ARC Review: The Girl with the Iron Touch

The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross
4/5 stars
HarlequinTeen, 2013
377 pages
YA Steampunk
3rd in series

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have eagerly followed The Steampunk Chronicles since the beginning, reading and reviewing The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, The Girl in the Steel Corset, and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. Firstly I really enjoy the covers with the beautiful pops of vivid color and with a strong, not-dead young woman. Then, looking at the actual content, I've been drawn to the fun steampunk imaginings, fantastical settings, and healthy dose of romance.

After an outing to America in the previous book, the gang is back on their home turf in London. But their dangers are far from over with Emily falling into danger and everyone mobilizing to bring her back home and to face a not-so-new enemy. I don't want to get too enmeshed in the details for fear of spoilers but rest assured that you get to see all your favorite characters again (including blogosphere favorite Jack Dandy.)

Although I have been a bit disappointed not to focus entirely on Finley, who I think is so cool and who still has layers to demonstrate, it's tough to remain displeased when the focus shifts to the brainy and cool Emily. I love how she's always the smartest one in the room and is fully appreciated for her abilities. Of course we can't forget Griff who continues trying to carry the weight of the world on his own shoulders instead of sharing the burden with his friends. We can try to forget Sam who's never been my favorite character but who keeps working toward redeeming himself to me. And although Jack Dandy is also not very beloved by me, I found him quite charming in this book especially with his "accent." That needs to be explored more.

Two last notes are that this one seemed a little less romantic than the previous books...at least until the end. While we were a bit plagued by love triangles at the start, those have tapered off into the predictable couplings. The other note is that I initially thought this series was a trilogy and yet the ending seems to hint at a possible fourth book. Looking at the author's twitter, that seems to be in the works-thank goodness!

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A Conspiracy of Alchemists

A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwarz
3/5 stars
Del Rey, 2013
324 pages
Adult Steampunk

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I read the summary for this book, something about it made me think of Gail Carriger's Soulless books, the first one of which I enjoyed (haven't had a chance to try the others). But when I picked this one up to read, it just wasn't clicking for me. I had to make myself concentrate and give it a fair shake in order to be able to see its merits.

I will get to why I didn't love this in a second but first I really want to applaud the steampunk elements. I thought every bit was pretty fantastic. This was no halfhearted attempt to cash in on the steampunk frenzy; this was a carefully planned and written incorporation of some of the most interesting parts and it pays off. As I've been discovering, I really love the idea of steampunk and it's great to read it being done well.

On the less positive side, I just had trouble clicking with Ellie Chance, our main character here. She is very special and talented, which is only just starting to be unraveled in this first book. But she's also incredibly stubborn, including shutting out people who have information, no matter how vitally important it might be. There are several places when she ducks out of learning something that might have helped her to know. The other main character is Mr. Marsh and I really liked him. He's a Warlock and although his character is somewhat mysterious, I enjoyed the time we got to spending learning about him.

There are a few other characters but the story mainly rests on the two already mentioned, which surprised me. I expected a much larger cast to populate this bustling world and it made me try all the harder but ultimately unsuccessfully to fall for Ellie. Future books have a lot of room to play with and I hope that those who liked this first book will continue but I will not be.

Cover: Not that much of the book takes place in Paris although that is the opening scene. Actually a lot of the story takes place while traveling so a train or dirigible might have been more fitting.

ARC Review: Legacy of the Clockwork Key

Legacy of the Clockwork Key by Kristin Bailey
3/5 stars
Simon Pulse, 2013
403 pages
YA Historical
Scheduled to release March 5

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I don't remember exactly how I stumbled over this book but I remember perusing Goodreads and adding it to my to-read list and then hoping it would show up on Netgalley or Edelweiss; then it did and I prayed to be accepted. Let's just say there was some serious happy dancing when I received notification I could download this.

The plot summary just sounded so exciting: secret societies, mechanical inventions, cute stable boys named Will...what more could you ask for in a book? Well, unfortunately I did want something more although it's the kind of something that is difficult to put in words. Basically as I was reading this, I never felt connected to the characters, the setting, the plot, the overarching mythology. I flipped the pages in a daze, hoping for something to spark my interest but never found it.

