Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset (The Steampunk Chronicles)
by Kady Cross
Release Date: May 24, 2011
2011 Harlequin Teen
Softcover Edition ARC; 480 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-373-21033-6
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review Copy from San Francisco Book Review

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
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. And Finley thinks she might finally be a part of something, finally fit in - until a criminal threatens to tear the group apart...

My Thoughts
The Girl in the Steel Corset was a very enjoyable start to what appears to be a new steampunk series for those fans who really enjoy this genre.  And there was certainly a lot to enjoy as with with a mechanical cat, velocycles, the aether machine, and other devices that had functions similar to what we would use in our modern world, but with clearly that steampunk element, Ms. Cross certainly demonstrates her understanding of steampunk in her novels.  It was a delight to come across each new invention, all woven with a thread of the supernatural, as the events unfolded, and I couldn't wait to see what would be invented or unveiled next. It would seem incongruous to see some of these things in 1897, but so many things were being invented during this time period and it always seemed to me the time when ideas were exploding and as electricity was lighting our streets, the setting just fits perfectly with the steampunk concept of this novel.

I really enjoyed all of the characters in this novel, including Finley, the main character.  I really liked the juxtaposition of the good girl/bad girl concept of her character and wished the author had used this a little more in her novel as it seemed so interesting; and yes, it would definitely have raised the complexity of the plot a notch as well as the characters would have been far less trusting with each other and some really fascinating developments could have occurred. It's too bad really as the plot is one area in which I felt there was a bit of a letdown as I found it somewhat predictable and unexciting.  I also felt like there were way too many coincidences in this novel; what's wrong with the characters getting in a lot of trouble once in a while instead of always being saved by a coincidence?  It sometimes takes the fun and the excitement out of the reading experience.  That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the novel, but I didn't find the build-up to be there for me and there was definitely no big final scene as I anticipated the outcome.  Thank goodness I really enjoyed the characters as they really made the novel so interesting for me.  What I really found interesting was how the morals of Victorian England popped out once in a while in the midst of all this butt-kicking, and it just seemed so at odds with what was going on.  You know, at one point we have ladies kicking and punching their way out of situations, and then suddenly, it's wrong to show an ankle to a man, or you have to drink your tea in such a manner when just minutes ago, you were upside down trying to save someone's life. The whole ambiguity of this time period just stands out so much more amidst all of this action and it makes you think as well as puts things in perpective.  Society and the morals always come first.

Is there romance?  Of course there is romance, and I found this scenario interesting and full of possibilities.  Finley finds herself attracted to two personalities, Griff and Jack, both completely opposite to the other, matching her yin-yang personalities.  Griff is the rich, entitled man, used to getting what he wants, while Jack is the bad boy, who controls the darker sides of the city, also used to getting what he wants.  It will be interesting to see where this love triangle ends up in future novels and I am looking forward to the entanglements.

Verdict
The Girl in the Steel Corset was a fun, enjoyable read and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading steampunk or young adult.  While I did find the plot somewhat predictable and coincidental, there were enough other things in it made it definitely worth the read; enjoyable characters, interesting dialogue (with references to classic literature such as Frankenstein and Jekyll and Hyde), quirky inventions, and action that flowed quickly from scene to scene.  If this is the kind of genre that interests you, then take a look at an interesting new series. 

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Angelfire (Angelfire Trilogy, Book 1)
by Courtney Allison Moulton
Release Date: February 15, 2011
2011 Harper Collins Inc.
E-book Edition; 464 Pages (Hardcover)
ISBN: 978-0-062-00232-7
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Review Copy from Net Galley

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
Whenordinary seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers-monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell-she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between Angels and the Fallen, and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will, who has been waiting sixty years for her return, reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the onlyone armed with angelfire, and capable of fighting the reapers. He is animmortal sworn to protect her in battle. Her soul has been reborn againand again over the centuries to fight the reapers, and he's been there for five hundred years to protect and fight alongside her. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her-an assassin who has already killed her once. At the same time, Ellie is falling in love with Will, even though they know their relationship should be impossible.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to destroy Ellie's soul forever, not to mention the devastating ramifications for human souls. Now she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives-including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

