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Bridget Ladd never quite grew up. She's most likely to be caught carrying a pocketful of souvenir rocks and shells (to the washer's dismay) and gets excited over trivial things like colorful ponies and raiding tombs alongside her longtime favorite video game pal, Lara Croft. The smell of freshly turned dirt and the sea air are her favorites, and she isn't above doing twirling spins barefoot in the grass on a beautiful day in her yard. Her books are her shields and she will admit to having her head in the clouds more times than she probably should . . . but she doesn't let any of this bother her too much, remembering her favorite quote by Le Guin, and knowing that the creative adult is indeed the child who survived.
She graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 3D Computer Animation/Interactive Design and minored in Art History at East Carolina University. Living her life solely as an artist and illustrator after school was not enough--knowing that a picture was only worth a thousand words--she felt she needed more. She had to get the trapped stories, the vivid, sometimes adventurous, sometimes terrifying dreams, out of her head. Like the authors, artists, musicians, scientists, peaceful warriors who inspire her, she too wishes to share her worlds with others, let them escape into the unknown. Let them know that like her, it's okay to be different.
Reviewed by Katelyn Hensel for Readers' Favorite
As a HUGE steampunk fan, I was thrilled when I got a chance to read The Lotus Effect, the first book in the Rise of the Ardent series by Bridget Ladd. Lily Emmerson is the daughter of two of the most important leaders of her society: The head of Council and the Mistress of Science. Bred since infancy to be the successor to the title of Mistress of Science by a cold unfeeling mother, Lily shocks and amazes the likes of the upper-crust society when a turn of fate and a cruel action cause her to renounce her future title and instead commit herself to fight in the Barrage. This mechanical tournament using the latest innovations comes once every 12 years and requires a team of 2 from each sector to fight for the chance to be able to change the corrupt law of the council.
First off, the cover is gorgeous! Its beauty standing in opposition on top of the gears and technical stuff is pure greatness and will definitely attract wandering eyes. The Lotus Effect was a cool mix of Dystopian, Sci-Fi, and Steampunk and I really loved it. Ladd's writing style is gritty without coming across as too somber and hopeless which is one of the main flaws in books of a similar nature. Lily Emerson is a great character. Maybe not as strong as Katniss, maybe not as smart as Hermione, but she possesses a strength of character, individuality, and ingenuity that should add her to the ranks of the other heroines of fantasy literature.