The main character, Meg, is a very young recently orphaned teenager who has accepted employ as a maid before embarking on an investigation of a mysterious clockwork key in her possession that holds the answer to questions about her family. The stable boy Will reluctantly comes along and a romance blossoms. I mentioned that Meg is very young-I don't remember if her age is mentioned but she seemed really young and naive to me. I don't know if it's because I'm more used to reading savvy contemporary teenagers or if it was some other reason. Will is confusingly hot and cold to Meg, annoyingly hot and cold to me, which just about breaks my heart because if there's a book boy name that I love, it is Will.

There are some other characters and I'll admit that the plot picked up a bit once Meg and Will began their search but it was never full-throttle action or anything exciting like that. I found the writing competent and that there were some cool concepts (I'm thinking of the maze as well as all the inventions in general) but nothing extraordinary.

Overall: I was completely unable to form a bond with the main character and trudged through the book, mostly being too stubborn to DNF.

Other Opinions:
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The Friday Society

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
4.5/5 stars
Dial Books, 2012
437 pages
YA Historical Steampunk

Source: Library

I was so excited to see that my library had purchased this but I ended up mad at myself because I had the opportunity to buy a signed copy and missed out. I loved the sassy poses on the front and the tease of steampunk, a sub-genre I just adore. I also read some positive early reviews (see Jen Ryland's and Liviania from In Bed With Books)

The overwhelming impression I received from this book was one of fun! We have three distinct personalities comprising our heroic trio and they are serious about their work but not above having fun at the opportune moment. Each girl is introduced with an explosion that uniquely relates to her situation. Cora (in the center) is an assistant to Lord White, an inventor. She has been rescued from the streets and has proven to have a keen mind but she bristles when she discovers that Lord White has hired another (male) assistant. Nellie (the blonde on the left) is magician's assistant to the Great Raheem. She uses her beauty as a distraction for their magic while her agility aids in her contortions. Last to be introduced is Michiako (Japanese girl on the right) who studied to be a samurai but never took the final exam due to her master's belief that women could not be samurai. Instead she went to England and now serves as an assistant to a weapons instructor of low character. The girls meet by accident when the men they serve are all at the same function and they keep running into each other before having the brilliant idea of teaming up to solve a crisis, knowing their gender causes no impediment to their brains.

That crisis is of someone threatening to destroy London to the terror and bewilderment of most. A second more personal crisis is the mysterious deaths of poor flower girls throughout the city including an old friend of Cora's. Over the course of the book, the trio crack both cases and the scene is set for future adventures as they dub themselves the Friday Society.

As I said, I loved this book! I found it so much fun and I loved each of the main characters. Each is strong with her own personality and witty comments. The book is told in shifting third-person and every time it changed, I decided I liked that character the most-I could not make up my mind.  I also liked the supporting characters (including one I pegged as bad news) especially the suitor for Nellie who was so cute. There was a bit of romance but it is in no way overwhelming and it always takes a backseat to the more important work of the mysteries.  A main theme of the book is females facing prejudice against males, a particular favorite of mine, so that also certainly aided in my delight.

My one problem was that the book was maybe a bit on the long side? There's a lot of set-up before the big crisis of London being threatened. A few smaller incidents lead up to that as well as fleshing out the main characters but it seemed a bit much. I think it's just because it's the first book and we need to learn those things. I hope the second book (please please please let there be a second book) is more tightly paced.

Stormdancer

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
4/5 stars
Thomas Dunne Books, 2012
322 pages
Adult Steampunk Fantasy

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

This has been one of the most anticipated books of the fall, I would say, capturing the attention of the YA community from what I can see despite it being technically an adult novel. All of this buzz of course had me intrigued so I was pleased to receive a copy, hoping to add my voice to those praising it.

Unfortunately I did not immediately fall into the world. This was partly because I was sick when I started and my attention span was limited but also due to the writing style. The first chapter is set toward the end of the story and just drops us into it but then the next chapter goes to the beginning introducing a flurry of characters and the world-building. The setting reminded me of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin, where pollution has destroyed the earth and the air. The wealthy wear masks; the poor deal with kerchiefs and goggles to protect themselves from the filth.

