Julia Reviews Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

Title/Author: Heart of Steel by Meljean Brook

Publisher/Year Published: 2011 by Penguin

How I got this book: I bought it from Powells in Portland!

Why I read this book: Second book in the Iron Seas series

Rating: 4.5 stars

When I picked up this book, I was a bit hesitant to start reading it since I had read (and enjoyed) the first years ago. Would I enjoy the second as much as the first? Would I have forgotten too much to be able to get sucked into the world? Well, I should not have worried. Heart of Iron sucked me right back into the world and explained away all the things I had forgotten.

Heart of Steel is the second book in Meljean Brooks really popular Iron Seas series. It's a steampunk romance which is utterly ridiculous to try and explain out loud. Trust me I tried. I got a lot of, "Wait you are reading a book with a half naked warrior on the cover who is trying to go reclaim lost items from a war ravaged Europe for his bounty?" "Well Europe wasn't really ravaged by war as much decimated by it. It's now infested by zombies" It is truly the best. 

The plot is sort of amazing all spelled out. We have our hero, Archimedes Fox, who is on the run from some hit-men trying to earn enough adventuring and artifact reclaiming to pay off the price on his head. This had taken him in the last book across the path of Yasmeen, the pirate captain of the airship Lady Corsair, and well it didn't end well. Circumstances being what they are Yasmeen is off to find Archimedes' sister to tell him of his death when things start to get weird. And then who pops back up but Archimedes, alive and well, and looking for something of his that she has. Well things lead to other things (that I don't really want to get too much into) and they end up having to work together to achieve their goals and get their lives back on track. 

Oh man is this book fun. I love the leads! They play off each other so well! And neither of them loses the essence of what makes them good characters once they fall in love. That is so. rare. in a romance. Neither of them are apologetic for who they are and they just sort of learn to fit together. It's just a wonderful romance and a really fun adventure story involving zombies, mechanical steampunk fun, assassins, and all that jazz. 

The plot clips right along and I enjoyed every minute of it! This book is only loosely tied to the first so you can start here if you feel so inclined. You will miss one scene they reference but it's not too big of a thing. Honestly though this world is so fun, I would start with Iron Duke just because you get more time there. 

If you are new to steampunk and want something adventurous with a little bit of steamy romance, this is a great series to read, and book two did not disappoint! 

Daisy Reviews Rebel Mechanics by Shanna Swendson

Title/Author: Rebel Mechanics (Rebel Mechanics #1) by Shanna Swendson
Publisher/Date published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, July 14th 2015
How I got this book: received it from the publisher through NetGalley

Goodreads summary: "It’s 1888, and sixteen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family — but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister — but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family’s life. She soon realizes she’s uniquely positioned to advance the cause — but to do so, she’ll have to reveal her own dangerous secret."

So I haven't really gotten into the steampunk genre all that much, mostly just because the ones I did read didn't really work for me all that much. BUT I'd read the Enchanted Inc. series by Shanna Swendson and really enjoyed her writing, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give steampunk another try.

And guys, it was a good life decision! I love the combination of this alternate history US and the steampunk! I mean, what if the US never became independant because the magical British overlords remained in power? That is a question I had NEVER asked myself before, but it's really interesting to think and read about and I love that Shanna Swendson did come up with this question.

I really liked Verity, she's intelligent and while she isn't all that enthusiastic about getting involved with the Rebel Mechanics at first (it's a scary thing when you could lose your job and all the security you have through that), she does believe in the cause and I liked seeing how she slowly works out how she feels about all of it, complicated by the feelings she has for the people involved in it.
So I'm just gonna come out and say that there's a bit of a love triangle in Rebel Mechanics, and it didn't bother me in the slightest. I already knew that I enjoy Shanna Swendson's way of writing a romance and she really does it very well in Rebel Mechanics as well. Mostly I felt that while Verity develops feelings for two men, it never felt like the love triangles in paranormal romance that have irked me so in the past. There's a natural flow of things and no insta-love, but there is attraction that feels real. Also, I have a big preference for one of the guys, but that's just because I love gentleman pirates/Robin Hood type of characters and he's AWESOME.

