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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. And Finley thinks she might finally be a part of something, finally fit in—until a criminal mastermind known as the Machinist threatens to tear the group apart….
Included for the first time in print, meet Finley in her first adventure The Strange Case of Finley Jayne the novella prequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset!
The moment she saw the young man walking down the darkened hall toward her, twirling his walking stick, Finley Jayne knew she'd be unemployed before the sun rose. Her third dismissal in as many months.
She tensed and slowed her steps, but she did not stop. She kept her head down, but was smart enough not to take her gaze off him. Perhaps he would walk right by her, as though she were as invisible as servants were supposed to be.
Felix August-Raynes was the son of her employer. At one and twenty years of age, he was tall and lean with curly blond hair and bright blue eyes. Every woman who saw him called him an angel. Most who knew him thought him the very devil.
The other maids in service had warned her about Lord Felix her first day in the house. A mere fortnight ago. He belonged to a gang of privileged ruffians known for their facial piercings and lack of respect for anyone else, especially females. She had been hired to replace the previous girl hurt by the young lord. Rumor had it that the maid had required serious medical attention.
Finley didn't court trouble, but part of her—that part that was going to keep her safe, yet get her fired—hoped he'd try something. It was horribly delighted at the prospect of the violence to come.
The rest of her was terrified. Were it not for the steel boning of her leather work-corset, she fancied her heart might slam through her ribs it was pounding so hard.
Lord Felix smiled, teeth flashing in the dim light as he stopped just a few feet in front of her, blocking the only route to the servants' quarters where she slept. The tiny brass bar that bisected his left eyebrow—and proclaimed him a member of the Dandies—glinted. "Hello, my lovely. I had hoped to run into you."
Finley hesitated. Maybe he'd move out of her way and let her pass.
Or, a voice in her head whispered—her voice—you could kick his teeth in. She lowered her gaze, not wanting him to see the bloodlust there. Silently, she willed him to let her pass. For his own safety.
Instead, he closed the scant distance between them.
"You're new, aren't you?" he inquired, moving closer. He was already much too close for propriety and there was no one around to make sure he didn't overstep his bounds. The light on the wall above them flickered as though attuned to the fluttering in Finley's chest. This close, she could smell stale ale, cologne and the undeniable oily scent of mech-boxing on his fine suit. Lord Felix was a great patron of the sport.
Though why anyone would want to watch automatons pound the gears out of each other was beyond her.
"Please, my lord," she said softly, wincing at the pleading in her tone. Please don't make me hurt you. "I wish to retire. It's late."
It was after three in the morning, to be exact. She would have been in bed hours ago were it not for the fact that the darling debutante of the house had demanded her pink riding habit be laundered for the morning. As Lady Alyss's maid, it was Finley's job to take the ensemble down to the laundry where the air was thick with hot steam and the smell of overheated gears. She had washed the clothing and set it to dry. Right now her blouse and short skirts were damp, and her feet were sweating inside her high, thick-soled boots. She wanted nothing more than to unfasten the many buckles and take them off, along with her corset. She was going to be up early to collect the habit for Lady Alyss to wear.
And now this annoying twit stood in her way. Finley didn't like it. The thing inside her truly didn't like it. She used to think of it as an imp on her shoulder, urging her to be naughty, but lately she'd come to think of it as less mischievous and more dangerous.
Dangerous to whoever threatened her.
Lord Felix propped a palm against the plaster by her head, turning so that he pinned her against the wall with his own body. "What's the hurry?" he asked, beer breath hot on her face. "Don't you like me?"
Finley held her tongue. If she opened her mouth she'd tell him exactly what she thought of him, and she needed to keep this employment. She needed to get out of this situation without either of them getting hurt.
He slid his other hand behind her, down her back to her backside and squeezed. "Don't you want to make me happy? Smart little girls want to make me happy."
Finley turned her head as his face came down toward hers, and narrowly escaped being kissed. His wet mouth landed on her ear instead. She shuddered. "Please, my lord. Let me go." For your own sake.
His lips fastened on her neck instead. Nausea rolled through her stomach and then suddenly stopped as she felt his palm against the striped stockings that covered her thigh. He wasn't going to cease. He wasn't going to let her go. He was going to take what he wanted, because that's what rich young men did to girls under their control.