But the plot is vastly different: basically the all-powerful emperor wants a griffin, an arashitora so that he can be a stormdancer like mythic emperors of yore. Problem is that they are presumed extinct due to that pollution that is destroying the earth. However his royal hunter dutifully sets off bringing along his companions including sixteen-year old daughter Yukiko who was introduced in that confusing first chapter. They do manage to find, capture and clip the wings of one during a storm but their ship goes down, stranding Yukiko with the griffin who she names Buruu and presumably leaving everyone else dead. Now the pair have to band together in order to survive.

That's the beginning but the book still has more plot to reveal, following fairly predictable paths. I wasn't super surprised by any of the twists the book took but I think the real strength is supposed to be in the world and characterization. Due to my struggling with the writing, I didn't get much of a sense of that in the first half. Fortunately as the book continues, the story moved into the forefront and the writing was less confusing. I especially ended up loving the emperor's sister Lady Aisha with her beauty and kindness.

There is also a very lackluster romantic love triangle. Yukiko lusts after one guy who was nothing special as far as I could see while a second languishes in the background.  I would have been okay for Yukiko to have no romance but to have such a disappointing one kind of wrecked that whole angle.

Overall: Confusing writing style slowed my entry into the world but compelling characters kept me going.

Cover: I love seeing the griffin and the reds although I wish Yukiko got to be wailing on someone instead of being poised to inflict massive violence.

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross
4.5/5 stars
HarlequinTeen, 2012
411 pages
YA Steampunk
Steampunk Chronicles #2

Source: Received an e-ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the first book The Girl in the Steel Corset and was super excited to pick up this second book, content in the knowledge that it would be a standalone book without a cliffhanger (I bet you could read this without having read the first although I don't recommend it), excited to have more character development, and intrigued to discover a steampunk America. Most of the steampunk books I've read have been set in London, which makes a journey to America standout.

We are quickly reunited with our main characters from the first book: Finley Jayne, a girl with incredible strength who is struggling to understand the two sides of her personality that almost turned her into another Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; Griffin, wealthy duke who feels a great responsibility to those in his crew; Emily, sweet redheaded genius; and Sam, part man, part machine. There is also one other character, Jasper, whose capture ended the first book. He is being taken to America to repay a debt to a powerful gangster who is keeping Jasper's old love Mei in a clockwork collar that could strangle her at any moment. Now that we have our characters reintroduced, what about the rest?

The America that is presented to us is exciting, offering glimpses of the elite of society as well as the rough and tumble dangerous areas of New York City. It's all together in one place, the city that never sleeps. One awesome side-character is Wildcat, a gang leader who has a past with Jasper and has amply earned her nickname. Another character was a society miss desperate for a title who confounds the group's plans several times. Then there is the gang leader who is holding Jasper and Mei captive. He is quite ruthless but very far-thinking once you discover what his ultimate end-game has been.

I did think this was better paced than the first book, which I thought could have used some more help with editing. But I did grow a little weary of Finley thinking the same things over and over again about her split personalities, strength, and feelings toward Griffin (also would have taken more romance between Finley and Griffin although what we got was delicious). The writing was just as good as the first book, very absorbing and good at keeping me engaged. Every time I finished a chapter, I told myself that I probably had time to read the next too and would keep going because I had to know what would happen next! I also felt that Emily (and Sam to an extent) were pushed off to the side to make room for Jasper and Mei. Since I adore Emily, that made me sad.

I remember feeling like love triangles were a big element of the first book and it was something I commented upon in my review. For this book, that definitely takes a backseat. Emily reciprocates Sam's affections although it is not much elaborated upon and with Jasper out of the way, there aren't really any obstacles for them. Meanwhile with the roguish Jack Dandy in London, Finley and Griff only continue to deepen their feelings for each other despite their social divide and his tendency to treat her as something fragile in need of protection. Finley is driven to prove her strength to Griffin, resulting in several reckless instances.

If I had to guess what would happen in the third book (assuming this is meant to be a trilogy), I would say that all of the powers of the ether will come to a head, perhaps with all being revealed to the world. Additionally Jack Dandy will probably insert himself between Finley and Griffin for more tension although I hope they can make it work.

Overall: Another delightful entry in the Steampunk Chronicles with more of the adventure, romance, and fun that could be expected!

Cover: I am so happy that we get to see another beautiful dress in a bright, eye-catching color. Wish we got to see the bottom! I am also happy that we have a Chinese cover model and not someone who was white-washed so bravo to HarlequinTeen for a step in the right direction!

