Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Monday, January 2, 2012
The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles #1) by Kady Cross
Release Date: May 14, 2011( Harlequin Teen)
Book challenge: First book read for the Get Steampunked! Challenge.
FTC: Purchased e-book for my shiny new Kindle Touch.*
Rating: 5 steamy purrs
Summary from Goodreads:
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one except the "thing" inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch...
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits. Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help-and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.
But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.
Review:
Let me get all of my fan-girlishness out of the way first. LOVE LOVE. I'm going to marry this book!
*phew*
The Girl in the Steel Corset marks my introduction into the world of Steampunk literature. I've read bits and pieces of other Steampunk books but never an entire novel. I'm glad that I started with The Girl in the Steel Corset, because I just fell in love with it.
I just adored Finely. She is one of the strongest and most kick butt female characters I have come across. I knew as soon I was introduced to Finely on the first page, that I was going to love her. The Girl in the Steel Corset literally starts with an ass kicking. I wish more books started this way! Finely isn't all about kicking butt in fact she spends most of the book fighting against her dark side. I thought that her internal conflict made Finely a three dimensional character. The other characters were also pretty darn awesome. They all had issues that made them feel all the more real. Two of my favorite secondary characters were Jack Dandy and Jasper. Jack Dandy is the sort of character we aren't supposed to like but we do anyway. I really hope to see a lot more of him in future novels. I also look forward to seeing more of Jasper. What girl doesn't love a sexy cowboy?
Speaking of sexy, there is a ton of sexual tension going on. I'm not really into romance novels, but I imagine that a lot of you will like it. I thought that it was handled well. The Girl in The Steel Corset never felt like a romance novel to me though. There is just enough to keep things interesting but not so much that I would start to roll my eyes.
I found the plot to quick paced and exciting. I thoroughly enjoyed running about with Finely and her pals while they tried to uncover the identity of The Machinist. I was sad to see the story end, but happy to find a book with a proper ending. I'm so tried of series books with cliffhanger endings and zero conflict resolution. In The Girl in the Steel Corset we actually get to see the characters solve a mystery, resolve some of their conflicts,and are given hints as what will happen in book 2.
The setting was also really cool. I love the idea of futuristic technology in 1897 England. The mechanical cat was so amazingly awesome! It is both a pet and weapon. I would give up all of my technology now just to have one of those.
Overall, The Girl in the Steel Corset was a fun, delightful, and action packed read. I would also recommend reading the prequel The Strange Case of Finely Jayne which is equally awesome.
*The Kindle Touch dictionary proved to be very useful for all of the old fashioned words, that I never heard of. Just hold down the word and like magic you get a definition. It was pretty cool but not as cool as that mechanical cat. I want one!
Posts
January 3, 2012 12:04 PM
You had me curious at "quick paced and exciting", but the fact that it doesn't have a cliffhanger ending has me sold. I love a good book with a resolution! I'll definitely be checking this one out,
January 6, 2012 8:53 AM
I love sexual tension in books and mechanical cats and no cliffhangers AND books that cause marriage proposals. I am so on board with The Girl In The Steel Corset, plus I want to try more steam punk.
Awesome review Sharon, I am sorry it took me forever to write this comment, ha ha.