Book Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset

The Girl in the Steel Corset

by Kady Cross
Series: Steampunk Chronicles, #1
Release date: 24th May, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 473 (hardcover copy bought by me)

Summary from Goodreads:

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one - except the thing inside her...

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But not all Victorian girls have a darker side that makes them capable of knocking out a full-grown man with a single punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that makes Finley special - makes her one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities; Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin’s investigating a criminal called The Machinist - the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help - and finally be a part of something.

Review By Alaiel Kreuz:

Most girls would have to defend themselves against the rich, spoiled and cruel boys that thought they could do everything they wanted and never get in troubles. Most girls would find themselves at the mercy -or the lack of it- of those rich guys.
Fortunately for her Finley didn't need anyone to protect her... You see, she had a secret, one she couldn't even tell her mom or her loving stepfather because she was afraid of it, afraid they wouldn't understand. Afraid people would see her as a freak.
So when the son of her employee tried to take advantage of her she let go the strings of her control and let her strong and fearless side knock him out. After that all she could do was run away.

And the odds were on her side because the universe, destiny or whatever you may want to think put Griffin, who is the duke of Greythorne, in her path alongside the lovely Emily, the brut Samuel and the careless Jasper. With them Finley will face the truth about her past and her powers.

Personal opinion:
If I'm not mistaken this has been the first steampunk book I've read in my whole life. And honestly, I could't ask for a better host. What a book! It surely has made me love this genre a lot... and after finishing it I couldn't help but to pick up the next book, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (review coming very very soon) to know what was going to happen next.

First, the descriptions were marvelous. But I want you to understand this better so picture this: I had no idea of what to expect, ok? And I have a very vivid imagination (sometimes too much) so when an author describes the scene it helps me to create it in my mind, the better they describe it the better I can see it. Kady Cross did an amazing job here, not only she described the settings but also the clothes without falling into the small details that sometimes are boring.
I could love this book just for this but then we have the characters...

Finley: Kick-ass heroine without a doubt. Despite the fact that she doesn't really know what's going on with her and why does she have these two personalities she is strong enough to put her life in the line to save hew new-found friends.
Griffin: Duke of Greythorne. Despite his position he could't care less about parties and intrigues, he only wants to find his parent's killer and finish the work they were doing with the organites. Protective, loyal and handsome his power to control the Aerth comes very handy almost always.
Emily: Petite, cute and intelligent beyond all reason. She understands machines like nobody else and uses this knowledge to help Griffin and Sam to find The Machinist. You will want to hug her every time you read about her, just like Finley who finds a dear friend in Em.
Sam: Strong... no, scratch that, super strong. He is the only one that can match Finley in fact. After a horrible attack he has a very difficult time trusting in people and carries a huge grudge against Griffin and Emily for saving his life; but at the same time he loves them deeply and that creates a big conflict within the group.
Jasper: A carefree, funny and fast cowboy that after arriving to Englad becomes friend with Griffin. He also has a special ability that will come very handy for their protection.
Jack: Bad boy among bad boys. He is one of the biggest crime-lords of London and he knows it. After meeting Finley is obvious he is attracted to her and will show his affection in his own personal way... and Finley's dark side is also very attracted to him.

I could write more about all of them and tell you a lot of things that will make you love them but I can't do that so, why don't you pick up the book and meet them? They won't disappoint you at all.

Alaiel's Rating:

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