But she wasn't under anybody's control. Not even her own. She could feel it fracturing as something deep inside fought to get out.
Finley brought both hands up and pushed hard against his chest. He flew backward, hitting the opposite wall with enough force to crack the plaster.
Lord Felix stared at her, in both shock and outrage. "You nasty tart," he snarled as he brushed dust from his sleeves. "Like a bit of the rough, do you?"
"You've no idea," Finley heard herself reply coolly. "But make no mistake, my lord, I do not like you, so keep those damn hands of yours to yourself."
The young man's face reddened and his eyes shone with anger. "Bitch. No guttersnipe servant talks to me that way." He straightened and took a step toward her, shrugging out of his purple velvet frock-coat. "Someone needs to teach you a lesson."
She didn't see the blow coming, but she certainly felt it when it hit. Her head jolted back under the force of his fist, striking the wall. Lights danced in the darkness of her eyes as pain shot through her skull. But she did not pass out.
It would have been so much better for Lord Felix if she had.
She could feel blood trickling from her mouth and she wiped at it with the back of her hand. Vision finally clear, she saw that Lord Felix had also removed his waistcoat and was now rolling up his sleeves. The excited glint in his eye told Finley exactly what kind of lesson he intended her to "learn."
Something inside her stretched and pulled—still fighting to get out. There was no point in denying it anymore. She had been raised in a loving home with her mother and stepfather—a kind and honest man who doted on them both. He would never dream of such violence—no good man would.
But Lord Felix August-Raynes was not a good man. And it was time someone taught him a lesson.
The warm rush of familiar power brought a slight smile to her battered lips. She gave up all attempts to keep it reined in. It was the only way she'd survive this night with her virtue and bones intact. It was as though she was watching herself from a perch on the ceiling—all she could do was observe as her other self took over. Her boots shifted on the bare floor, right foot forward, left foot back and pointed out. She raised her fists.
"Coming back for more, eh?" Felix grinned at her. "I like a little fight in my girls."
She grinned at him, causing blood to dribble down her chin. "Then you're going to love me." The voice was hers, but deeper and throatier than she'd ever heard before. It was a dangerous voice, and even Felix paused at the sound of it.
Finley, however, did not pause. She drove her fist right into her attacker's throat. He staggered backward, eyes wide with shock as he coughed and choked and struggled for breath.
She bounced on her feet, waiting for him to recover. She should run and hide. She should be gasping in fear, lungs constrained by the tight lacing of her corset. But she wasn't afraid anymore and she wasn't about to run. She was going toÂ…
But first, a little fun. She hadn't hit the bully as hard as she could have. She was going to let him think he stood a chance first.
When Felix recovered enough to come at her again, she was ready for him. He swung and she ducked, landing another punch to his kidneys. When he doubled over, she grabbed his head and brought her knee up fast. Unfortunately, the layers of skirts she wore softened the blow. He struck her in the stomach, knocking the breath from her, and then hit her in the face again. She fell to the floor, rolling just in time to avoid being kicked by one of his boots.
She'd never been struck before—not like this. She'd never felt as though someone meant to kill her—or didn't care if they did. She gasped for breath against the polished wood floor, rolling again when he struck out with his foot once more. She moved faster than she should have, the pain from his blows already easing.
He called her all kinds of horrible names—guttural and nasty sounding. But instead of making her feel awful or frightening her, they only made her want to hit him all the harder.
She pulled herself to her feet. Her stomach and face ached, but not like it should have. It never hurt like it should.
Her hands grabbed Lord Felix by the front of his shirt. She pulled him toward her, hard, and smashed her forehead against the bridge of his nose. There was a snapping sound just before he screamed. Finley thrust him backward, satisfaction tickling her when she saw the blood coursing down his face.
He was good and mad now. He raised a hand to his nose, and when he saw the blood on his fingers, he made a growling sound in his throat. She'd ruined his pretty face and now he was going to make her pay for it. She smiled. Or rather, he was going to try to make her pay for it.
He came at her again, like a bull. Finley didn't think, she simply reacted and took two quick steps forward. With that slight momentum, she lifted her right boot to the wall and pushed up, grabbing the scrolled brass of the wall sconce for support and whipped her left leg out.
She kicked him in the face.
