Book description
Trenton Colman is a creative thirteen-year-old boy with a knack for all things mechanical. But his talents are viewed with suspicion in Cove, a steam-powered city built inside a mountain. In Cove, creativity is a crime and “invention” is a curse word. Kallista Babbage is a repair technician and daughter…
Why read it?
1 author picked Fires of Invention as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Dragons are cool. The one on this cover is clearly mechanical, and that got my attention. Cove is a rather dark setting so I would only recommend this for older kids. Readers can tell from the beginning that the oppressive society is rooted in fear. What is behind that fear? The main characters, Trenton and Kallista, aren’t all that concerned with the bigger picture. They’re only trying to solve a puzzle left by Kallista’s father. We get to watch them become good friends in the process.
From Amanda's list on fantasy to read with your kids.
If you love Fires of Invention...
The Monkey Stones
Three friends become caught up in a monkey-worshipping cult when a stone circle suddenly appears overnight next to their home.
The cult is headed by famous racing driver Gordon Smash who disappeared in the Amazon rainforest in the 90s after a stunt went badly wrong. Alongside space tech billionaire Micky…
Want books like Fires of Invention?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Fires of Invention.
Share your top 3 reads of 2025!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,340
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Fires of Invention, you might also like...
An Heir of Realms
An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction.
Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to…
Jurassic Girl
Not too many people know about Mary Anning. In 1811, at age 12, Mary lived on the Jurassic Coast where she unearthed a 17-foot fossil.
Many of the men in the scientific community called her a fraud. They didn’t believe a girl from a poor family could make such a…
