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…Review:
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.
The Girl in the Steel Corset obviously possess a fabulous and eye-catching cover, but the storylines, characters, and writing contained inside are even more marvelous to say the least.
Finley Jayne has never been ordinary, especially in the last few years. However, after one disastrous new job, her other side comes out, the dangerous other side, and she knocks a man out in one intense punch. Deciding between running and leaving, she picks running, knowing that if she stays she will face a horrible, possibly deathly punishment and her secret, the one she has kept hidden for so long, will finally be released. However, something gets in the way, someone more accurately: Griffin King. Griffin King is different from all the other wealthy men she has met, because not only is he nice, sweet, and humble, but because he wants to help her gain control over her “dark” side. There is one condition, though: she must give him her full trust and he will give his to her. However, will Finley be able to do this? She has not trusted anyone in a long time… Nevertheless, there is a dangerous new criminal named The Machinist, one that may soon be after Finley and Griffin…
There is a ton of things I adored about this and one of the big things was the characters, of course. First, Kady Cross did a fantastic job of showing both Finley’s dark and good sides in a way that cased intrigue as well as development to occur. That’s not all, though, because I also really liked Finley. There was something so tough and strong about her character in the way she constantly pursued the truth and cure for her condition. I also enjoyed the addition of Griffin’s character. Not only because of the fact that he went out his way to help Finley but to help other “misfits” who had supernatural abilities as well. The other “misfits” Emily, the fiery red-haired girl, Sam, the mysterious and sulky tough guy, and Jasper, the sweet, fun loving American, were great additions, too.
To tell the truth, I have never read a steampunk novel before this, because I’ve always been afraid they wouldn’t be my thing, but this book blew that assumption out of the water for a variety of reasons. I loved the setting for one. 1890s England is always fascinating, and with Kady’s rich descriptions it was easy to perfectly picture it. Secondly, the premise in this was also great. I enjoyed the addition of supernatural abilities in the characters as well as the way the group banded together to find the Machinist. Talking about the Machinist, the mystery involving him was great as well, because it continued lots of suspense and intrigue to keep this book glued to my hands.
Thrilling, romantic, and unique, Kady Cross’s The Girl in the Steel Corset is well worth the read! However, word of warning: you will be dying to read the sequel once you’re done, as I am now.
Grade: A+
The Girl in the Steel Corset is now out!
Source: Author/Publisher- thanks Kady and HarlequinTeen!
To find out more about Kady and her books, be sure to visit her website. The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, the prequel novella to this book, is now out as well. Best of all, it will remain free until April 20, 2012!
Book Trailer:
This sounds fantastic. And that cover is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWow, so maybe I should wait untill the segual comes out. ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm next on the waiting list for this at my local library, can't wait to read it :) Gorge cover and excellent review :D
ReplyDeleteWow this sounds amazing! I didn't realize there was going to be a sequel- I'll definitely have to check this out!
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
I really enjoyed the powers of the characters; the way they explored their abilities and the explanation behind it were highly enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteThis was the first Steampunk novel I ever read, too. I loved it!
ReplyDelete