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, … Continue reading Bronze Gods by A.A. Aguirre →
I’ve been in a reading rut lately. It’s the worst feeling in the world, and my solution has been to try novellas instead. They’re less intimidating than full-length books: it’s an hour of my time instead of four, I don’t feel like I’ve wasted time if I hate the book, I don’t experience guilt if I DNF, etc. The list goes on and on. When Jeannie Lin released an anthology set in her 19th century … Continue reading Tales from the Gunpowder Chronicles by Jeannie Lin →
Steampunk Darcy is a lot of fun and also kind of a mess. It never fully resolves the conflict between the two main characters. It has a weird ethical problem in terms of an automaton. It ends on a cliffhanger with no planned sequel. But it also has a poignant story about familial loss and responsibility, great sexual tension, clever use of Pride and Prejudice motifs, plausible conflicts, cool world building, and lots and lots … Continue reading Steampunk Darcy by Monica Fairview →
There was a dark moment in my life recently when I thought maybe I was going to break up with steampunk. We had a good run, steampunk and I, but I read a string of steampunk books that were pretty much identical and thought, “Eh, maybe we should start seeing different people.” I’m pleased to say that The Guns Above has rekindled our relationship by being funny, gritty, realistic, and full of good character development … Continue reading The Guns Above by Robyn Bennis →
Of Dreams and Rust is a sequel to Sarah Fine’s Of Metal and Wishes . The two books basically function as one single book, and this review contains spoilers for Of Metal and Wishes. Alert – this is a YA story with first person, present-tense narration and a love triangle. Fortunately, the setting, characters, and overall plot made it feel fresh. Of Metal and Wishes is inspired by The Phantom of the Opera, one of … Continue reading Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine →
The Transatlantic Conspiracy is no Agatha Christie, but it’s an exciting, fun YA steampunk mystery set on an underground train, so I’ll take it. Despite the gorgeous cover, there are no cephalopods of any kind in the book. Otherwise, it’s fine. The plot is as follows: in an alternate version of 1908, seventeen-year-old Rosalind is ordered by her father to take the first ride on his new train, the Transatlantic Express. Her father designed this … Continue reading The Transatlantic Conspiracy by G.D. Falksen →
Sometimes a book has all my catnip but it doesn’t gel into a cohesive, engaging story. Breath of Earth is one of those books. The language is descriptive, the setting intriguing, and the characters are diverse. Even the cover art is lovely. But I never got a feel for what was happening or why I should care. Here’s the publisher’s description of the plot, which I am including because my description of the plot is, … Continue reading Breath of Earth by Beth Cato →
Now that was fun! The Invisible Library is not a book with a large amount of heavy emotion or thought or character development, but it’s a solidly crafted adventure story with appealing characters, in which book lovers run amok in an alternate universe where they have to deal with skin-stealing villains, cranky zeppelin pilots, and swarms of silverfish (eww). The Library is a massive library that exists in its own time and space and which … Continue reading The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman →
To celebrate the omnibus re-issue of a steampunk fantasy romance that’s been out of print for awhile, we’re giving away 10 copies of Strangely Beautiful. This book was first published in 2009 by Dorchester, and now it’s back in a 2-in-1 edition, which includes The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker, a 2009 DABWAHA nominee, and the sequel, The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker. If you like steampunk, this is one of the earliest that I can … Continue reading Giveaway: The Strangely Beautiful Omnibus →
Well, it’s been a long road involving five books, but with the latest installment, Winter, The Lunar Chronicles has come to a bloody yet satisfying conclusion. There’s at least one more book on the way, Stars Above, which will be a collection of short stories, but in Winter the main narrative of the series is wrapped up with lots of action, a startling amount of gore, and happy endings for most of the main characters. … Continue reading Winter by Marissa Meyer →
It’s time for night number five of our Hanukkah celebration! Tonight is the fifth night of Hanukkah, and we’re all about Carrie’s favorites: history, fantasy, and reading all the things! I mean, everyone likes to read all the things, right? I mean, I do. Today’s giveaway prize is… Drumrolllllll please! A copy of the 200th Anniversary annotated edition of Emma by Jane Austen , edited by Juliette Wells, who was a podcast guest recently and talked a lot about the … Continue reading Smart Bitches Hanukkah Party, Part Five →