My Thoughts
In Angelfire, we are introduced to another very interesting and intriguing Heaven versus Hell concept, whereby Ellie, an unsuspecting high school senior, is introduced to a life she never suspected after succumbing to a variety of disturbing and terrifying dreams.  When her life proves to be in danger over and over again, and she develops and uses skills (and weapons) she has never had previous training in, she is shocked to learn that she is the reincarnated destroyer of evil things.  I found the author's mix of religions and religious thought as well as mythology, was wrapped up rather neatly in a rather entertaining and satisfying suspense novel, and was hooked into the story right from the beginning.

Ellie was a strong female character and thought she handled the knowledge of who she was with applomb and tact.  While somewhat skeptical at first, the constantly appearing monsters trying to kill her and those she loved quickly put all notions of skepticism aside and she rather quickly had to adapt to the situations or die.  I really liked how the author focused on her adolescent conflicts and didn't let Ellie sink into the doom and gloom we see so often in some characters; while she does often wonder why she was chosen for the task, the novel focuses more on her dealing with the situations and the confusion and consequences of her constant lying and sneaking around.  I like how she doesn't always succeed with her lies and has to face the consequences of her actions with her mother and her friends.

What I would like to know however, is what's up with the dad?  I couldn't really figure him out, and I can't say I liked him very much.  I have my suspicions as to what is going on and I'm really hoping we learn more about him in future novels.  My heart really went out to Ellie whenever she had to deal with him however, like any normal child who has difficulties in their relationships with their parents. 

Now Will is a character I absolutely adored.  And I really loved the last line in the novel and can't wait to see what happens to the relationship between Ellie and Will.  I really think Will underestimated Ellie's strength of mind and perhaps he forgot that every Preliator is slightly different because they are born in different bodies and with different experiences.  They may all have the same physical strength, but they don't all have the same inner strength, even if they are all the same person, and Will may have just met his match in Ellie. Does that make sense?   I can't wait to see the sparks fly!!!  And when Ellie regains all of her memories, things should get really interesting.

The whole time I was reading this book, I was thinking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer and that is a good thing as I am a secret fan of the series (not so secret any more).  Basically, we have a girl who at her core is a good girl and wants to do right by her friends and family.  She wants her mom and dad to be proud of her accomplishments, but she can't tell them anything about being Preliator so she is leading a double life and it is hurting her inside.  I adore this kind of stuff and was thrilled to learn this was the first book of a planned trilogy.  Give me hidden swords, deep secrets, tattoos made with special spells, a good-looking man, angels and demons, the end of the world storyline, mythology, religion, and mix it all up and I'm hooked. 

Verdict
Angelfire was an enjoyable read and I am definitely looking forward to Wings of the Wicked and Hymn to the Fallen when they are released.  The story is full of non-stop action and suspense and will satisfy readers until the end, although it does leaves you hanging a bit.  Ms. Moulton gives us a mythological world that isn't overwhelming as it is doled out in satisfying bits, but at the same time, makes you want to learn even more.  I am interested in seeing where things are headed in books 2 and 3 and I am curious as to how the relationships will develop and the plot will flow.

Review: The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

The Left Hand of God
by Paul Hoffman
Release Date: June 15, 2010
2010 Penguin Group
Hardcover Edition; 376 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-525-95131-5
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian
Source: Review copy from Penguin Canada

4 / 5 Stars

Summary
In the Redeemer Sanctuary, the stronghold of a secretive sect of warrior monks, torture and death await the unsuccessful or disobedient.  Raised by the Redeemers from early childhood like hundreds of other young captives, Thomas Cale has known only deprivation, punishment, and grueling training.  He doesn't know that another world exists outside the fortress walls or even that secrets he can't imagine lurk behind the Sanctuary's many forbidden doorways.  He doesn't know that his mast Lord Bosco and the Sanctuary's Redeemers have been preparing for a holy war for centuries - a holy war that is now imminent.  And Cale doesn't know that he's been noticed and quietly cultivated.

