Bronze Gods is a steampunk mystery/urban fantasy by married couple Ann and Andre Aguirre (writing as A.A. Aguirre). I loved the world and the main characters, but I was disappointed by the mystery.
The plot is very simple in essence but very complicated in detail. James Mikani and Celeste Ritsuko are inspectors with the Criminal Intelligence Division. They have to work together to stop a series of murders. They have been partners for three years, and they are clearly (to the reader) in love but won’t admit it to either themselves or each other. Instead they spend the book solving the case while flirting. Very simple.
The details are complicated because the world-building is complicated. It takes place in the city of Dorstaad, which is essentially a steampunk version of London in the late Victorian Era with a dash of 1920s aesthetics. Prior to the beginning of the story, there was a war between different factions of Ferrishers (Fae) and now some live among humans while others prefer to avoid them. In addition to steampunk technology, the Ferrishers have magic, and Mikani, who is part Ferrisher, is able to “read” crime scenes and objects to see what has happened. The crimes involve both technology and magic, as well as human and Ferrisher cultural drama. TW for the sadistic (but not sexualized) murder of young women, a trope I personally could do without.
Mikani is paired with Ritsuko, the first woman inspector in her division. She is a quiet perfectionist who uses logic and attention to detail, as well as tact, to get information. Mikani uses magic and has a tendency to offend people both in and out of the office. This pair is fun and often poignant to watch in action, as they have quick wit but also a history of shared pain and a shared devotion to justice, as well as intense mutual respect. Smart is sexy, as Scully once reminded Mulder in The X Files, and this couple is smart. Above all, mutual respect is one of my catnip qualities in a couple. Just seeing these two back each other up professionally and personally is a delight.
I confess that I found this book to be gruellingly slow. I’m not sure if that’s because mystery is not my preferred genre or if it’s because Covid-19 anxiety made it hard for me to focus on any sentence longer than “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish,” but here we are. I loved the aesthetics, I loved the ideas, I loved the characters of Mikani and Ritsuko, but alas I did not care who killed who, or where, or how, or why, and that’s a real problem in a mystery book. This is fairly long for a steampunk mystery so I would have hoped to be much more invested in the actual plot. When the mystery was finally solved, I found the resolution to be disappointing and problematic:
There a character who is essentially the Phantom of the Opera – he lives in the theater and thinks no one will like him because he has burn scars. Turns out he’s a serial killer so..nobody likes him in the end, surprise. I hoped for a more interesting and a more inclusive arc for a disfigured character but instead we have the cliche of the burn scar maniac. Sigh.
I did love the pairing of Mikani and Ritsuko, although as a romance reader I would have liked for them to wrap up the “will they/won’t they” thing somewhere around chapter two. As of the end of this book, they are on a “Of course we will eventually, but when? When?” trajectory. Mileage will definitely vary here as some readers will savor the tension and others like myself will complain that gratification takes too long.
If you enjoy slow burn romance, and you enjoy the “will they/won’t they” phase of the relationship between mutual respectful opposites who snark a lot, then you’ll like this book (think: Mulder/Scully). Steampunk fans should definitely try it out, as it does a great job of blending steampunk and magic. It especially does well at naturally integrating the steampunk/Fae aesthetic smoothly into all aspects of life without being super showy about it.
My understanding is that the sequel focuses more on adventure than on mystery, so I am very much looking forward to reading it. For me, in this installment, the disappointments of the whodunit and the pacing of the plot did not match the inventiveness of the world-building or the charm of the main characters.
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Astonished to realize I’ve read this. (NB: I used to remember everything I read, as well as everything our bookstore customers read. Now? Pffft). So I’m pretty sure I agree with your assessment, Carrie S, especially with the world building and characters.
I am a huge fan of Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series and really liked PERDITION, the first in The Dred Chronicles. The latter may be a little too dire for 2020: a violent prison ship without rules, but a crossover character from the Jax books may be of interest.
Wow, didn’t even have this book on my radar! Though it does sound a bit like Honor Raconteur’s The Shinigami Detective series (which is awesome if you haven’t read them).
The Invisible Library series has a sort of similar vibe. There’s a steampunk London, a brilliant detective, super competent badass heroine, magic and Fae and lots of world building goodness, adventures and BOOKS. And a slow slooooow burn. Can’t remember if it’s been reviewed here, it’s definitely more fantasy than romance.
I really dislike reading about serial killers, to the point of almost automatically DNF’ing a book when one appears,so I am reading a lot fewer mysteries lately.
I read both this and the sequel a few years ago. If I remember correctly, book 2 ends with the case solved but also certain overall threads of the story not wrapped up, like it’s supposed to be a continuing series. But so far, there’s only the 2 books.
I really struggled with the serious. While I enjoyed book 1 I didn’t necessarily care about it, which is a weird combo. I’m not even sure if I finished book 2!