Book Review: Corsets and Clockwork

Title: Corsets and Clockwork

Author: Multiple Authors

Genre: YA Romance/Steampunk

Book Blurb:

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

Review:

Wow, it's been a while since I've actually finished a book! Anyways, Corsets and Clockwork (C&C) was a delightful collection of steampunk tales with a romantic twist. I actually started this anthology several months ago, but lost interest about 25% into the collection . . . I guess that's the danger of short story collections, no? You lose interest with one story and then rather get distracted by other books (*cough Game of Thrones cough*) and it may be a couple days or weeks (or months!) before you return to the book.

Either way, I was glad I decided to pick up C&C after my brief dip of interest because there definitely were some hidden gems.  Some of the stories that I really enjoyed are:

"Wild Magic"

"The Airship Gemini"

"Under Amber Skies"

But my top two favorites were definitely "The Clockwork Corset" and "Tick, Tick, Boom."

First of all, you know I'm sucker for strong FMC who have the tendency to get in trouble, which is exactly what Imogen offered in "The Clockwork Corset". In a way, this story reminded me of a steampunk retelling of "Mulan" if you replaced Mulan's father with a certain love interest of Imogen.  Also, the fact that Imogen had common sense (oh my goodness you will not believe how little common sense some FMCs . . . or even MMCs . . . can have in steampunk/Victorian era stories) really upped my approval factor.  And also, the bitter sweet ending was quite satisfying--just the right combination of tragedy, love, and a little mechanical engineering magic.

Perhaps the plot (or should I say "character"?) twist in "Tick, Tick, Boom" was its highlight. Just when I thought I had all the characters figured out BAM a secondary character I thought to be shallow (spoiler alert!) turns out to be another secondary character I thought was pretty awesome. (So yes, there was a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on.)  Also, a protagonist who is a kick ass engineer and also happens to plotting against the demise of her father's business empire? Sign me up!

Granted, as there were the highs of C&C, there were also the lows. I know I could've skipped over the less than engaging stories, but then I wouldn't have the satisfaction of saying "I read this whole book!" (I know, I know. Shallow of me, but it's the little things in life, no?)  I can definitely think of one story that just seemed to drag on forever.  BUT, in the end, I'm glad that I read C&C.  It's hard to infuse the same amount of depth in a short story compared to a novel, and so I thought the authors did an excellent job overall with creating relatable characters. (Though it would've been fun to read some stories from a MMC's POV, as each story had a FMC!)

Cheers and happy readings!

Rating:

Book Review: The Tale of Nottingswood

Title: The Tale of Nottingswood

Author: J R Young

Genre: Steampunk/Dystopian Novelette 

Review:

Think "Dr. Suess on steroids" and you basically have The Tale of Nottingswood. And I say this in a complimentary manner, by the way.  How Young managed to get a whole freakin' novelette to rhyme is beyond me, considering my rhyming skills are basically limited to "roses are red and violets are blue, and I don't remember the rest what do I do?"  

The Tale of Nottingswood is a delightful read suitable for all ages--something both children and adults and everyone else in between can enjoy. The story revolves around a pair of siblings whose lives are turned upside down when they discover a strange creature bundled up in a blanket with a magical tabloid. The story has a fairytale-esque feel to it . . . with a slight steampunk influence that can really be seen in the second half of the story.

The illustrations by the lovely Amelia Grace are also wonderful--they really bring the story to life! Check out some of the pics below:

Such a quaint looking village!

Yep, definitely see the steampunk-ness here

One thing I do think I should mention is that one should not read this book in one sitting--or at least I couldn't do that myself else the words started getting twisted in my head as the rhymes began to blur. For me, I found the best way to enjoy this book was to read it in 15-20 minute chunks . . . allows me to spend more time appreciating the story, rhyme, and pics without feeling overwhelmed. Also, not sure if this holds true for everyone, but when I read, I always hear a little voice inside my head reading out loud the words. Funny thing is, that little voice inside my head started reading singing to a little tune in time to the rhymes! It was weird--but quite fun, to be honest.

