The Steampunk Chronicles #1- The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross: Review

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 no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch... 

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's 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 and an unrequited love for 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, finally fit in. 

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on, even if it seems no one believes her.

The Girl in the Steel Corset is not my average book. Based on the summary, it's clearly complicated and not one of those shallow reads with the over-used plot. I finally was able to read this after it being on the pile for a looong time.

The Bad:
The predictable ending. This is the only flaw in the book I could find. I could easily guess who the Machinist was, and the mystery surrounding Queen Victoria was a tad bit predictable. But then again, maybe that's just me. The other stuff though keep you guessing til the end.

The Good:
The characters. Kady Cross created a truly unforgetable cast. From Finley, the mysterious girl with two personalities, to Griffin King, the orphaned duke with his own secret powers, to Emily, the sweet but amazingly brilliant girl who has a way with machines... I loved them all. Mysterious powers, flaws, strengths, and all.

The Awesome:
The plot. I love love LOVE the plot of this book. If Victorian England was anything like how it was shown in the book, then I would have loved to live in it. Kady Cross brilliantly created an England that is advanced in technology, and even mixed paranormal elements into the story. Not only that, there was romance, mystery, and TONS of action as well. This is truly a one-of-a-kind book.

The ending. The last chapter was perfect. It wasn't a cliffhanger, thank God. However, it left me wanting more. It left just enough mystery so that you would want to read the sequel. So in a way, it had a cliffhanger ending, but not an extreme cliffie. Which is good.

The rating:
I guess that just by reading my review, you already know I'm giving it 5 out of 5 stars. This book seriously made me love the Steampunk genre all the more. I mean, this had everything! Awesome heroine? Check. Crushworthy guy? Check. Action? Adventure? Mystery? Romance? Check, check, check, and check. This was by far the most unique book I've ever read. It doesn't matter what genre you like, this book has everything, so go read it now!

Oh, but before you do- and I strongly suggest you do- read its prequel novella first, the Strange Case of Finley Jayne.

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined…

It helps you appreciate Finley more and gives you a nice peek on as to what to expect. It's a short read, but really fun. I totally loved it, but compared to the amazingness of The Girl in the Steel Corset? It doesn't hold a candle.

Jen @ Midnight Book Thief

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I obviously loved this book. Did you as well? Are there any other reads like this, or is this really a one of a kind book? Let me know!