He keeled over like a milk bottle knocked off a step, hitting the floor with a solid thump. He lay there, motionless, an imprint of the heel of her boot smack in the middle of his forehead, blood trickling from his already swelling nose.
She hopped down from the wall and went to stand over him, victorious and self-satisfied. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, making her practically dance in her boots. Lord Felix had promised to teach her a lesson, but he was the one who had been schooled. He'd think twice before laying a hand on another girl.
But Finley's satisfaction was short-lived. In fact, it was over at almost the precise moment when she looked at Lord Felix's face. He was so still, so pale except for the blood. What if he was dead? All the fight whooshed out of her, leaving her trembling and cold in its wake.
"What have I done?" she whispered.
What you had to.
She felt his neck for a pulse, relief engulfing her as she found it. She hadn't killed him. At least she wouldn't hang. But she had still attacked the son of a peer of the realm and there would be consequences.
Three jobs in three months and they'd all ended with an experience like this one, although this was by far the worst.
She'd been let go from each position because of her behavior, something that had released this thing inside her. Urges to act in a way that was far from civilized, far beyond what she as a young woman should be capable of.
They'd bring the law down on her for this. They'd lock her up. Or worse, use her for scientific experiments in New Bethlehem Asylum—Bedlam. And they would experiment on her once they realized she was abnormal.
Run, the voice inside her whispered. Run away.
Listening to the voice had gotten her into this mess, perhaps this time it would get her out. There was no way Lord Felix wouldn't exact retribution upon her for harming him—either by finishing what he'd started or by bringing the authorities down upon her. There was no way she was going to let him do what he wanted to her. No way she'd risk having her brain dissected for giving him less than what he really deserved.
So Finley listened to the voice and ran.
Laurab68
Posted April 6, 2011
Finley Jayne is a bit of an enigma. When angered she becomes this fighting machine and can take down just about any bloody bugger she wants. Watching her fight is cool too. But for Finley, she can't control it and it's getting worse. A bit like Jekyll & Hyde, this story is amazing.
I'm very stingy with my 5 parasol ratings. But this story totally deserves it and more. It's brilliantly written. Amazingly executed, this is the type of story that I love to read. It's Steampunk, It's romantic, It's got a gothic feel to it. There is danger lurking around every corner.
Griffin King is special as well. He can access the dead when necessary. So when Finley literally bumps into him and his friend Sam. He feels a connection to this girl and decides to bring her into his house. But you see, Griff is not what he seems. He is the Duke of Greythorne and is probably one of the wealthiest and most eligible bachelors in all of England. (Commence the swooning, Griff rocked my socks off!)
Griff's best friend, Sam is highly skeptical of this girl who is utterly dangerous living under the same roof. But he's got a reason to be skeptical. See Sam was fatally injured by an android-type thing and Emily (brilliant Em who lives with Griff and Sam and Sam is a bit sweet on) patched him together with the same material that tried to destroy him. Sam is not thinking well.
There were a few storylines here that tied up neatly and like I said it was all executed so well. Like a finely spun spiderweb. Griffin is still reeling from the deaths of his beloved mother and father and wants to find the killer at all cost. His attraction to Finley causes everyone to question his motives in keeping her around. But he seems to be the only one who can calm her two selves into one calm being.
I absolutely adored this story and would love to read more like this. This is Kady Cross' debut YA novel and highly recommend it.
19 out of 20 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 22, 2011
There are very few books that a hardcore steampunk writer like me will nerd out this much to. It has gotten to the point that i am curling up in my bed and squealing at every thoroughly steampunky or romancy thing that happens. I have not been so bloody nerdy since i read Phillip Pullman's notorious steampunk trilogy, His Dark Materials, for the first time. The writing style is fantastic and bloody intriguing, and the plotline is fast paced and keeps even someone like me with ADHD interested for hours. Even for a book geek such as myself, who can outline nearly any plot just by reading a short summary that doesn't give away many vital details (forgive me, I read so much that very little surprises me in books now), I am having a hard time predicting much of the book's events. This book is well worth the read (worth it even to a book snob). :D
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.CarolineBarnett
Posted August 8, 2011
I came across the Girl in the Steeel Corset when happening across the website in a web scavenger hunt. It was fun and I tried a lot of promising books, this being one of them. Read one chapter. ONE! and I was hooked. *This review will have NO SPOILERS!* I encourage reading. The gist of a non spoiler intake on the book is that Finley is no ordinary girl. Most girls can't knock a man flat in one punch (although that'd be SO cool) and as she tries to find yet another place she happens across Rich boy *ahem* Griffin and his "gang" of people all with their own abilities. What kind? Well, here;s an idea..READ THE BOOK!! it's really, quite good. ANYWAY! Just when Finley had a sliver of being excepted her world is turned up side down. Thrown together in the mix is a love triangle, a robot, here and there, and a strange corset that seems to be made out of metal (thus the title) Anyway I love it and I think that you will too. Enjoy and kudos to Kady Cross for a wonderful book. Two thumbs up!
