A Lady of Spirit - Shelley Adina

A Lady of Spirit: A steampunk adventure novel by Shelley Adina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another installment that's missing the energy of the initial series with Claire as the main character. I honestly wish we just had more of Claire's adventures instead of jumping to Lizzie and Maggie. The portions that show her point of view are still my favorites, and there aren't enough of them.

There was so much setup to this one, much more to do with Maggie trying to fit into her determined place in society than anything else. With a couple of grandparents refusing to acknowledge her because she wasn't legitimate, this was a drag. There was also a distinct lack of adventure or steampunk until at least 60%. (Reference title.) Not cool. Luckily it did kick in, though, and when it did, it was fun, reminding me of why I am reading the series in the first place. It was enough to salvage a 3 star rating. Now if only it had started out that way.

A Lady of Resources - Shelley Adina

A Lady of Resources by Shelley Adina
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked A Lady of Resources, but I struggled a bit with Claire not being the main character anymore. Sure, I liked the Mopsies as side characters, but it was a lot different with them being center stage. Even though they had potential to be interesting as former thieves, they really weren't. Lizzie, the main POV in this one, was too focused on wanting to pretend to be a lady to allow time for antics. She was also kind of a brat. I think by the end I warmed up to the change, and to Lizzie, but it's a much more reluctant feeling than with the original story arc, which I simply inhaled.

Due to the passing of time and shift in POV, there was a lot of time spent on re-setting the stage. I found it a bit slow (again, unlike the original books). There was also less Steampunk engineering and less adventure, and I missed both. But since the action picked up towards the end, now I do find myself wanting to read the sequel. I'm hopeful that it will keep the pace now that we've been reintroduced to the characters.

So, I liked it well enough. It was a fast read, at least mildly entertaining most of the time. I'm just not as entranced as I was with the original series.

Boneshaker - Cherie Priest

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Boneshaker is very different from other Steampunk books that I've read (and enjoyed). I think it's considered Steampunk because there are airships (not enough, though!) and a few machines that could be considered in the historical Sci Fi realm. Other than that, it does not have any of the characteristics that I look forward to in Steampunk. No adventure. No cool gadgets or scientific experiments (the breathing masks just don't count).

And there's far too much grit and gore. I've never really been interested in zombies. They make a boring enemy, in my mind. This book only confirmed that. Far too much of it is spent running from 'rotters' or shooting them. When I realized it was a zombie book, I knew I was in for a challenge.

This is an apocalyptic dystopia set in the past with some barely recognizable Steampunk elements. It's the bleakest dystopia I've read so far, one where people can't even breathe the air. Most of the time not spent running from rotters is spent trying to breathe through masks that filter out the yellow sludge that turns people into rotters. Let's just say this is not a pleasant place to be. And let's say that unpleasant things happen when people are unable to take their masks off for any reason. Too much time is spent on every little detail of how hard it is to get by there, on details I'd really like to get out of my head somehow.

I could have used more focus on the people and their interactions, because that's when it started to get more interesting (in the last quarter of the book).

I'm actually not sure why I'm giving this a second star. Maybe because I managed to finish it and was actually ok with the ending? Or maybe I liked a couple of the characters (not the main ones), even though I didn't get enough of them. But I really didn't enjoy the experience of reading it much at all and I'm glad it's over.

The Iron Wyrm Affair - Lilith Saintcrow

The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I did not like the writing style of this at all. It was choppy and jumped all over the place. The changing POVs were confusing because I couldn't always tell at first that they had changed, and the world-building was basically non-existent. I feel like I missed an entire book that actually explained the world, the magic, and all the terms that were randomly thrown at me throughout.

There were many scenes that I had to go back and re-read because I realized that I had no idea what I had just read. They were garbled and confused, and re-reading didn't always help. That's when I started to skim. I skimmed until I found explanations and scenes that I could actually understand. And I skimmed until I had enough of a sense of the story that I was half-way interested in what was going to happen, and then I managed to care enough to finish the book (while still skimming the confusing parts!).

The thing is, I think there's a good story in there somewhere. I had to dig really hard to find it, and it was obscured by choppy and chaotic scenes. But it was enough in the end for me to give this two stars instead of one, if only because I'm a sucker for historical fantasy / steampunk settings like this.

Review: Magnificent Devices

Magnificent Devices by Shelley Adina

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Another great adventure, this time with a lot of airship time and a change of scenery to an alternate Old West. A supposedly simple trip to Canada went wrong in every possible way. What a ride!