As a bonus to this gentleman pirate, there are also the children that Verity is a governess to, and I just adore the little girl and the boy was great too in all his boyness. The eldest girl was a bit ditzy and elitist and I do appreciate her as a character, but she's not much my type of person.

Mostly, I just really enjoyed the worldbuilding and the characters and it's a high stakes kinda plot that I liked. I could definitely sympathize with Verity in the things she does and the restrictions society puts on her and how she is an awesome lady spy. So yeah, I'm very much recommending Rebel Mechanics and looking forward to the sequel!

My rating: 4,5 stars

Julia Reviews Evernight by Kristen Callihan

Title/Author: Evernight by Kristen Callihan
Publisher/Year Published: August 2014 by Forever
How I got this book: I was provided with a Netgalley book in return for an honest review
Why I read this book: I really love this series. 
Rating: 5 stars

The Darkest London series is one of my favorite series out there. It’s got everything: steampunk, romance, paranormal, an overarching plot, and characters that practically leap off the page and into my imagination. The latest book in this series, Evernight, is no exception.

Evernight picks up a year after the events of Shadowdance. Our lead characters, Holly Evernight and William Thorne, both had things happen to them in Shadowdance that effect their actions in the book greatly. So that said, I wouldn’t recommend jumping into this series with this book. And since I love this series so much and want people to read it without being spoiled, I am going to be vague about the particulars. So let's just take a peek at the characters.

First we have Holly, the intelligent inventor working with the supernatural agency in London. She creates some wickedly awesome inventions. We've seen her pop up in the series before, notably in the last book where she was forced to use her mechanical brain for evil. That whole ordeal has affected her and it carries over into this book in what I think is a realistic portal of how someone could react to traumatic events. She is very literal and speaks her mind without a second thought, a good a bad thing. She meets up with William Thorne when he tries to kill her.

Thorne is a demon known for their savoring of lust and life (and blood). He is the complete opposite of Holly: very devil-may-care, sarcastic and has worked for the enemy. They are stuck together because his heart is metal and causing an adverse reaction with the rest of his body. Holly can control metal and thus can help him keep things under control. She reluctantly pairs up with him so he can help figure out who is trying to kill her. It's a mutual trade that turns into something more.

They mix just as well as oil and water, and it is entirely believable and awesome. I love opposites attract stories. The plot is super interesting and expands on the story that is currently unfolding with this series. But like I said I don’t want to talk too much about that. Take it from me. If you are reading this series, the story just sucks you in and picks you up right where you left off with it.

One thing that I think Ms. Callihan does well is keeping her characters consistent. Frequently in series that I read, secondary characters become the heroes in their own stories. I've seen it happen so many times where a lovable secondary character that you are super excited is getting their own book, completely changes characterization when becoming the hero or heroine. It annoys the hell out of me. This series does not do this at all. Everything is consistent and I love it! The character's are still the ones you know and love (or hate) but you just get to see more of them and more of why they are the way they are. You don't backtrack on their characterization either. Things build. In my mind, this is what marks this as a great series. The characters just blossom in my mind.

One downside though is keeping track of the overall plot across books as well as of the supernaturals, their powers, who runs them, etc. It gets a little frustrating at times when I can’t remember something that I know I've read somewhere. It’d be nice if there was an online reference or something to just boost my memory.

Overall though, I really like this series, and Evernight is a wonderful continuation. It doesn't stand alone though so I would recommend starting at the beginning instead (or maybe at least reading Winterblaze and Shadowdance). The characters are wonderful, their chemistry is amazing and hot, and it’s a book that is easy to lose yourself in.

I've reviewed this whole series: Firelight, Moonglow, Winterblaze, and Shadowdance

Julia Reviews Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan

Title/Author: Shadowdance by Kristen Callihan
Publisher/Year Published: December 2013 by Forever
How I got this book: I bought the eBook when it was on sale a while ago
Why I read this book: This series is really fun and unique. Also Mary Chase and Jack Talent were awesome side characters in the last three books.
Rating: 4.5 stars

Here is the funny thing about series like this. The books come out so far apart that it is impossible for me to remember all of the details. So far, this hasn't been too much of a problem for me, but when I started reading this book, I knew I was forgetting some crucial facts. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Shadowdance is the fourth book in Callihan's Darkest London series. I actually have reviewed all three of the previous books Firelight, Moonglow and Winterblaze. This fourth book is the first that moves from the three main sisters on to some of the awesome secondary characters: Jack Talent, a boy turned man during the series who always had an air of mystery about him, and Mary Chase, and awesomely badass and strong woman who is a Ghost in the Machine or someone who has died but shortly their after blessed with life again with a golden mechanical heart. 