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I have to say that most of my steampunk experience involves zombies and werewolves and other delightful bumps in the night. While The Girl In The Steel Corset lacks in this domain, it tackles steampunk in its most basic of essences and gives us a fantastic world where Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde, and artificial intelligence battle for supremacy.
The world that Kady Cross imagined is magnificent and well-done in its intricacies. Machines have been integrated into society, but not quite at the peak where they can think for themselves. Aether seems to hold endless possibilities - out-of-body traveling, dual personalities, ghostly visitations, impressive strength, fast healing times, and most likely even more to discover. It was awesome, and the best part is that the characters were also exploring the world that they live in so I didn't feel like the only one in the dark.
I enjoyed all the characters, most particularly Jack Dandy, but I wished we had spent a little more time with them! Each had their own spotlight, but it seemed to last a moment too short before rushing off to the next character, the next piece of the puzzle. I wanted a little more insight on what made Griffin tick. Orphaned, bred as a duke but not really elbow-deep in society and marriage prospects, full of mystery and emotions unknown, Griffin still seemed too stiff for me to root for. If Finley's heart boils down to Griffin and Jack, count me in as Team Jack!
The Girl In The Steel Corset reminds me of Kelley Armstrong's Darkest Powers trilogy without the paranormal aspect, but with similar group of characters who have powers unimaginable but also uncontrollable. This first installment has not quite dazzled me, but I look forward to seeing if the sequel will continue to expand this world and give these characters more edge now that the introductory stuff is done.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.First off..this was a new genre for me, but I was introduced to it thru the Harlequin Teen site and I think I am hooked. I loved the scene being Victorian London, with the modern age just staring and the idea of steam powered vehicles and things. The fashions that Finley Jayne gets to wear are so amazing and each scene I wanted to slip into the same corsets and clothes and walk the gritty streets of London. Kady Cross does a great job of bringing steampunk and amazing characters together in a book that will have you pulled in before you know it.
The character of Finley Jayne is a very strong female character that from the beginning scene is someone you don't mess with. She may look all petite and feminine, but she has two aura's. She comes by it naturally, her father was the original Jekyll and Hyde and seems she has the same affliction. But after a chance run in(quite literally) with the Earl of Greythorne, she lets him help her control the darker side of her life, and she in turn helps him defeat a bad guy bent on destroying everything with automatons that are more lifelike than can be believed. The story is very believable and while the steampunk side is very fantasy based, you really believe after a few chapters that it could happen in this alternate world. The romance that buds with the Earl Greythorn and Finley is nice and I also love the naughty romance between her and Jack Dandy, the head of a London gang. The ending is in a perfect cliffhanger and I know I will be ready to get my hands on the second book as soon as it hits the shelf.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.shakebag
Posted August 3, 2011
The Girl in the Steel Corset is inventive, and enjoyable action adventure set in an alternate Victorian London of 1897 where automatons, robots, steam and clockwork technology are a normal part of everyday life. We are introduced to Finley Jayne, the 16-year-old heroine, as she is confronted by unwanted sexual advances of her employer's son. When she refuses, he tries to beat her. But Finley is no ordinary servant girl. She has something inside her that she can't control -a dark, violent, vengeful side to her that has tremendous strength, agility and cunning. You do not want to get her angry. The young man of the house, who is known for his advances and violence to other servants, gets his come-uppance in the form of a brutal ass-kicking of his own served to him with the fists and boots of none other than this unprepossessing little servant girl. After fleeing the scene, she quite literally runs into the the Duke of Greythorne, Griffin King, who takes her in to his little band of misfits. He can see, control, and become one with the Aether, the universal energy that is everywhere, inside and all around us. Sam is part robot, after being almost killed in a horrible battle with a rogue automaton. Emily is a scientific genius and inventor and expert in medicine. Jasper is an American cowboy with a questionable past. Together, they are investigating a series of automaton attacks masterminded by a criminal called The Machinist.
