THE CLOCKWORK CROWN by Beth Cato

A Clockwork Dagger Novel, Book 2

Harper Voyage

June 9^th, 2015

978-0-06-231398-0

Fantasy Steampunk

Paperback

Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)

Obtained by Publisher

3.5 Hearts

Octavia Leander has survived an assassination and being captured by the Wasters, now on the run with Clockwork Dagger Alonzo Garrett, she has to figure out her growing powers and get some answers. The truth may rest with The Lady’s Tree, the source of her healing power but it’s in the one place they don’t want to go, the Waste. It’s a place where an evil spell transformed it to the barren place until a few people went there to lay claim to it in the last century or so. Now with bloody battles waging between the Wasters, who want independence from the royal court and the royal court who are determined to keep the waste under their thumb, both factions need Octavia’s powers to succeed. On the run, with a motley crew of allies and companions, Octavia has to evade killers in a world that with one false step will ignite into a bloody civil wart that will decimate the world she knows it.

THE CLOCKWORK CROWN is an engaging, entertaining read that will keep you on your toes from the very beginning. I didn’t read the first book so I was fearful I wouldn’t be able to understand some of the storyline but the author does a great job in making sure you are caught up and didn’t keep me confused with past mentions of the first book. I do highly recommend reading the first book before this one. I think it will give a better overview of how these two main characters end up together and on the run. That said, this is one fast paced story that leaves you breathless till the very end. I loved the different steampunk elements mentioned here like the giant mechanical animals that fight in an arena for sport. Add in familiar elements of this genre and you get a satisfying read from start to finish. I normally don’t go for this type of book but this duology just drew me in and captured my imagination. I liked the characters the best I think. Octavia is an engaging, independent woman who is determined to figure out why her powers are transforming. ‘Why now? Why her?’ is the theme through the second book and why do these two factions (Wasters and the Royal Court) need her so badly? Those questions and more are answered in THE CLOCKWORK CROWN to my satisfaction and delight.

It’s the cast of characters that just thrilled me to pieces. They are varied and quite entertaining. We get to see more of Octavia and Alonzo’s relationship, meet Alonzo’s family and meet some new people that I feel should have their own spin-off (calling for Miss Percival’s medician academy please). The author does an amazing job in capturing their individual personalities perfectly and made them intriguing as well as highly enjoyable as well. I was quite enthralled with all of them and felt the author does a great job in keeping the pace moving forward yet doesn’t get the story bogged down in details or with too many characters. There was a nice balance between the two that I felt made this book stand out wonderfully.

THE CLOCKWORK DAGGER is a fun, action packed story that will leave you scrambling for more. After initially disappointed that there were only 2 books in this series, I found the author has some novellas set in this wonderful world she created that I was thrilled to grab to read. Beth Cato delivers a delightful finish to Octavia’s story in a way that hit all my love buttons. If you enjoy a series that incorporates steampunk with fantasy and turns the genre on its ear with a fresh take on it then you will really enjoy this series. I am going to read book one first then this one again to really get a sense of who Octavia is and how she met Alonzo, the dashing Clockwork Dagger of the Royal Court. I bet that book is just as thrilling as this one.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

ETHER & ELEPHANTS by Cindy Spencer Pape

 

Publisher: Carina Press
Date published: Jul 20, 2015
ISBN: 9781459290259
Romance, Steampunk
E-book
Reviewed by Helen
Weblink: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/8D91AB28-5B5C-4FAC-819B-37DDA58BE2B6/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=%7bC8549AE4-505B-4B12-A258-E6E4C26622E4%7d
Obtained via publisher
Rating: 5



In this, the final Gaslight Chronicles novel, (at least for now), Sir Thomas Devere and the Honorable Miss Eleanor Hadrian are thrown together and forced to face up to the love they’ve had for each other for many years, and the different directions their choices, both good and bad, have led them. All this while dealing with missing children, a deadly alchemist, and the chance of evil taking over the known world.


Well, Cindy Spencer Pape has done it again. Another 83000-word book that grabbed me at page one such that I didn’t stop reading until it was finished eight hundred pages later. (Oops, sorry honey. You’re home already? I’m sure there’s something we can eat in the frig.)

All these characters are so alive, so vivacious, so completely three-dimensional. Ms. Pape truly has a gift for sketching in personalities with a few clever words here and there, until the reader feels like these are people she’s known for many years in real life. I also absolutely enjoy the author’s witty, understated, and slightly sarcastic humor that lifts the action scenes as well as the dialogue. There are several laugh-out-loud lines that ought to come with a “do not drink while reading” warning.
The plot was designed so various other members from the Hadrian family reappeared at times in the story, and it was great to catch up on how their lives were going as well. This is a large and varied extended family, and every one of the former heroes and heroines remains painted brightly in my memory. I loved revisiting them even just briefly.

