Review: The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Iron Touch
(Steampunk Chronicles #3)

Author: Kady Cross

Publication Date: May 28, 2013

Publisher: HarperTEEN

Genre: Steampunk

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Synopsis:

In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has....

My Thoughts: Oh my gosh! I was so excited to read this book because I love Emily! She has always been one of my favourite characters in the series, so having a book that is more focused on her was awesome! I was not at all disappointed by The Girl with the Iron Touch. It is another great addition to the Steampunk Chronicles. There is so much that's going on and it really wrapped things up nicely in the end, although there was still a little bit of a question since The Machinist still hasn't really been beaten forever.

All of my favourite characters are there, along with a new one to join the team. Finley and Griffin are working more on their relationship (since she picked him, I don't know what the synopsis is talking about because I don't remember a kiss between Jack and Finley in this book). Sam had something important to tell Emily, but she was kidnapped. She's being forced to do something evil for The Machinist, and she would rather die. Dandy finally gets someone too, much to Finley's jealousy, even though she picked Griffin.

There is quite a bit going on and more on the romance side of things, since everything has to be wrapped up in the end. There is still a lot of action though, so don't worry if you're not a fan of a lot of romance. I really enjoyed almost everything about this book and I'm a bit sad that it's supposed to be the last one. I could always use more Dandy, he's just awesome and we still don't really know much about him, luckily there is a novella about him that is supposed to be out soon. So I'll have to look forward to that.

The book is well written, it's very easy to lose yourself in the story. I really like Kady Cross' writing style and the multiple narrators so the reader isn't left in the dark about half of what goes on. I'm going to be looking forward to more from her!

*A copy was provided for review by the publisher and NetGalley*

Owl Recommend (6)

Owl Recommend is a feature at Owl Read It where we try to help you find your next great read.

I really enjoyed both of these! I have a huge love of historical settings. I know, I know, love triangles.. these ones are done well though!! 

Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
(Steampunk Chronicles #2)

Author: Kady Cross

Publication Date: May 22nd 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Steampunk / Paranormal

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Synopsis:

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous. Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

My Thoughts: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar starts up almost exactly where Steel Corset leaves off. I really like that it does that because then you're not playing catch up and haven't really missed any of the story. I once again really loved the world and characters that Kady Cross has created. I also really like the cover of this book because it actually is related to the story and was basically how I imagined Mei to look. It took me a lot longer to read than the last book but it had nothing to do with the writing or story, I was just really sick and didn't even have the energy to read.

Clockwork Collar begins with Finley, Griffin, Emily and Sam travelling by airship to New York to get Jasper back and out of trouble. They don't believe he's a murderer and want to help him however they can. Once they get to New York, Griffin and Sam head to the jail to talk to Jasper, but he's not there. He was not brought back by the authorities, so something is up and they plan to find out. There is a lot that happens in Clockwork Collar, including Finley inflitrating a criminal's gang. Regardless, I didn't find that there were really any dull parts and am anxious to find out what's been happening with Griffin in the Aether. Some parts of the plot were a bit predictable, but it didn't affect my opinion any. Since it really seemed the only way to bring it all together.

Once again, Finley Jayne is pretty kick ass. She infiltrates a criminals gang, pretending that she is meant for a life of crime. Which maybe in some ways she is. I think she is incredibly brave and selfless because she is always putting others welfare before herself. Also, she may be strong and a quick healer, but she's not invincible, so there is a risk to her life in what she does. 

I can't even begin to describe how much more I love Emily in this book. She is just such an awesome character AND is a redhead! She is also incredibly brave, she is probably the most fragile of the group, but she doesn't let that get her down or stop her. She can definitely hold her own. 

As for the guys of the group, both have done a lot of growing as characters. Griffin is finally realizing how much he cares for Finley and learning to trust her more. He does need to get over feeling guilty every time someone gets hurt, because it's not his fault. Sam is starting to grow on me, now that he's less of a jerk. He really has feelings for Emily and I hope for the best for them! Jasper is a lot more prominent than he was in the last book. He's actually a pretty great character and I feel for him so much. Everything that seems to happen to him breaks my heart, he's really grown as a character and I hope we see more of him in the next book. 

So overall, I really liked Clockwork Collar. It's a really great Steampunk series and is making me really enjoy the genre. Everything just seems to flow so nicely in Kady Cross' writing style and she makes you really love her characters. I'm definitely looking forward to the next book. If you're wondering if I would recommend this book, the answer is yes! These are great for someone who enjoys paranormal as well as historical fiction since they are based in the Victorian Era. Mix in a bit of science fiction and a great author, then you have a really great read. 

Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset
(Steampunk Chronicles #1)

Author: Kady Cross

Publication Date: May 24th, 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Genre: Steampunk / Paranormal

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Synopsis:

In 1897 England, 16-year-old Finley Jayne is convinced she's a freak. 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 . . . that she's one of "them."

My Thoughts: I had a lot of fun reading this book. I haven't really read much steampunk, but I'm going to have to say it's something that I'm so far really enjoying. The story is told in a third person point of view and mostly tends to revolve around the actions of Finley Jayne, Griffin King and Samuel Morgan. Basically, there is a bad person out there who is preforming random crimes. Griffin is convinced they are related and are being preformed by someone refered to as The Machinist. Griffin's team (which consists of Finley, Sam, Emily and Jasper) sets out to discover The Machinist's plot and save the country. This story takes place in a Victorian London setting (of course!) and was a quick, fun read. It was full of mystery, romance and some great paranormal aspects.

I really enjoyed the characters in this novel. Finley would have to be my favorite and is a kick butt girl, with two personalities. Literally! She is fighting to keep control of her dark side constantly. But Griffin is trying to her learn to control that side better. Griffin has some pretty mysterious powers of his own, and is a duke to boot. He can basically get away with most things. One of my other favorite characters was Emily. She is absolutely brilliant! She has an understanding of machines and I might be a little biased in liking her because she is a red head and Irish! Sam is a bit of a grumpy character. He despises Finley and is repeatedly trying to get Griffin to give her the boot. He's a bit stubborn and is basically indestructible (for the most part). Jasper is an American cowboy, he's a pretty sharp shooter and is great guy, very honourable. One character I haven't mentioned yet is Jack Dandy. He is pretty much a crime lord in London, but can be pretty helpful in his own ways. Still a great character.

So with lots of characters there has to be some romance right? Of course! We actually are treated to TWO love triangles in this book. No, they aren't over bearing and in your face, screaming at you to acknowledge them. They are actually worked into the story very well.  The main one isn't even a love triangle at first. It's between Finley, Griffin and Jack. But it seems Finley's good side is attracted to Griffin and her darkside is attracted to Jack. So technically there are four people in the love triangle at first because Finley's two personalities are very different people. So who knows who she will pick after the personalities are joined as one. Thus Love Triangle #1 is created. The second love triangle is between Emily, Sam and Jasper. Sam has always been there for Emily, but he's a bit cranky. So insert the polite and flirty Jasper and who knows who Emily will choose. She has feelings for both guys, but it's definitely going to be a hard descision for her.

Overall this is a great read and I really, really liked it. I would recommend it to readers who like steampunk with a mix of paranormal and mystery. I would probably compare this to the Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare. So if you liked that, you will probably enjoy this as well. If' you've never read steampunk and are looking for a book to venture into the genre, this would be a great place to start!