The Nightmare Garden

The Nightmare Garden by Caitlin Kittredge
4/5 stars
Delacorte Press, 2012
417 pages
YA Steampunk Fantasy

Source: Purchased

The Iron Thorn was a surprise favorite from last year so I was very excited to pick this up. Unfortunately, due to poor planning, I had a huge stack of review books to get through first, meaning that this book has been staring at me for too long before I finally picked it up to read. Of course, it had also been about a year since I read the first one which mean that it took me a while to get back into the groove of the characters and the story.

While I remembered the uniquely named Aoife, I couldn't entirely remember the circumstances in which we last saw her. That made the beginning pages a struggle especially as I could not remember Conrad, who as Aoife's brother is actually an important character. Happily as the book progressed, most of the first book returned to me while Aoife's adventure in this book developed, giving her purpose and the book its own plot within the larger framework of the series.

That plot is Aoife's search to fix the damage caused by her opening the Gates in her world and specifically to find her mother who was lost in Lovecraft. To save her mother, Aoife would do almost anything, something I identified very strongly with. I would go to great lengths to protect my family and face the same things Aoife does.

However as the book progresses we focus almost entirely on Aoife. Understandably since she is the main character but sadly to me because I really liked Dean and Cal in the first book while they are almost entirely sidelined in this book. We also meet some new characters who do have bigger parts, most notably to me as Aoife's almost stepmother Valentina and the intriguing Rasputina, who gives Aoife a lift when she needs one.

Overall: I didn't like it quite as much as the first book but I wonder if that would be the case if I had saved them to read one right after the other. I bet that would have helped me to keep everything on track.

Cover: I don't think she looks quite human here; I guess her Fae side is being pulled out more but it looks really weird to me. I do really like the blues used though.

Prehistoric Clock

Prehistoric Clock by Robert Appleton
Carina Press, 2012
189 pages
Romance; Steampunk; Time Travel
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had read Appleton's previous novel The Mysterious Lady Law and was sufficiently entertained to want to check out this new story. I began the story confused as the characters burst onto the page with strong personalities and fully formed backgrounds. I was trying to figure out how everything went together in this alternative world as we jumped around three different perspectives: airship captain Verity Champlain who mourns the loss of her sister; Lord Garrett Embrey, whose father and uncle were executed as traitors and now finds himself on the chopping block; and Professor Cecil Reardon who is planning to travel back in time in order to be reunited with his deceased wife and son. I found it very jarring at first but soon all of those plus more converged on one spot and traveled back in time. Not the few years that Reardon had anticipated but back to prehistoric times with dinosaurs.  Needless to say this results in chaos as they scramble to return while battling an evil secret government agency.

Personally I'm not a big fan of the dinosaur ages so that was not a draw to me; it wasn't even something I thought about. Still it's not something featured often in books so the uniqueness did appeal to me. I was much more interested in the secret agency which is incredibly powerful and has a very hidden agenda that will presumably be unraveled in future books as this is a start to a series.

I am guessing that since we are at the beginning of series, that explains the lack of romance. I wanted much more in that regard and there is some sexual tension between Verity and Embrey but not as much as I would have liked. I am betting that more is to come though.

Overall: Interesting characters and a promising premise bode well for the future of this series!

Dearly, Departed

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Del Rey, 2011
471 pages
YA; Steampunk; Zombies
4/5 stars

Source: Received an ARC through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

I was captured by the striking cover of this book so I requested it from Amazon Vine. Then I realized it was a zombie book so I opened it hesitantly as I haven't liked the few zombie books I've tried. However this one blew me away! It's a unique mashup of steampunk elements, zombie convergences, mystery, romance, and amazing world building.

Setting: New Victoria in 2195, living in a society that has reverted back to their idea of gentility and culture as epitomized by Victorian society in order to deal with the rebuilding of society after mass chaos and death. While the surface seems mostly calm, there's a secret roiling beneath the surface that the government is trying hard to repress. That secret is the existence of zombies, humans brought back to life for a limited period of time even as their bodies continue to decay. I'm not sure the steampunk elements were fully utilized but the world that was described fully captured my attention.