The first few books brought the supernatural elements in this steampunk series on slowly. There were always some, but we didn't get into the deep stuff until book three, Winterblaze. Those details were what I was forgetting when I started this. I was mixing this series up with Bec McMaster's London Steampunk series (also really good), and it was frustrating the hell out of me. 

You see, in the preface, I was wracking my brain trying to remember if I should know what was going on. Unfortunately I couldn't find a spoilery enough review of Winterblaze to kick-start my memory of what happened with Winston (I still can't remember to be honest). Eventually I just said screw it and kept reading. If I hadn't have been so impatient, I would have realized that Callihan did a good job of reminding the reader of details you needed to know when you needed to know them, but not to go into too much detail and recap the other books. 

The main plot deals with Jack and Mary, two people who have outward animosity but inward attraction, being forced to work together to solve a series of murders. They need to find the supernatural killer and bring him to justice. There is of course a twist to all this that happens pretty early on that makes the interactions have an interesting edge to them. 

Jack and Mary have some awesome heat and tension between the two of them, but once they finally admit their feelings it gets gooey lovey-dovey quickly. I have to admit that I missed the biting wit and sarcasm from when they were fighting all the time. Tey are still a cute couple and I am happy for them and all, it's just a personal preference to like the stories with passionate sparks flying between them.

In addition to the plot above we get the introduction of angel supernaturals, which is pretty cool. This world has all the supernaturals you can think of apparently. The rules are endless, which I guess is what frustrates me. It's hard keeping track of everything (especially when you are reading two similar series). Seriously. I need to start taking notes on what happens in books that I know are going to turn into long series. That is one great thing about Elizabeth Hoyt's Maiden Lane series... she has like a character guide and important tidbits on her website, a godsend for forgetful me. I'd love that for this series!

You don't see too much of the characters from the other books, which I was fine with, but we get a great setup for the next couple that I am excited to read about. 

Overall I was entertained. The story was enough to hold my interest in the series. It may not be my favorite as the couple lost a little of the bite I loved toward the end. But the series is still one of my favorites and one that I would highly recommend to steampunk paranormal romance lovers.

Julia Reviews My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

Title/Author: My Lady Quicksilver by Bec McMaster

Publisher/Year Published:  Oct 2013 by Sourcebooks Casablanca 

How I got this book: The Library! Ebook form!

Why I read this book: This series is my favorite steampunk romance series of the moment!
Rating: 4.5 stars

I am a sucker for a hero/villain romance. I didn't realize it til this book, but something about it just turns my engines in the right way. My Lady Quicksilver is a great example of a opposites attract story. 

My Lady Qucksilver is the third book in McMaster's London Steampunk series. Taking place near after the events from book two, Sir Jasper Lynch, leader of the Nighthawks (a policeish type force of blue bloods.. erm vampire like men) is searching the slums of London for Mercury, the leader of the humanist rebellion. After the events of the last book forced the humanists into the ruling party, the Echelon (made up of aforementioned blue bloods), into action the pressure is on for Lynch to find him... or actually her.

Mercury is Rosalind, a die-hard humanist in charge of raising an army to fight for the rights of humans in a world run by vampires. But unfortunately, after the events of the last book again, her brother is missing so all of that must take a sideline. Even more unfortunately (fortunately?) she has Lynch on her tail.

The first scene where they meet is each other is quite hot and awesome. It leads to a sort of misunderstood enemy thing that goes on for the rest of the book. The book has a lot of plot threads going on but they overlap each other nicely. I loved being in with the Nighthawks! I was getting a little bored of the slums after the first three books were told. This book really gave the series a fresh breath.

The leads play off each other well. Jasper with his dark side that he is always trying to control plays well off of Rosa's go get it nature. For her, the normality of a life out of the shadows is something that draws her to Jasper as well as the eye opening realities of what happens when we judge people without knowing them.

