DAMN YOU YA NOVELS!! Why do you so often strut around flashing such delicious, mouth-watering premises only to end up tasting like rice cakes dipped in peanut butter and leaving me feeling unsatiated, frustrated...and very, very thirsty. I certainly don't mean all YA novels as there are quite a few that have left my literary gluttony stuffed and smiling (you good ones know who you are). This story, however, just another under-delivering promise tease. Now, this tale isn't terrible, but it had such potent potential that I am left with that "foiled again" feeling after having my hyped hopes hollowed. Here's the premise which I thought was wonderful.Take the idea of a dark, travellng, supernaturally sponsored carnival/exhibition/fair thing-a-ling made so famously awesome by Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes. Then replace the Bradbury carnies with three scoops of medical/biological steampunky flavor and call it "Doctor Limberleg's Nostrum Fair and Technological Medicine Show." Then place the story in a small, dying Missouri town in 1914 (always a cool period for a story as it doesn't get enough book time) and throw in a likeable, mechanically-inclined "Punky Brewster" heroine and a bunch of townsfolk with some unique personal histories and you have yourself something.....that never quite delivers on its HUGE promise. On the good side, the writing had quality, the descriptions of the attractions (called paragons) were impressive and the supernatural element was subtle, layered and pretty well done. On the negative "here's my bitch" side, I thought the story was slow as syrup to get going, the pacing was plodding and otherwise uneven and the pay-off at the end did not compensate enough for the angst caused by the slow start. This was a debut novel and I can certainly see the author having to by some shades for her very bright future. Given the quality of the writing and the imaginative premise, I plan to check out her future work. Just a little too much of not enough in this one for me to rate it higher. Okay, but not quite good. 2.0 to 2.5 stars.