All in all, The Tale of Nottingswood was a fun, lighthearted read--the perfect book to add to your summer reading list!

Rating:

Book Review+Giveaway: Raven

Title: Raven

Author: Pauline Creeden

Genre: YA Steampunk

Book Blurb: 

Human life has value.

The poor living in the gutter are as valuable as the rich living in a manor.

The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.

Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.

Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.

Review:

First of all, can we please all take a moment and admire this gorgeous cover? *moment of silence* Thank you. I personally thought the cover of Raven was totally unique--I love how the different elements all somehow come together. Alright, enough cover gushing and onto the actual book review :)

It's been quite a while since I've read a steampunk book (probably why I signed up for this tour in the first place.) I was not disappointed. Raven proves to have all the "musts" in a steampunk fantasy--clockwork and zeppelins and corsets and a dash of kick-assery. Yes, I did just make up a word. I could imagine the bustle of crowds on cobblestone streets, humans mingling with mechanical mans. I think the world building and descriptive aspect of the novel was Creedon's strong point. I enjoyed how she wove details into the plot without slowing it down.

The novel is told from dual POV: Raven Steele (awesome name, no?) and Jack Grant. Raven's trained her whole life to be a reaper--whenever she takes a life, she must redeem it by saving a life. A pretty cool concept if I don't say so myself. The reapers used to work for the nobles, but due to some bad political blood, they are now considered to be at the bottom of the society. I enjoyed the fact the Raven worked in a career field traditionally dominated by males--there were some stereotyping she had to overcome, which made the story that much more interesting.

Jack Grant is a character I liked well enough. However, I think I would've liked him better had he been fleshed out more. As the captain of the Duke's guard, he has been given orders to hunt down Raven after she is accused of "kidnapping" Darius, the young son of the Duke. However, he must struggle to choose between obeying his orders and listening to his conscience as the Duke's plan for assassinating his own son begins to unravel for all to see.

The plot was fun enough, if not a little bit predictable. But hey, it was still a solid plot and got it's job done. The pace moved along at a good clip--perhaps even too fast as some places. I guess the biggest quip I had with Raven was the romance between Jack and Raven. Although it definitely wasn't an insta-love scenario (I mean, Jack was trying to kill her...not exactly the best way to win a lady's heart), I still felt like their relationship was a bit forced.  I would've liked more build up--more showing, less telling of their relationship development, if I may say so myself.

Overall, Raven was a satisfying read and is sure to satisfy steampunk lovers. Readers of fantasy and a "hero's journey" type of story should enjoy this novel as well.

Rating:

Goodreads  |  Amazon  |  Barnes and Noble

About the Author

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.

Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. It is also the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Winner in Historical Fiction. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Reader’s Choice Gold Award for Best YA Horror Novel.

Author links:

http://paulinecreeden.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5284782.Pauline_Creeden

https://www.facebook.com/PaulineCreeden

https://twitter.com/P_Creeden

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Book Review: Stxeamtown

Title: Stxeamtown

Author: John Reinhard Dizon

Genre: Steampunk/Speculative Fiction

Reviewer: Joanne Wilcox

Book Blurb: 

Trip and Lyrica come from opposite sides of the creek that defines the borderline of Streamtown. The mercantile North Side and the agrarian South Side observe different customs and lifestyles that segregate the neighborhoods. Trip and Lyrica communicate by signals across the rooftops and eventually meet and fall in love, only they realize they will have to flee the Aboveground and start a new life in a 'low ground' society they have never known. 

The young lovers soon learn of the plight of the banished rooftop children, and fight for their rights as citizens of Streamtown. But Lyrica's jilted suitor from the Aboveground conspires with Trip's ex-friends to kidnap Lyrica and return her to the rooftops. The Aboveground society is uncovered in the process, and Trip and Lyrica are forced to intercede on behalf of their childhood neighbors, facing the wrath of their new benefactors.

Review:

So... Stxeamtown was an interesting and new read for me. I have never heard anything like this before. It sort of reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, and West Side Story, with the whole star-crossed lovers aspect. 

