of tropes. At least that's the impression so far. Sometimes the writing feels wordy, but in a good way. Presumably we're in the late 1800s and we have acknowledgement of different color skins. I wonder if that will be the point of the story. I hope it's not though. So far I'm really liking it.

I can't really say much else as I've only read 46 out of 431 pages. Now that I think about that page count I'm sure there'll be a jump in pacing. But who knows? I'm excited to see where this goes. I don't think this is part of a series, and I half hope it is. At the same time, not the biggest fan of historical fiction, I'd also really enjoy a self-contained story. Time, storytelling, and writing will tell what my rating will be.