43) Ink & Bone by Rachel Caine

The Blurb :

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…

My Thoughts :

I don't know what I expected from Ink & Bone but it definitely wasn't what I got.  A follower of Rachel Caine, I couldn't miss the beginning of a new series but the blurb was already slightly off putting.  However I got a copy and I finally got around to reading it this weekend.

Everything was confusing from the beginning.  It was hard to follow how the world that Caine has invented really works.  Books are good? Bad?  I wasn't sure what the point was but after about a fifth of the book I started to understand what this world was like but I still didn't quite understand everything.

There is a lot of new jargon that was lost on me for most of the book and I didn't feel like everything was explained to a high enough level to really enjoy the obviously brilliant concept that the author has come up with.  Despite my problems following every single piece of the puzzle I did find myself quite engrossed in the story and eager to see what happened.

You can tell when an author has put substantial effort and research into a book when you realise that one of her characters names actually translates to 'Writer' which fits to the story extremely well.  However it made me wonder if I should take things personally as a Welsh person living in Vienna when in this world the Welsh are hated (or loved? another thing I wasn't sure of) and Austria doesn't exist anymore.

All in all this was a nice strong start to a series that is more complicated than it is enjoyable.  I won't say I will not continue the series but I do know that this is definitely a series that needs to be read close together.  I think the longer you leave between installments, the harder it will be to keep the facts straight and understand everything that has happened and is happening.

49) Prudence by Gail Carriger

The Blurb :

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama (Rue to her friends) is given an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female would under similar circumstances - names it the Spotted Custard and floats to India in pursuit of the perfect cup of tea. But India has more than just tea on offer.

Rue stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves. Faced with a dire crisis and an embarrassing lack of bloomers, what else is a young lady of good breeding to do but turn metanatural and find out everyone's secrets, even thousand-year-old fuzzy ones?

My Thoughts :

I absolutely adored the Parasol Protectorate novels by Gail Carriger and was extremely excited about this new series starring Prudence, the daughter of Alexia Tarabotti.  This was the series that made Steampunk a genre worth checking out.  The witty and outrageous dialogues were always fun, the stories exciting and the characters delightful.

Twenty years have passed and Prudence, or Rue as she prefers to be called, is all grown up and very much a combination of her parents characters.  The steampunk/paranormal setting that Carriger built up in the PP is ready and waiting for the Custard Protocol to take over. There are meetings and mentions of all the old folks we know and love from the Parasol Protectorate.  Actually it is quite fun to find Pru hanging out with the younger generation/offspring of the PP and finding out what they have been up to.

The ground work has already been done but that doesn't help Prudence at all.  In fact she is quite annoying.  Prim, her best friend, isn't much better either and while I liked Quesnel on some occasions I have to admit he got on my nerves too.  Percy is the most likable character but he is constantly presented as a weird man who isn't really needed but is actually the one they need the most.  All in all the characters failed to make me care for them and this alone made the book hard to read to the end.

If that wasn't enough to get around there was also the severe lack of plot.  I kept waiting for the whole trip to make sense, for something to happen that made an impact on the story or even a mystery to be introduced.  However it was just a trip to India that had some slightly interesting events involved which by the end quickly got pushed together in a roundabout way to have a reason for a second installment.  It wasn't horrible to read and it wasn't bad but it was frustrating and of course it lacked that certain something that makes you eager to keep reading.

While I love Carriger's style this time around it went a little overboard.  The fashion details were over the top and very silly while the dialogue was more often than not a little absurd.  The Victorian times had certain customs and the English language was different but there is a point where it is too much.  Carriger met this point and went over the limit in Prudence and her finally using Ladybird instead of Ladybug was only a slight relief.

I could continue to point out things that were annoying or possibly boring but it won't help anyone, not even me.  Why?  Because despite my nitpicking I still read this to the end and will of course read the next installment.  Really?  Yes!  This is the only Paranormal Urban Fantasy Steampunk author that I like and I want to go back into this world!  The whole concept is enough to keep me going back for more and maybe I won't pre-order the next book but I will get a copy of it at some point and I will most likely moan about that one too.

So Carriger fans and Parasol Protectorate lovers you have bee warned!  You are going to love to hate this one or just love it.  Or maybe just hate it.  Either way you won't find anything better in this genre!