And then, Cale decides to open a door.

It's a door that leads to one of the Redeemers' darkest secrets and a choice that is really no choice at all: certain death or daring escape.  Adrift in the wider world for the first time in his young life, Cale soon find himself in Memphis, the capital of culture - and the den of Sin.  It's there that Cale discovers his prodigious gift: violence.  And he discovers that, after years of abuse at the hands of the Redeemers, his embittered heart is still capable of loving - and breaking.

My Thoughts
Although I found the story itself to be somewhat predictable, I do have to admit that I was totally drawn into the novel right from the beginning.  The tales of abuse and torture, the descriptions of the Sanctuary, and the horrors of some of the events that were going on in a place that was supposed to be religious and 'safe', were heartbreaking and sickening.   The boys are brought to the Sanctuary very young, are told they are sinners their entire young lives, and are trained in such a militaristic and strict fashion, that it becomes a boy-against-boy world.  The concept of obeying 'no matter what', where creativity and original thinking are considered to be non-existent can be detrimental when training soldiers.  (And yet the Redeemers won a brilliant battle due to creative thinking, original and creative feats of engineering, and master planning, so how did that happen to an army that was trained to not think and to be obedient?)

When Cale discovers some even more horrible things going on than even he could even imagine, he had to escape.  His escape plan was interesting to say the least, and I have to say I admired the boys, as several other people ended up mired in Cale's mess, for their creativity and daring during their escape.  I truly enjoyed the character of Riba (one of the escapees), as she really knew how to put the boys in their place and really put some perspective on their lives, made them realize that things were not always so bad or always what they seemed.  I really hope she plays more of a role in the following novels as I'd love to see her character developed and grown into something bigger and better.

The three boys themselves, for the most part, usually behave the way most teenage boys would behave, despite their horrific background at the Sanctuary.  Once away from the torture and abuse, they played, laughed, and teased each other the way most boys would, as they learned to navigate a social world with which they were completely unfamiliar.  I really enjoyed how the novel took more of a lighter turn in the middle as the four teenagers try to cope with living in a new environment and dealing with things that were totally unfamiliar.  Don't get me wrong though, as there were still plenty of fights and arguments to go around if you enjoy that kind of thing, and Cale's emerging talents and gifts became more obvious during this section too.

As for Cale himself, I really don't know what to think of him.  I really like him as a character, but he is so different from the usual hero-type character in many novels I have read.  There is a dark depth to him that is made known throughout the book, a depth that allows him to become a fighting maching, and to plan brilliant battle strategies.  It will be interesting to see how he develops as a character in future novels.

While there are plenty of danger, excitement, twists and turns, suspense, thrills in this novel, one of the things that really bothered me was the use of names and terms.  I thought I had the religious theme all figured out with the Hanged Redeemer, until suddenly they started talking about Jesus Christ in the middle of the novel.  I can't quite figure out how all the religious themes work in the plot, and while I don't mind alternative religions or other religions as long as it's explained as the novel goes along, it usually helps to have some basis to help the reader figure out how it all goes together.  But here I find it confusing and all over the place.  I also find the mish-mash of mythologies and legends and stories to be somewhat confusing, even those with which I'm familiar as I feel like Mr. Hoffman just mixed them all together and put them in any order he chose. So while things sounds familiar, it's like you're in a nightmare as you realize they're not familiar at all, only the names are familiar.  Very confusing stuff!!!

Verdict
The novel was definitely riveting and had a satisfying confusion, one that I didn't really see coming. Although the novel didn't quite mesh the way it was meant to, I still enjoyed the twists and turns in the narrative, and the quirky characters, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this planned trilogy. Hopefully some of the questions that were left unanswered in this novel will be answered as the story unfolds.