The only thing is, I'm not sure what I think of the Texican Territories as the setting in this one. I think I ended up liking it OK, but I did miss London. And then the ending seemed a little too easy - dramatic, yes, but I would have liked to see Claire mastermind her way out of yet another impossible bind instead of it just happening to her.



View all my reviews

Review: Lady of Devices

Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Lady of Devices is the first pure Steampunk I've ventured into. I've read some that were also historical fantasy or paranormal, but I was afraid I wouldn't like the scientific aspects of steam and gadgets on their own quite as much. But I'm really loving this series. It's a lot of fun, and the technology isn't dry at all. You mainly just have to be willing to suspend disbelief about this alternate Victorian world because Claire's escapades are so outlandish. She's a fantastic heroine, full of spunk and ingenuity, and unconventional ways out of complete disaster. I'm already half way through book three, I'm having such a blast reading these.



View all my reviews

Review: Magic Under Glass

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An automaton that plays the piano, fairies, sorcerers and necromancers, and a 'trouser girl' who sings on the stage. Add a Jane Eyre style mysterious madwoman haunting the third floor of the manor, and you have a vaguely gothic steampunk historical fantasy with a dash of sweet romance. Quite an interesting combination.

Some aspects were less developed than I would have liked, leaving me feeling detached from it all. The world-building, the characters, and how their relationships developed were all a bit weak. I find myself not really caring whether I read the second book or not (this is a completed duology). I might feel like it at some point.

View all my reviews

Review: A Study in Ashes

A Study in Ashes by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



The Baskerville Affair Trilogy was one of my reading highlights in 2013. I discovered it through NetGalley, and was lucky to receive all three books as arcs. I would have gladly paid for them, and will end up buying my own copies so I can re-read at some point and support the author. But without the arcs, I would have had to wait much longer to finish the series (3 months!). I couldn't wait even that long. I love that the three books were released so close together so that I didn't forget why I cared while waiting for the sequels. A Study in Ashes will be released on December 31, 2013 and I've been saving up my full review for the release.

The series is probably not for everyone, but for me it had the perfect blend of genres and elements that I can't resist - a Victorian historical setting, fantasy, mystery, politics, and a romance that doesn't overwhelm the plot. I didn't really have an opinion on Steampunk before reading this trilogy, but I enjoyed the mix of Steam and Magic in this world as well.

Although the middle book was actually a bit too dark for my tastes, A Study in Ashes rises out of that darkness. There's a better balance of despair and hope, and it moves a lot quicker. It doesn't all take place in one small area, and while the characters are on the move, they are also with each other much more than in the previous book.

So much happened in this book that it felt like it ended up in a completely different world, one that is detailed and complex and full of promise. It never got bogged down or slowed. I was completely satisfied with how it all wrapped up. A Study of Ashes was a wonderful read far surpassing the potential I saw at the beginning of the trilogy.

Action abounds in A Study of Ashes. It's not really in the historical mystery category anymore, even with the references to the Hound of Baskerville and cameo appearances by Sherlock Holmes. It has solidly moved into historical fantasy / steampunk adventure, with rebellion, an entire social order collapsing, and magic either clashing or combining with Steam. Yet with all this social upheaval, every character has their moment and their own personal struggle or challenge so that it never feels too big or remote. There are lots of threads, but each is given the right amount of attention.

I love a story that's complex enough for the multiple threads to combine seamlessly into a unified whole. This ranks in that category easily. I was happy with every bit of it (how often can you say that?). It looks like there's room for more to be written in this world although this is definitely an ending to the Baskerville Affair. I'll be snatching it up when that happens.

**Received free arc for review

-------------------------------------------

Oct 30, 2013:

Fresh from finishing, I can't think of anything I would change about this book. Full review to come once it's soaked in for a while.



View all my reviews

Review: A Study in Darkness

A Study in Darkness by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



True to its title, A Study in Darkness is much darker than the first book, A Study in Silks. Moving from the comfortable home and vibrant social sphere where we met Evelina Cooper, we now return with her to the desperate part of London where survival is almost impossible and a string of murders is taking place (yes, it's a new take on Jack the Ripper). The cast is scattered, each one dealing with problems resulting from the scandalous events of the Season largely in isolation from one another. It's a bleak outlook.

