The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross
Genre: YA Steampunk
Publication: May 28th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Page Count: 384
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In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has....

I have to say that this book series is possibly one of my favorite depictions of Victorian steampunk out there.  Additionally, this series was the first to introduce me to the amazingness that was Steampunk.  Now, I'm definitely not going to try to describe what steampunk is because it takes forever and is considerably complicated since authors can go in so many directions for it.  Sadly, this series experienced a case of 'second book syndrome'.  It's not to say that it wasn't good, but it didn't reach up to the expectations of The Girl in the Steel Corset.  Fortunately, The Girl with the Iron Touch did not fall flat!

Would I say I am a faithful follower and lover of this series?  Yes times a million!  I love pretty much everything about it!  There's these evil and barely hard-to-destroy automatons, these velocycles (which are like motorcycles but cooler and more Victorian), little organites or 'beasties', superpowers, and cravats.  If that doesn't spell for a story of awesomeness, I don't know what will.

Finley Jayne, I think, will always be a favorite character of mine.  I loved the conflicting and polar opposite sides that she had to her in the first book, for it even created a type of mystery and danger to her.  Even though she's not all Jekyll and Hyde anymore, I still find her to be a very captivating and interesting character.  She never does want the assistance of a guy to help her, because she is fully capable of handling things on her own.  However, she doesn't automatically cross the line into martyrdom and actually knows when to accept help.  She, while having a very violent side and a very sweet side on occasion, is a well-balanced character.

And can I just say that I have been in love with Griffin ever since the first book?  Because I do.  As it so happens, I don't think that my love of him will ever die.  I'm not sure what it is exactly about him that makes me love him so much, but maybe it has to do with the fact that he will do anything to save and protect his friends.  He's got this whole tortured aspect to him, but I let that slide because unrequited love never quits.  On top of that, it has been proven that he is in need of saving more than anyone else in this series, and possibly that vulnerability about him and that honesty makes him a real and lovable character.

Action!  Plot!  Mystery!  This book has it all.  Things were unraveling, new characters were introduced (or reintroduced), blood was spilled, relationships were created.  In all, it was a fun time for all the characters (and reader).  There really weren't any dull moments.  The plot was fast-paced and all these things happened and it was all so awesome!  Alas, the writing wasn't all too amazeballs.  As in, there wasn't any lengthy, descriptive paragraphs on the streets of Whitechapel or things of the like.  That was fine, but it's just one of those things, ya know?  Like, it's almost superficial writing.

If you haven't read this series yet, I don't know what you could possibly be doing with your life.  Read the magnificence of Steampunk, read about the motley crew of misfit super power awesome people, and read about their epic story!  Read it all!

5 Splashes

Steampunk Strikes Again!

This lovely darling popped up in my accepted galley list on NetGalley and smiled at me. I read The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross as soon as I could because I have very grabby hands. It's quite unbecoming of me when I think of it in the long run, but the reward of reading awesome books just outweighs it. So as soon as I could, I downloaded the galley and delved deep into Cross' alternate Victorian world. I'll give you a little rundown of what steampunk means to me because anywhere you go, you can guarantee there will be a different interpretation of it out there. To me, steampunk is an alternate world that brings you back in time. It doesn't need to absolutely need to be in England, but it's an imagined Victorian era. To make it that imagined Victorian era, there must be some modern-ish technology thrown in there. There doesn't have to be computers in there, but the technology has to be advanced for the time period, but not far-fetched. In Kady Cross' steampunk world, it does take place in London, England. Girls wear trousers and have dread locks. How awesome! Plus, they're not as ladylike as would be expected of during the Victorian age. There are a bunch of gadgets and gizmos plus plenty of action. Automatons roam around the world, serving humans with their needs, but they have learned that they have a dark side.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "strange band of misfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade—the dangerous device Jasper stole from him…for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship. More than ever, Finley Jayne will rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley…and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Sam, more machine than man, finds his moody heart tested by Irish lass Emily—whose own special abilities are no match for the darkness she discovers on the streets. Now, to help those she's come to care for so deeply, Finley Jayne must infiltrate a criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much…

I had no doubt in my mind that I would absolutely love this book. As mentioned before somewhere on this blog, The Girl in the Steel Corset holds a small part of my heart. The world imagined is just amazing and I was left to the brink of insanity as I waited for The Girl in the Clockwork Collar to come out. What happened to Jasper? Please, please, please make Griffin and Finley kiss! Sam and Emily? How cute! What is Jasper up to? What did he do? Did he really kill somebody? WHY?!?! I must know know! The Girl in the Clockwork Collar starts off with Finley, Griffin and the traveling on a dirigible on their way to New York to hopefully help their friend. They arrive there in New York with intentions of finding Jasper at the local jail and somehow come up with a way to get him out. But things aren't what they seem and it creates problems for all of them. Jasper will have to face his past while Griffin battles with himself to control the Aether. Emily does her best as Finley's sidekick while Finley does her best to discover who she truly is now with both her evil and innocent sides fused together. It's all a fuddled mess that Cross' audience was left with and it continues until the end of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. We meet our new and completely evil super villain, Dalton. He's the big, bad guy who's got the hugest grudge on Jasper. With great and talented writing, we never do figure out why Jasper was the problem. Was Jasper even the problem, I would ask myself? Dalton truly was an evil gang leader. He wasn't afraid to kill people in cold blood and went after what he wanted, not caring of the consequences and not getting his hands dirty. He was nowhere near as dangerous as Jack Dandy was. Not at all . . . Not only was the main issue of the book having to find Jasper, but it was also how they would get out of New York. It kept me at the edge of my seat and I practically had to pry my eyes off the screen to get on my life. It was hard. There were moments where I felt as if I was going through book detox. Too long away from The Girl in the Clockwork Collar and I got twitchy. It was not a good time away. I give this awesome book 5 stars, because it deserved it in its' own right. I still feel as if the first book was better, but that could just be me favoring one plot over the other. The pacing was great and so was the imagery. I loved the tender and heated moments between Finley and Griffin and the intense fighting scenes. In all, it was just the best and a highly recommended book from me. It comes out in June, so watch out, people! And please, don't mess with Finley. She doesn't want to have to hurt you. ;)

In My Mailbox

Yes!  It's that time where I happen to do my first IMM!  This terrible week in school has been muted by the excitement from all the goodies I got in the mail.  That's just how good my mail has been to me.

Sorry for the bad quality.  Camera died.  iPod only option.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you.  Here, I'll start from left to right.  There is a Sweet Evil ARC with a signed book mark hanging out in the front of it.  In front of the book is Hunger Games nail polish I had ordered.  It's Smoke and Ashes :) I can't wait for my nail polish I have on now to chip off so I have an excuse to put S&A on.  Continuing the picture tour, there on top of the book are two Born Wicked stickers I had won in a giveaway.  In the center are a few signed Born Wicked book plates and a Hunger Games tee shirt sitting there.  There's also a Born Wicked magnet there.  And finally, on the right, I have one iron on patch for the Demon Trappers Series and a sticker, too.

Now, for email, I also got some gifts.  I'm talking NetGalley gifts.

Isn't it all so beautiful?  Oh, and since I'm new to this all, I'm going to be doing a giveaway soon!  Stay tuned!  Also, a review for Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe is soon to come!

On a side note, I don't know why I waited so long to get some Hunger Games stuff for myself.  Anyway, glad I did get them!

Now, I have to read and review!