Book Review: The Diamond Thief

Title: The Diamond Thief

Author: Sharon Gosling

Genre: Steampunk

Book Blurb: 

No one performs on the circus trapeze like 16-year-old Rémy Brunel. But Rémy also leads another life, prowling through the backstreets of Victorian London as a jewel thief. When she is forced to steal one of the world’s most valuable diamonds, she uncovers a world of treachery and fiendish plots.

Meanwhile, young detective Thaddeus Rec is determined to find the jewel and clear his name. Will Thaddeus manage to rescue the jewel? Or is it really Rémy that he needs to save?

Review:

An insane lord. An ingenious professor. A thief. A policeman. Add them together and you have the adventure of the lifetime. Let me introduce you to the cast:

There's Remy, aka Little Bird. She's a trapeze artist by day and a jewel thief by night. There's Lord Abernathy, a seemingly harmless lord who lives a double life as well. There The Professor. He's a guy with a good heart, master of all things steampunky (ie. any steam powered machine) and caught up in a sticky web of secrets. And of course, there's Detective Rec, a young member of the Scotland Yard police force. Unfortunately, he isn't exactly the most respected police on the force due to his background. Orphaned on the streets at a young age, Rec was lucky enough to meet the Professor who gave him an education and a chance to be someone more than a beggar.

Book Tour + Review: Ashes & Alchemy

Book Description:

London, 1860

Police inspector Sebastian Brown served Queen and country in India before returning to England to investigate supernatural crimes alongside the Order of the Round Table. If his wifeless, childless life feels a little empty sometimes, that's not too great a price to pay in the name of duty.

Minerva Shaw is desperately seeking a doctor when she mistakenly lands on Sebastian's doorstep. Her daughter Ivy has fallen gravely ill with a mysterious illness—the same illness, it seems, that's responsible for taking the lives of many of Ivy's classmates.

Seb sniffs a case, and taking in Minnie and Ivy seems the only way to protect them while he solves it. But as mother and daughter work their way into his heart and Seb uses every magickal and technological resource he can muster to uncover the source of the deadly plague, it's he who will need protecting—from emotions he'd thought buried long ago.

Short Excerpt:

Police Inspector Sebastian Brown stirred the coals in his study’s small iron grate. The clock on the wall chimed quarter past two. Another night with no sleep, then. Bloody hell, this insomnia was getting to be a habit. Perhaps he should ask his superior to move him to the graveyard shift. If he was going to be awake all night, maybe he’d be able to rest during the day. It was better than what he was doing now, getting no sleep at all. At forty, he was too old to keep that up indefinitely. He eyed the half-empty decanter of brandy on his desk but shook his head. He’d tried that for the last couple of nights, and all it had earned him was a headache to go along with his fatigue. That, he could do without. It was bad enough that the British winter made his hip hurt like hell—except he knew from experience that hell was hot and dry, not frigid and damp.

Book Review: Clockwork Angel

Title: Clockwork Angel

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: Steampunk <3

Review:

Isn't the cover gorgeous? The fact that this is a steampunk novel makes it *that* much better :-)  This is actually my second time reading this book.  The first time I read it was about 1 year ago (or maybe 1.5 years?)  Anyways, I decided to refresh my memory a bit by rereading Clockwork Angel so that I could give it an accurate review.

Blog Post: Steampunk

I love steampunk books. They're one of my favorite genres to read. Unfortunately, it seems as if steampunk is one of the lesser know genres, which is really quite a pity. Plus, I find steampunk covers to be really eye-catching too! Anyways, according to dictionary.com, here is the definition of steampunk:

noun

1.

a subgenre of science fiction and fantasy featuring advanced machines and other technology 

basedon steam power of the 19th century and taking place in a recognizable historical period or

a fantasyworld

In other words, key concepts of steampunk novels include: steam powered machinery, a Victorian-London styled era setting and clothing, fantastical inventions and often times a dash of magic.

Here are some of my favorite steampunk books (simply click on the pictures to go to the book's Goodreads profile):