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

85) The Curious Case of the Werewolf that wasn't, the Mummy that was, and the cat in the Jar by Gail Carriger

The Blurb :

A short tale of mummies, werewolves, and well preserved felines set in the world of the Parasol Protectorate.

Alessandro Tarabotti and his valet, Floote, are on a mission in Egypt when they encounter visiting tourists and things go all pie shaped. What is his real mission and will his Aunt Archangelica approve of his treatment of her cat?

My Thoughts :

I miss the Parasol Protectorate and when I saw this short story on Kindle I didn't even think twice about hitting the 'Buy Now' button.  Gail Carriger created something amazingly unique and entertaining when she gifted us with this paranormal steampunk series.  I would love to read more about Alexia but this prequel to the series is all about her father.

We hear so much about the man but never meet him in the series so it is nice to finally get acquainted with him after all this time.  It may only be a short story but for anyone who has read and enjoyed the series this is a chance to see how Alexia became who she is because it is very obvious that this man is her father.  Floote is always at hand in this story and he adds a certain flair to the story.  I won't talk about the plot because it would give away too much about this novella.  The title says it all really and anything else is a bonus.

If you read the series then you must read this.  If you haven't started the series yet then make sure you read this one first and see if you like the style.  I have to say that it is a suprisingly unusual but wonderful series and definitely one of my top reads ever.  This novella makes me miss the series even more but maybe the author will offer us some more short stories about Alexia's father.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

45) The Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina

The Blurb :

London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices . . .

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals . . .

My Thoughts :

I am always on the lookout for a new Steampunk series to sweep me off my feet.  Ever since Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate introduced me to the new genre I have been eager to get into more books dealing withe the strange machines and weird history.  However it seems that the Parasol Protectorate was either the best there is or it ruined all other Steampunk series for me.

This debut wasn't bad.  It had a lot of the quirkiness I like about the genre and it had some fun characters.  The story was pretty slow in the beginning and the second half read like a completely different book but there was some humour and fun with the pages.  The world building was poor and lacked a lot of information.  I didn't feel like I was in a different Victorian age with lots of machinery but a version of Downtown Abbey with better technology here and there.

Of course this book is more Young Adult than I would have liked and there wasn't anything very paranormal about it.  Two things that put me off slightly.  All in all I did like the book but there just isn't enough pull to make me rush off and read the next book in the series.  Maybe one day in the future when I have nothing to read (like that will ever happen) then I would definitely hunt down more about this Steampunk Lady.  However right now I have so many other books and series that I would rather invest my time in.

Well worth checking out if you are a Steampunk fan or like Young Adult books.  I am sure the rest of the series could be even more interesting than this first installment but as I said, I have too many other books to read and this one doesn't make it on my list of ones to read.

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

152) Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger

The Blurb :

Does one need four fully grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully grown guests?

Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised?). Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.

Now, as she sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than is apparent at first. A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

My Thoughts :

Gail Carriger is my favourite Steampunk author.  She mixes this weird and wonderful genre with the paranormal and adds a certain 'je ne sais quoi' that leaves you dying for more.  I adored her Parasol Protectorate series and enjoyed the debut to her new Finishing School series.  There is nothing more special or unforgettable as a Dirigible school filled with Young Ladies!  Unique and fantastic, this author never fails to expand your mind and imagination.  If you haven't already had the pleasure then you really should.

However this second part in the new series has left me feeling slightly unsure.  While it had all the ingredients of a super steampunk paranormal it didn't taste quite right.  I can't be more specific but as I was reading this sequel I wasn't really feeling the wow factor anymore.  Maybe I have become immune to the weird and wonderful goings on or the story just wasn't my cup of tea this time around.  Whatever the case this one fell a little flat.

Although don't be discouraged.  I am still happy with the progress made in the book and the interesting things that happened.  There is certainly more to come and I am going to be there ready to read it.  There is nothing that could stop me from continuing this Steampunk Harry Potter and I am looking forward to more strange happenings.

If you haven't tried this author yet then you are missing out on something very special.  I am not a huge Steampunk fan but this author will make you yearn for more with her fun and witty wrtitings.  If you aren't drawn to this Young Adult offering then definitely try out the Parasol Protectorate.  I had loads of fun with this series and will be visiting it again someday soon!

 

↑ Grab this Headline Animator