One negative thing that I will say through me out of the story for a moment was a trope that I've seen used a hell of a lot: the magic hooha. Sleeping with the heroine cures all ills. I literally rolled my eyes at that. If that sort of thing is your off button, then be forewarned. It wouldn't have bothered me as much if it were explained a little more what happened instead of just the power of the vajayjay, but as it was I had to extrapolate for myself what happened so as to apply it to a later scene.

Still, this one is probably my favorite of the four books. It's just a gripping story, interesting and unique to the world leads, sexy sexytimes and only one or two eye rolling tropes. I love this steampunk world and I can't wait to read more in it. If you as a lover of steampunk have not read this series yet, yeah get on that. If you just want to read this one, I'd say it's doable but some of the terms may only be sparsely explained and there are other plot threads from the past book referenced. Nothing that would spoil the other two if you read them out of order though. But yeah, I heart this one.

Note: I trimmed this down from a full SCORE review that I did over on my Booklikes blog. If you want to read a lot more details on the leads and their romance, check it out there.

Julia Reviews Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster

Title/Author: Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster
Publisher/Year Published: 2012 by Sourcebooks
How I got this book: I bought it for me Nook a while back when it was on sale
Why I read this book: I like Steampunk; I like romance. I like it more when they combine :)
Rating: 4.5 stars

Yay! A great read that I got for a great deal! 

Sorry I just had to get that out of the way.

I have a soft spot for Steampunk ever since I accidentally started reading it my senior year of college, so I was a bit predisposed to liking Kiss of Steel. But honestly, even if I was only a teensy bit interested in Steampunk, Kiss of Steel would have been a wow read.

Let's back up. Our heroine is Honoria, a displaced member of the middle class who had to go on the run with her two siblings into the slums of London after her father shows up dead. They live in a world where the Echelon rules. They are this worlds answer to the ton, or the elite upper class. This class also has a special nickname, blue bloods, for the blood rite select males take at 15 which turns them into not quite a vampire, but someone on it's way. 

Our hero, Blade, is a member of the lower class gutter who was taken by one of those blue bloods and "gifted" this rite. By rights he should have been killed as a rogue but lives as sort of like the king of the slums, protecting those whom ask for it as long as he gets something in return.

That is how he meets Honoria. He brings her into his home and is instantly taken with her. She offers to pay for his protection with speech lessons to make him sound more aristocratic and less cockney. But there is a vampire (a blue blood who has lost control and thus gone over the edge) on the loose and somehow keeps throwing Honoria and Blade together and intertwines them in a ton of unexpected ways.

Seriously what I just described is probably about the first chapter. This plot was gripping! The problem in the beginning though was trying to organically introduce us to this worlds and it's rules. She did an okay job, but I was scratching my head for a while. But once I got the hang of it, the story took over.

The characters I really enjoyed. Not only are the main couple three dimensional, they have intense chemistry between them. The heat level in this gets intense at times, though I am sure if that is not your cup of tea, skimming over them would be possible without missing major plots.

The secondary characters are also pretty amazing. I look forward to reading more about them in future novels.

The problem and why this book didn't rate 5 stars on Goodreads for me was the ending. It was rather abrupt and a bit too convenient. It almost entered a completely different story for a bit, but it was still engaging and it didn't dampen my overall enjoyment. I think toward the end the "power of love" started to change the essence of the characters a bit (especially in regards to Honoria). But like I said, it didn't dampen my enjoyment.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like Steampunk and/or paranormal romance. It's a great mix of both!

Julia Reviews Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

Title/Author: Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan
Publisher/Year Published: February 26th 2013 by Forever Romance
How I got this book: NetGalley in exchange for a fair review
Why I read this book: The third book in a super refreshing paranormal steampunk romance.
Rating: 5 stars

Winterblaze in the third book in The Darkest London series, and I would say is the one takes us the most into the paranormal. Firelight (review) started by gradually introducing us to this mix of paranormal and steampunk Victorian London and introducing us to the Ellis sisters. Moonglow (review) ramped up the paranormal showing us werewolves and GIMs (Ghosts in the Machine… my favorite phrase ever). With Winterblaze we get introduced to even darker sides of this dark London.