She soon finds out that Griffin's and her own parents have a shared past that include the discovery of the life-giving Organites - tiny little creatures that attach themselves to human tissue and copy the bodies own cellular composition. When applied to wounds they can rebuild flesh and heal injuries. Finley also discovers that her father conducted experiments on himself by ingesting concoctions that included Organites when she was conceived, and that he was also the man who was the inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
This novel is perfect introduction to steampunk genre for a teen audience. There is romance, mystery, action, adventure, cool gadgets and inventions as well as a kick-ass heroine who is learning to control and join both the light and dark parts of her psyche. The struggle inside Finley Jayne is universal. We all have dark and violent thoughts, but she gets to explore and act on those impulses, kicking some serious butt and speaking her mind in a repressed Victorian society, full of manners and proper social etiquette. I would love to live in this world! The novel has the group dynamic of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in a good way. In the end, the climax was resolved a little too easy for my taste, but with such a talented group of misfits, what possible crises could they not overcome? We will know eventually, because this is the first in a series. I am looking forward to the next book in The Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross. If you can't wait for the next book in the series, why not download the 78-page prequel novella starring Finley Jayne for free on your NOOK. Search for the eBook titled The Strange Case of Finley Jayne by Kady Cross.
3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cubicleblindnessKM
Posted July 23, 2011
The very first thing that stood out to me while reading was that this book changes point of views between characters. I did think that when I picked it up that the story would be told only from Finley's perspective, but was very pleasantly surprised to see that it does jump around.
Why I say pleasantly surprised is because I actually liked Griffin's perspective the best. I liked Finley just fine, she was not my favorite character, but I just thoroughly enjoyed all the parts told from Griffin. He sees Finley different than she sees herself and I liked the way he thought. There are a handful of characters that join together in this one and I favored Griffin and Emily the most. But everybody always has their favorites. I was just surprised at the way the author handled telling the story in different ways and perspectives.
I did have a love hate relationship with Finley though. In the beginning of the book I saw a strong kick ass character who was definitely going to change some minds about how women should act. But then later in the book she seemed to me to become very unsure of things and question herself often. There was a very specific scene when Sam attacks her, a very understandable situation, but she really does not fight back until he has really beat the crap out of her. I expected her to fight back immediately, but her hesitation or confusion just made me very frustrated with her in general.
I really enjoyed the plot twists and the exchange between the characters. What I liked most about the book is that it keeps a really even pace throughout. You get constant movement and when you get the high and low moments it is presented so well that the flow of events was a very pleasant reading experience overall.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Icecream18
Posted August 18, 2011
This is part of a new genre, Steampunk. The reader's first impression of the novel will be...that not much is different from, say, fantasy or just plain young adult. This novel was interesting in that the author seemed to know a fair amount about machines; however, it was very confusing in some parts. The main character, Finley, is a ballsy character in some portions of the novel, and, at random, it will seem as if her courage peters out...for instance, there is a fight with her and another character that just seemed very unwarranted and silly. The secondary characters are interesting to meet, but not necessarily fun characters to read about...Jasper was amusing though.
The plot was different, the reader kind of has to figure out the plot though...he/she will probably catch on in the middle of the book. The ending was a little disappointing too, it doesn't always have to be HEA (happily ever after), but it was a little of a non sequitur. This book was overall ok, but it probably won't make the reader "awed" by this new genre.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2013
I dislike Finley Jayne. Too Mary Sue of the Badass Stereotype.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 28, 2012
Despite having a love of children's, young adult, tween, and adult lit, I could not find anything about this novel to make me want to recommend it.
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 5, 2012
This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting but I was by no means disappointed. This book is both technical and emotional. The characters are never dull and almost all of them are multi-sided. The action scenes are well described as are the machines throughout the book. There is a love triangle but it's less annoying than in most teen novels, she doesn't even consider romance for a huge portion of it. Over all I loved it!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 15, 2012
I liked this book, and completely fell in love with the characters of Sam and Emily. However, I found Finley's likableness decreasing in every page until I could barely stand her. I also really disliked the whole love triangle with Finley, Jack, and Griffin. All in all, good, but it could have been a thousand times better.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 28, 2012
Why are the two book cheaper then the one book?
