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):