Before I even continue, if you have not read the first two books, I don’t think Winterblaze is the place to start. For instance, the conflict that sets up the feelings for the main couple in this book happened in Moonglow. Callihan does a decent job of recapping without seeming to recap, but obviously reading the book would be the best reminder. Besides it is an excellent book.

Let’s look at Winterblaze. 

The Story
Winterblaze follows the eldest Ellis sister, Poppy. Poppy has been married to Winston Lane for the series thus far, but being attacked by a werewolf and realizing Poppy has been lying to him about her involvement in the supernatural world causes Winston to leave her, his trust shattered. 

The story jumps in right there and just starts off running. Poppy receives a postcard from an old nemesis threatening Winston’s life. So she runs to his side, which happens to be on a ship that I kept picturing as the Titanic for some reason. There we meet Mr. Jones, the demon threatening both Poppy and Winston. There is a revelation that I really don’t want to give away that happens rather soon on that forces Poppy and Winston to get over themselves and join together to solve a mystery.

The story focuses on that mystery as well as Poppy and Winston. Both have to heal from the betrayal of trust they felt. They need to try to learn to be a couple again, each knowing the complete truth. The mystery I thought was pretty good. I figured out one of the twists rather early, but was blindsided by a few others, as seems to be the pattern in Callihan’s books.

The Characters
Winston and Poppy were awesome characters. I think my favorite thing about them is that they did not change from what we already knew and had seen about them in previous books. One of my biggest pet peeves is when secondary characters I have come to adore get their own book and their personality or conflict completely changes from the way I had already built them in my mind. This book is the farthest from that.

Both of our leads are hurt and trying to heal themselves as well as their relationship, all while trying to deal with the mystery that needs to solved. They did not let me down, though sometimes I felt that we spent too much time in their heads, but I didn’t think that enough to have it really affect my enjoyment.

We get to see our past couples for a bit in this, but the main secondary characters are Mary the GIM and Jack Talent the shifter. They are quite a pair of characters and any time they interact you can just feel the sparks! Speaking of sparks…

The Romance
The romance was my favorite part of this. It is completely different than most romance novels because we are not seeing their beginning but somewhere in the middle of their relationship. There are a few flashbacks that show us how they met and all that, but the majority of time is spent with them here in the now and trying to overcome their trust issues. I love the interactions between Poppy and Win. It felt so realistic, like they were old friends going through a problem. I just want to reach in and give them both a big hug. 

The sex scenes were pretty awesome and fit well with how our characters were acting. And yay! Loved the sexual tension build up! It just makes the payoff so much better!

The Execution
As I mentioned, this book could not be a standalone nor would I recommend anyone to read it as one. It is written for the series and meant to be read that way. At first the beginning was really overwhelming. There wasn’t a lot of time to reacclimate me to the ways of this world. It had been a while since I read Moonglow, and my initial enjoyment was lessened because of it. 

I was jarred by the first flashback as well and thought initially that they would get really distracting, but I actually ended up thinking Callihan did an excellent job of fitting them into the story not only when they made sense but when they mirrored some sort of theme that was happening in the present. And I liked that near the end there is a call back to the flashbacks that was very smart. 

The Overview 
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and devoured in a few sittings. Callihan is one of my new favorite authors. A definite autobuy. Poppy and Win’s story was heartbreaking and romantic. The novel does not deal in the same time in a relationship that most romance novels do and I think this fact makes it all the stronger. The beginning was a bit confusing, but as soon as I found my footing I was immersed in the world. If you are even the least bit interested in paranormal steampunk, pick this series up. Callihan has created a super inventive world full of amazing new things to explore and discover. I can’t wait to see where she leads us next!

This book was provided for me free for an honest review from NetGalley.

Julia Reviews The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent

Title/Author: The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent
Publisher/Year Published:  August 2012 by Simon & Schuster BFYR
How I got this book: The Library
Why I read this book: You can read my whole first impressions at my View from Page 30 post
Rating: 3 stars

Summary via Goodreads

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two teens find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but as she gets older, the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

Avid readers of the blog, or people who read the headers of the posts, know that I profiled this book a few weeks ago. I stopped reading at page 30ish and gave my first impressions. Were my first impressions right? Not really. My summary from that post is even off compared to the story.