The only faults I found with the book were minor, and due to the publisher rather than the author. There was a name change of a minor character which the proofreader should have picked up. Also the first paragraph of the “about the author” page is about the wrong author. Finally, I really don’t like Carina Press’ style of having POV changes mid-scene without line breaks. I find it disconcerting, and I’m sure other readers do as well.

This book was a wonderful way to spend a day. Fast paced, bright, filled with engaging characters, action, adventure and romance in a cleverly built steampunk world. A must read.


This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

The Diabolical Miss Hyde: An Electric Empire Novel by Viola Carr

Publisher: Harper Voyager
Date published: 02/10/2015
ISBN: 9780062363084

Fiction, Science Fiction / Steampunk
Print

Reviewed by Gabrielle (meingee@yahoo.com)
Weblink: http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062363084/the-diabolical-miss-hyde
Obtained via publisher
Rating: 3.5 Hearts

One of my favorite stories is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This book gives readers an interesting version of that story. I was intrigued and more than a little interested in this story. It seems that Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the infamous doctor and she has inherited the curse that her father was laden with. 

In this tale Eliza and her partner are trying to solve the latest crimes in an alternate nineteenth century England. Captain Remy Lafayette has been sent to town to assist Eliza in the investigation. There is chemistry between the two but is it Eliza or Lizzy that wants the captain? Can they solve the crimes before it is too late and is the Captain really there to help or has Eliza being looked at herself? As Eliza is trying to figure out just who is the killer she must deal with Captain Lafayette and the feelings he brings out in her.

Eliza’s story is filled with action and a bit of magic. I enjoyed the glimpse at this magical part of her world and the creatures that come with it. Hopefully there will be future books in which readers will be able to see and explore more from this part of the Eliza’s world.

I also thought that the relationship between Eliza and Lizza was a unique and intriguing one. I enjoyed seeing the difference between the two and how they reacted and communicated.

I was pulled in to a wondrous world full of interesting characters with this book. It has a steam punk feel to it and it moves nicely keeping ones interest.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

 

NOBLE METALS by L.A. Witt

Publisher:               Riptide Publishing            

Published:               July 14, 2014         

ISBN:                     978 1 62649 143 4

Genre:                   Romance, M/M, Steampunk

Book Format:          E-book

Obtained via:          Publisher

Reviewed by:          Helena Stone, helenastone63@gmail.com

Rating:                  4

When Robert Belton and his brothers reached Seattle it didn’t take them long to lose the money their father had loaned them to stake a claim in the Klondike gold fields. In order to survive, Robert has been working as a prostitute while trying to find a way to make it to Klondike, since going back home is no longer an option. When an attractive customer offers him the opportunity to travel north together, Robert doesn’t think twice.

Dr. John Fauth isn’t looking for gold. He is on his way to the gold fields in the hope of finding the platinum he needs for his revolutionary inventions. This is his last chance. If he doesn’t find the platinum and get his invention to work it will be the end of both his university career and his research.

Getting to Klondike is a dangerous and gruelling journey under the best of circumstances. The invaluable device John carries with him makes the journey even more hazardous. Three men are determined to get their hands on it and will do anything to either Robert or John to achieve their goal. And that’s before other prospectors discover what the device is capable off.

As the relationship between Robert and John slowly develops it becomes clear that they have far more to lose than ‘just’ riches and fame.

This was a fun, exciting and fascinating romance for a host of reasons.

The two main characters in this book were fascinating, both together and separately. Robert Belton finds himself working as a prostitute after he and his brother have lost the money that was supposed to take them to the gold fields. When Robert spends the night with Dr. John Fauth it is the first time he’s experienced anything resembling pleasure with a man and it is a revelation. Still, he will be travelling with the doctor for a while before he dares to believe that the man is more than just another ‘john’ and sees him as anything other than a prostitute.

Dr. John Fauth is a man on a mission. Determined to make it to the gold fields in order to find the precious metal he needs to make his invention work and his dreams come true he doesn’t realise how much danger he’s putting himself and his travel companion in. 

The mixture of constant danger and slowly developing relationship is perfectly balanced and kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could without missing a word. The suspense is constantly lurking in the background and the growing relationship between the two, at first glance incompatible, men takes the edge off while at the same time introducing a whole new level of tension.

Then there is the time and place in which this story is set; the most northern parts of America during the late 19^th century. Hordes are flogging to the Klondike gold fields to strike it rich before the precious metal runs out. But this is not quite the 19^th century as we know it. Thrown into the mix are automatons unlike any ever invented. The steampunk twist gives the story that extra level of originality without taking anything away from the underlying romance.

The story is mainly told from Robert’s point of few, but interspersed are diary entries written by John.  I liked this set up. It made a nice change from the more common switch between narrators while still giving us both perspectives.

As always Mrs. Witt’s story was a delight to read. Her writing is smooth, her dialogue sparkles and her plots are clever and never fail to capture me from the start. Noble Metals was a wonderful read and yet another confirmation (if I needed one) of this author’s talent for telling a captivating story.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.