Having said that, I asked myself why did I wait a whole month after release to read this? A book this good shouldn't have skipped my radar! Now that I've finished reading it, my heart is screaming for more!
Title: The Girl In The Steel Corset by Kady Cross
Pages: 477
Release Date: May 24th 2011
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Source: Senior Editor (Thanks, Anna!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
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 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.
Finley Jayne is not normal. She knows it, she feels it. Finley struggles to tame her "dark side" whenever it comes out, but she's been let go in her jobs because of it. When a young master of the house tries to take advantage of her, Finley got beaten up, escaped, and fell into the hands of Griffin King, The Duke of Greythorne. Griffin knew Finley was different, but instead of treating her like a freak, Griffin wants her to be a part of his home, one composed of people with strange abilities. As Finley struggles to take control of her two selves, she found secrets about herself with the help of Griffin, but can she help him with his duty of protecting their country, or be a threat to everyone instead?
I was introduced to Finley when I've read the prequel, and I share Griffin's fascination with her. It was like fate itself brought her into his arms when he run her over with his velocycle. Griffin knew Finley was like him, unique, different. Finley's allure to the readers stems from her two personalities, one calm and the other violent and strong. It was this two halves that make her the charming, determined girl who just wants to feel complete. Strong and tough when she needs to be, witty, and a great strength of character, Finley is a breath of fresh air as far as heroines are concerned. Who has the guts to dress in masculine clothes, let alone spar in jiujitsu with a man? Only she can do that! While wearing a steel corset!
Despite the abilities that makes Finley seem less human, Kady Cross provided her with a great backstory that links her to Griffin and Jack, and with these two guys readers get to see Finley not as a "freak", but as a girl, a teenager, torn between pursuing a man who accepts her dark side, and one who wants to help her overcome it.
Griffin on the other hand has his own secrets to hide. He was the Duke of Greythorne, the elusive, wealthy noble who protects their country. Griffin comes across as someone who has to grow up at a young age, assuming responsibilities fit for someone much older, but Griff does his job with great ease. He was intelligent, gorgeous, has a great sense of humor and an open heart. Down to earth Griff isn't hard to love and is a great male lead!
I am, however, greatly frustrated with the romance in this book. Despite the countless show of tender emotion (like faith, trust) and jealousy between Griff and Jack, nothing really happens. It felt a bit disappointing to think that the reason Griff was staying away from Finley was because of their differences in stature, but even if that's not the case, I find Griff's attitude towards building any romantic relationship with Finley very confusing and slow. He likes her but he's not doing enough to make something out of what they have. Stuck halfway between being friends and being something more. There was a lot left to be desired when it comes to Finley and Griff's feelings for each other and I hope they make significant progress in the next book.
Great supporting characters contributes greatly in the overall success of the plot. Kady Cross was able to give adequate time for the other characters to develop. Emily, Jackson and Sam are all great characters. The love triangle between the three is a welcome distraction if you are getting frustrated with Finley and Griffin. Sam, however, is a character I dislike. A guy blinded by jealousy, he spent most of his time wallowing when he was saved by turning him into a humanoid and got duped by the villain his group was supposed to get rid of. He was an asset who became a great liability.
1897 England felt like a whole new world for me. Kady Cross made me fell in love with this world filled with automatons, a cross between new and old, an era ahead of its time. The Girl In The Steel Corset has a steady, easy going pace that will suck you in, one page at a time, until you find yourself fully immersed in a world made convenient by machines, one being gradually transformed by technology into a modern society like ours today.
If you are craving for heart stopping action, danger, great surprises and machines capable of tearing the life out of you, then The Girl In The Steel Corset is for you! If you're looking for headstrong heroines and manic villains, this book is for you! If you're looking for charming lords with stubborn, but supportive friends, this book is for you! And if you are looking for a great book to start your journey into the steampunk world, this is definitely the book you have to pick up!
Thrilling, enjoyable and wonderful. What a way to introduce yourself into the Young Adult writing world, Ms. Kady Cross!
Content (plot, story flow, character):
The only thing preventing me from giving this is Sam and the fact that it seemed to so easy for the villain to be found out when he was supposed to be a "genius".
The only thing preventing me from giving this is Sam and the fact that it seemed to so easy for the villain to be found out when he was supposed to be a "genius".
.5Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!
Book Cover:
That is one breath taking cover!
That is one breath taking cover!
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