I did finish it, and it wasn't too bad. Unfortunately it wasn't too brilliant either and suffered from a few problems. The thing is they were not huge problems; it was a bunch of little problems that added up and just bothered me.

First of all some praise. YAY! No love triangles *dances*!! And YAY! A standalone book!  Damn it, I checked the authors website and that is no longer true. Of course there is a sequel.

Anyway, what I liked was the story. I liked the world. I thought it was super imaginative and really neat. Unfortunately, I didn't really have a chance to experience it. You see, the plot flew by faster than a speeding bullet. I mean there was really no downtime to the action. something was always happening. And because of that I never really got to know the characters outside of when the action was taking place. So this fast plot shallowed my connection to the characters. It seemed like the plot was driving the characters instead of the other way around.

This made me a little sad because all of these characters have potential. We just didn't get enough time with them.

One thing that I think helped with this disconnection was the switching POVs. Not only did we constantly switch between Syrus and Vespa, but we switched from first person present to third person past. It really bothered me and jarred me out of the story on more than one occasion.

I guess the good thing about the second book is that Ms Trent may have more time to develop this really cool world to get us to better understand it and also the characters within.

The other thing I really did like was the subtle nod to the Chinese culture. I'd love to see that expanded in future books, since they are going to exist. But overall, if you like steampunk and/or need a break from the normal YA fare, I would recommend you read this. But go into it with a grain of salt.

View from Page Thirty: The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent

There are times when a book starts off slow and takes a mad dash for amazing. There are times when a book is awesome right out of the gate but can't quite make the course. Then there is the solid stinkers and the solid gold. Each book is different.

I have a rule with books: If I am not interested by page thirty, I don't have to go on. But every book (except in some rare cases) gets that thirty page treatment.

With A View From Page Thirty, I am going to try and give you a point of view that you don't often get with reviews, and that's from the 'Getting to know you' phase. A first date and first impression if you will. Let's see how it goes, shall we?

The Book: The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent
Release Date: August 14, 2012 
Publisher: Simon and Schuster BFYR
Genres: YA Steampunk (and I am not going to rule out romance)

The View from Page Thirty:
Warning. There will be spoilers from the first two chapters. I doubt this is much different from what one may get in a description, but ye' be warned.

Chapter one really starts off with a bang of an opener:

The Sphinx stares at me from her plinth. I edge closer, daring her to open her mouth and enspell me with her riddles. She crouches, eyes a-glitter, teeth gleaming through parted lips.

But she never moves.

She can't, trapped as she is by the paralytic field that holds her suspended.

We find out soon enough that we are in a museum featuring the magical and our narrator is sixteen year-old female protagonist, Vespa Nyx (Really. that's her name). We get introduce to the rules of this world through some clever weaving in of backstory. We find out that in this world magic and fate are all unacceptable and they revere Sts. Darwin and Newton.

But while we are learning all these things, Vespa is pushed into letting the Sphinx out. Luckily a Pedant, whom I gather are like scientific clergy, shows up to save her and retrap the Sphinx. We meet this Pedant and her father, the museums director and are moved into the next scene... a new chapter.

Chapter two completely switches gears. We are now following a different narrator, Syrus Reed, who likes to tell his story in the third person past... anyway we meet Syrus and his family. He is part of a ragtag band of magical people that is constantly growing as city-dwelling magic haters leave their magical-like babies outside the gates (!). Magic is illegal in the city.

These people are called Tinkers and live by the old ways.  Magic is sacred, Syrus' musings tell us, and with the widespread fear or it, the world is losing those talents. He talks with his Granny a bit, which I liked a lot because you can see how close they are and he also addresses her by Nainai, which is Mandarin for Grandma. Why does this excite me? Because it reminds me of Firefly the TV series. And the last book that did that was Across the Universe, which I also really enjoyed.

Anyway, we are taken for most of this chapter into the land of backstory. Really what happens Syrus sings to a new baby, talks with his Granny, and walks down the road to find something (I don't know what yet. That's how the chapter ended). He also muses. Do I have an issue with that? Nope. I like the way so far at least, the musing on the history is pretty balanced with actual actions.