Characters: This novel is told in five alternating perspectives, which was a little much for me; not sure if they were all necessary. I'm not going to share two of them because it might spoil you but I will describe three of them. First is Nora Dearly, who I felt was the main character. She is newly orphaned and ends up kidnapped by a squad of zombies. Among those zombies is Bram, about two years undead but still in possession of most of his dignity and brain. Their star-crossed love forms a subplot. While I loved them becoming friends and hanging out, I can't really support a relationship between someone living and someone dead (this is why I don't support vampire romances either).  This is especially heartbreaking because zombies only reanimate for a couple of years so the clock is ticking on them.

A third character is Nora's best friend Pam, who originally doesn't seem like much but demonstrates tremendous strength of character as the zombies get out of hand. I think she ended up being my favorite character especially because I couldn't get behind the love story. I loved how kick-ass Pam was and how she didn't crumble despite having many reasons to do so.

Plot: I really don't want to give too much away but I felt like the plot moved at a decent pace and a lot happens over the many pages of this book. Admittedly some probably could have been cut such as the two perspectives I didn't describe but I was mostly absorbed and enthralled by this unique book.

Overall: A great introduction to a promising new series; there's so much in this book that I didn't touch on in this review so all I can say is go read!

Goliath

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
2011
543 pages
YA; Historical; Steampunk
3.5/5 stars

Source: Received an e-ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.

Although I loved the previous books Leviathan and Behemoth, I was disappointed in this book as will be discussed later in the spoiler section because it's potentially a big spoiler. The things I did like were continued incorporation of real-life events but with a twist. The inventor Nikolai Tesla plays a big role in this book as do movie pictures, the Mexican Revolution, and American neutrality during this alternate history steampunk version of WWI. The stakes are getting higher for our intrepid heroes Alek and Dylan (really Deryn) Sharp.

They are still on the Leviathan but are attempting to prepare for their imminent farewells as Deryn continues in service to the British Army while Alek pursues the Austrian-Hungary throne and attempts to end the war.  There are many exciting adventures in and around the Leviathan as they travel from Istanbul to New York City with stops in Russia, Japan, California, and Mexico.  There are only a few new characters but some of those introduced in Behemoth resurface. Additionally many secrets are uncovered and Alek and Deryn's friendship is strained by some of those secrets.

Again for me the lovely illustrations were a highlight, helping me visualize the distinctive world created by Westerfeld.  As someone not interested in the action scenes, I did feel like there were a few too many featuring Deryn doing something daring aboard the Leviathan. But I just skimmed those and got on with the story. Unfortunately it was harder to skip the part I didn't like as it increasingly took up page space-see the spoiler below.

SPOILER:
I was so sad that Alek and Deryn fell for each other! I was really excited about a book where a guy and a girl were just really good friends without the romantic interest.  Additionally I guess I'm kind of a snob because I wanted Alek to marry a princess. Not that she'd necessarily understand him like Deryn does but I was so happy about a YA novel with opposite-sex best friends who weren't romantically involved that it crushed my spirits a bit to see that not-at-all-desired ending occur.
END SPOILER

Overall: Although I was not very pleased with the ending, I mostly enjoyed the ride and heartily recommend at least the first book to readers of YA, even if they don't read much historical.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross
HarlequinTeen, 2011
72 pages
YA; Steampunk
5/5 stars
Steampunk Chronicles #0.5

Source: Free Nookbook

I was so excited to see this prequel show up for free in Barnes & Noble's nookbook selection as I had already fallen for the gorgeous cover of The Girl in the Steel Corset.  My expectations were met and exceeded with a short story detailing some of the amazing powers of Finley Jayne as well as her investigative abilities.

Cross effectively tantalized me with the character of Finley as well as with the larger streampunk world.  It does not intrude except in the frightening person of Lord Vincent, fiance of Phoebe, whose mother hired Finley as a companion to protect against the suspicious Lord.  Gender issues are also introduced as Finley, Phoebe, and her mother are limited by Lord Vincent's desire for Phoebe's body and Phoebe's fathers debts.  The men make the decisions forcing Phoebe into an unwanted marriage but when it becomes too much, the women step up and take charge to effect a happy ending.

I enjoyed this and I think it would be worth a read for people who want to sample Cross's world without buying the full-length book as well as for people who loved the full-length book and can't wait for the second.

Check back later for my review of The Girl in the Steel Corset!