One thing I enjoy about this series is that there are so many villains - and I'm not always sure who is really a villain and who is just misguided or coming at the world from a different point of view. It keeps me guessing. However, there is an awful lot of the villains having the upper hand in this book, with few victories. That's why I enjoyed it much less than the first, simply because it was all dark and desperate. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I don't like to read books that are dark and depressing, so it shouldn't be surprising that I was glad to finish this one. I really didn't feel the length of the first novel, but these 475 pages began to drag. I just hope that the title of the third book, A Study in Ashes, isn't an indication of another 450 pages of completely depressing material to come.

As far as the various mysteries go, there are never really any clues that help you along. I wanted to be solving something, but instead the characters were stuck without information, hopeless and at the end of their ropes, and so was I. Sherlock Holmes makes more than a cameo appearance but he is also unable to solve anything. I'm not sure how his involvement will go over with true Holmes fans, since I haven't read any of the originals and can't judge how consistent he is with the original character. But be warned that he takes on a larger role than he did in the first novel and you could love it or hate it.

Since the ending is a cliffhanger, and all is poised for disaster, I'm glad the last book is already due out and I do have the galley in hand to read. I just need a break before plunging into whatever comes next.


**Received free arc for review.



View all my reviews

Review: A Study in Silks

A Study in Silks by Emma Jane Holloway

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



A Study in Silks is still lingering in my mind. It ended up having depths to it that I really didn't expect from a historical mystery/romance. Often even when I enjoy a book, it's easy to move right on to the next one, but this is making me pause for a moment to absorb it all. I'm so thankful that I don't have to wait a year for the next two books, since they are all being released this year.

It's an intriguing mix of my favorite genres and this time I feel the mix worked really well. It has historical mystery, romance, and fantasy all mixed with Steampunk - a genre I'm beginning to explore.

The mystery is only a part of the whole, and isn't in the typical mystery style. Answers are revealed to the reader when the viewpoint shifts instead of when the heroine, Evelina, discovers them (and there are multiple viewpoints). At first I wasn't sure how I liked knowing more than Evelina, but it ended up having complexities that took me by surprise, avoiding easy answers and pat endings.

I should mention now that this is a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and Evelina is the niece of Holmes. Enter murder in the respectable home where Evelina is a guest, and the underbelly of Victorian London takes on a new aspect. I'm not sure how well the Sherlock portion is done since I'm not an Arthur Conan Doyle aficionado. Without having a real frame of reference for the legend, I can't judge. But I can say this was a great story and his part was only a sliver of the whole.

The Fantasy and Steampunk version of London is very well done. I felt like it all fit together very well. Magic is pitted against Steam, and Steam against traditional political power. This is a dangerous mix in a city choked by the monopoly of Steam Barons, with Evelina caught in the thick of it, in danger of her own magic being exposed at every turn. Solving the murder could unravel everything. This makes for a much more dangerous London than we normally get.

With all the investigative drama and danger going on, Evelina is still a young lady in her first London season. She is a heroine who doesn't quite fit the social scene, having grown up in a circus and possessing outlawed magic. I was sure the romance was going to be typical 'regency' style courtship and manners (which was part of it), and it seemed ready to develop into a typical love-triangle debacle as well. But I was pleasantly surprised that even the romance didn't turn out as shallow as I feared. I'm ready to find out what happens next!

I'm trying to think if there's any reason I shouldn't give this 5 stars since I don't want to hand them out lightly. But for me it was the combination of favorite genres done well, it was entertaining, and didn't live down to my jaded expectations. I'm feeling generous.

**Received free arc for review.

View all my reviews

Review: Timeless

Timeless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I was worried as I reached the halfway mark that Timeless was going to end up being incredibly witty but with far too much detail about parenting and not much action at all. It did pick up eventually, and there were even a couple moments when I feared that it was all going to end horribly. The last hundred pages rescued this from being a disappointing ending to an enjoyable series, so I am fairly satisfied - and in some aspects surprised at how it all turned out.

View all my reviews

Review: Changeless

Changeless by Gail Carriger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I love the banter between Alexia and Lord Maccon in this series. It kept Changeless entertaining even though the plot didn't really pick up right away - I felt the mystery was a bit blasé with all the 'where we are now' stage-setting. Once the action began to move towards Scotland, the plot itself got way more interesting.

The steampunk elements are more obvious in this book than in the first, with dirigibles, gadgets, machinery that runs on the aether, and the coolest parasol ever. We are introduced to a new character, a female inventor from France who dresses like a man (shocking!).

Like I said, the mystery gets better once the story moves to Scotland, and we also get the added benefit of learning more about Conall's past and his original pack, as well as more about the scientific workings of various paranormal species.

The ending is a bit of a shock, and a cliffhanger. I had to start the third book right away.



View all my reviews