What I am Loving:
So far I am in love with this world and really want to know why the City doesn't like magic, what is going on with the Waste, what Chinese culture has to do with anything? The questions I am asking really make me want to keep reading.

What I am Unsure Of:
I hate flipping narrators to an extent that it completely stops the current action. Worse, I am flipping POV. Vespa is narrated in first person present (not my most favorite) and Syrus is in third past. The funny thing is, I liked the first person narration more than the third, which is totally not my normal style. I didn't notice the present until I started typing the earlier quote. Maybe I'll be surprised and there is a reason for this jarring POV switching, only time will tell!

Final Verdict: I am totally going to keep reading!

FYI: These two chapters are only 20 pages, but I know I am going to keep reading and thirty pages is more of a state of mind anyway :)

Daisy's Review of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Title/Author: Masque of the Red Death (Masque of the Red Death #1) by Bethany Griffin
Publisher/Date published: Greenwillow Books, April 24th 2012
How I got this book: received it from the publisher as an egalley

Goodreads summary: "Everything is in ruins.
A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.
So what does Araby Worth have to live for?
Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up... and tantalizing ways to forget it all.
But in the depths of the club — in the depths of her own despair — Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.
And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for — no matter what it costs her."

I think this is the first steampunk novel I have ever loved. I have enjoyed The Girl in the Steel Corset very much, but I LOVED Masque of the Red Death! I knew it wasn't time to give up on the genre yet! Also, I had heard really good things about this and it was number one on my TTT Spring TBR List, so I'm very happy I liked it so much! And I can't stop staring at that pretty cover...

Masque of the Red Death is dark and wonderful and it sweeps you up and drops you down 320 pages later. It's incredible and I was definitely not amused when it was time to cook dinner and I had to put it aside for a while. I absolutely adored that nothing was black and white and if I'd been Araby I would have been floundering around figuring out who to trust and what to do.

And you guys, there's a love triangle and I didn't hate it! There, I said it. In my opinion it was really well done and I found myself rooting for one guy, then the other and back again... It was an emotional rollercoaster and even though it seems like she's making a choice at the end of Masque of the Red Death, I'm curious to see what will actually happen and who will hold her heart in the end.

I really loved Araby, she's a complicated girl and very flawed, as are all the other characters (LOVED that) and my heart broke for her grief over her brother's death and the vow she made him. I loved Will (though he may have broken my heart just a little) and Elliott and Araby's family and Will's little brother and sister (SO CUTE) and April, Araby's best friend! It always gives me a happy when I can love not only the main characters, but several of the others as well!

I must admit that I've never read any of Edgar Allen Poe's work, but I'm curious to check it out after reading this book! I love when a book makes me want to read other books and it's not just the sequel!

Also, the song 'We Are Young' by Fun ft. Janelle Monae reminds me of this novel SO MUCH it's scary. I love that song!



What do you think? Yes? No?

There's some crazy going around and evil leaders and lots and lots of people dying. The last couple of chapters had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what would happen and how Bethany Griffin would tie this one up! I'm glad to say it didn't feel like a cliffhanger, but it did leave me wanting the next book ASAP. I loved that we already got some answers and I'm hoping the sequel will tell me everything else I want to know, cause this world is endlessly fascinating!

It was fabulous and dark and twisty and I just want more! What are you all waiting for? It's out now, go read it/order it!

My rating: 5 stars

Jessi Reviews Soulless by Gail Carriger

Title/Author: Soulless by Gail Carriger
Publisher/Year: Orbit, 2009
Where I got it: It was the first book I downloaded onto my Nook :) 
Why I read it: It's been on my TBR list for a while, and I've heard great things about it 


Synopsis: Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. 

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire—and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. 

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart? 

SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Review: LORD MACCON--how I love thee, let me count the ways!

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I will say that if this book is any indication of how my 2012 reading years is going to be--I'm going to have an awesome year.

There were so many things I loved about this book. First of all, Gail Carriger builds a phenomenally well-thought out supernatural world that parallels Victorian England. She really covers all her bases. This supernatural world has rules and structure--it puts other vampire/werewolf stories to shame. *ahem*

Her writing itself was a lot of fun to read, as well. Imagine Jane Austen with a bit of a modern twist. Gail's writing took a good story and gave it substance. This is, by no means, a serious book, but at no point did I feel like I was reading fluff. She really blended genres well, too. There was a little bit of everything here: historical fantasy, paranormal, steampunk, horror, suspense, romance. This being my first foray into the steampunk genre, I was pleasantly surprised, and I'll definitely be looking for more from the genre.

As if all that weren't enough, Soulless has an unforgettable cast of characters. Alexia, of course, is totally kickbutt. She is a beacon of Victorian propriety and decorum, but she is also completely independent and definitely not afraid to speak her mind. I loved that she would rather be alone and be considered a spinster than settle for someone with half her wit or someone who wouldn't view her as an equal. Lord Akeldama was another favorite character of mine--freakin' fabulous. Gotta give some props to Professor Lyall. I loved that at times it was like he was the only character acting with a level head. And Lord Maccon? Do I even need to go there? Totally hot. Totally Scottish. And totally perfect for Alexia. (And me, but that's besides the point). I'm telling you, I could see the steam rising from some of those pages! It probably didn't help that I was picturing him as  Jamie Dornan, aka Sheriff Graham from Once Upon a Time. Gail Carriger even does her villians well. I hated them all with a deep burning hatred, when it was Alexia's mom or the mysterious shadow man or the creepy wax man. That's when you know you have a good author on your hands.

If you want a book that will make you laugh, make you cry, tug on your heartstrings or make you fan yourself from all the steam, you will find it here in Gail Carriger's Soulless. I can't wait to start Changeless! 

Paula Reviews Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Where I got it: B&N – graduation gift card yesss!

The whole time I was reading this, I wanted to like it more than I actually did. It has so many elements of a book that I should love. Steampunk – check; Strong heroine – check; Alternate history – check. But for some reason I was not able to get into it.
The premise of the book is pretty simple. World War I is starting but instead of the Axis and Allied powers it’s a war between Clankers and Beasties. There is a main character from each side, Alek is the son of the archduke and is on the run from the Germans who are trying to finish off the family. Deryn/Dylan is a Scottish girl who is pretending to be a boy in order to serve in the army. One day after she signs up she finds her way on to the airship Leviathan (IT’S A GIANT FLOATING WHALE HOW COOL IS THAT?). Eventually these two characters are thrown together and have to face an attack together, all while they don’t really trust each other. Man, I should love this book. Sigh.

Things I enjoyed: The Beasties - I have to hand it to Westerfeld. He came up with some neat fabricated animals. Giant helium filled Jellyfish called Huxleys (I will take a Huxley reference wherever I can get it), talking lizard messengers, and of course the Leviathan Airship. These were probably the coolest part of the book. Additionally there were pretty illustrations, so you could see what Westerfeld wanted them to look like.

The Alternate history/Steampunk aspect – I saw some reviews of this that complained about how closely he stuck to actual WWI events. They thought that since it was alternate history, WWI should be completely different. I disagree with that. The fact that he stuck closely to the alliances and the reasons that The Great War got started was fascinating to me (the assassination of the archduke). And it showed that he knows his history. All he changed was the reasons why the war was started, which allowed him to explore the Clankers v. Beasties

Things I didn’t enjoy: Deryn’s secret – The writing behind it was so forced. Ok, we get that Deryn is pretending to be a boy because girls weren’t allowed to serve during WWI. It did not need to be highlighted almost every single page that she was worried she would be found out. There were some painful sentences that were basically “Golly gee I hope they don’t find out that I’m not a boy.” It wasn’t long before I started rolling my eyes.

The Ending - I think Westerfeld was going for a cliffhanger. It felt more like he ran out of pages or got bored and wanted to be onto the next book. It left no worry in me for the characters, or no feeling of augh I must get the next book. It was more of a well geez that’s over now. It was pretty disappointing.

Overall thoughts? I enjoyed it. However, since I have been wanting to read this book for years I was disappointed in how little I enjoyed it. I thought I was going to be head over heels for this book. Will I read the next one? Probably. But I’ll borrow it instead of buying it.

Rating: 3 stars