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 31, 2012
Worth the read........:)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.BananaMilk
Posted April 23, 2012
For a series that is called "The Steampunk Chronicles" the world lacked a lot of steampunk ideas. One big idea for steampunk books is learning how the world adapted differently than ours did and how integrated these steam inventions are into everyday life. In this book, the invention that it is titled after, the steel corset, has nothing really to due with steam workings and is described as having working and moving gears, yet serves no other function than a pretty piece of armor, thus making the gears decoration, an idea very un-steampunk. Also, instead of coming up with clever ideas for lighting and power, it is all explained away with a "mysterious ore" that powers everything, with no other explanation. The inventions that were more classically steampunk were unoriginal and hardly explained.
As for the story itself, though interesting in concept, a lot of the plot points seemed to happen to the characters rather than the characters doing something for themselves. Finley's conflicting emotions are very shallow and seem to only be in place to create a tension that seems to be missing for the plot of the book. Each character seems to have an interesting story and powers, and yet everyone seems to only be superficially explored. Even the villain could have been explored at a greater length, better understanding why he did what he did, but once again the reader is left with nothing more than a shallow understanding. Though I was hoping for an interesting plot with maybe some romance on the side, or at least have the romance intertwined with the plot, instead I found it was more of a romance that just happened to have other things going on in the background.
1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 24, 2012
I loved this book a lot more than I expected. I felt the ending left me hanging...is there a sequel? I'm ready for the next one
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 9, 2011
This was an immensely interesting book. In it there are so many unique twists that you wouldn't see coming. The main character Finley Jayne is not the typical helpless girl that you would usually see in the late 1800's. This book makes you fall in love with the character's. I highly recommend it especially if you like to read the out of the ordinary type of books. Timber Creek High School Student Class of 2012
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 25, 2011
I loved this book! I was smitten with the book from the first 10 minutes of reading it. I could not put it down. I believe it says on the cover something like...But no normal girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a grown man with one punch. As soon as I read that I knew this was the book for me.
The girl in the steel corset was a book that I can see myself reading over and over again. I loved the main character, Finley. Actually, I enjoyed all of the characters. I am very excited that this is going to be a series of books. I cannot wait for the next one to come out.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 8, 2011
This books starts with a great deal of promise, but about midway through, quickly takes a turn for the worse. The premise of the book is interesting and in the beginning the dialogue and story grabs you, but that does not last. The writing becomes too wordy, the characters seem ridiculously childish & immature, there is too much repetitive descriptors (ropey was used to describe Emily's hair oh, about a zillion times), the "love triangle" never develops at all, the "action" is about as anticlimatic as you can get. If you figure a book as a line, there should be many peaks and valleys in that line. This books was about as straight a line as you can get. The only high point to the book was Jack Dandy (one third of the supposed love triangle). He is intriquing and mysterious and we don't learn much about him and I definitely would've liked to know more, for example...why is his speech so mangled when he can speak flawlessly at times? What is he hiding? There seems to be a great deal of depth to him, but we don't learn anything and as bad as this book ended, I won't be reading the sequel if there is one. I had to force myself to finish this book & skipped over many passages and only read the sentences that were actually dialogue. I was sorely disappointed in this book, which was even more disappointing since the beginning seemed to have so much potential.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 15, 2013
**3.5 Stars**
MY OVERVIEW: I was originally going to give this book a 4 star review, then upon consideration decided to go with 3.5. I picked up this book hoping for a lot of steampunk, and instead got a lot of awkward romance.
PROS: I really enjoyed the steampunk aspects of the book, as well as the mystery. In my opinion Emily is the strongest and most developed character. She seemed to have some depth that the other characters lacked. Except for maybe Sam. His character was pretty complex.
CONS: It was hard to get a good understanding of who Finley was. Because of her personality separation, you never really get a good grasp on her. She was also getting annoying with her “I like Griffin. No, I like Jack Dandy. I can’t be with Griffin. I shouldn’t be with Jack.” Arg. Love triangle.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS: Will I read the next one? Probably, but it is somewhat low on my priority list. I will most likely pick it up when I feel like reading a steampunk-lite book.
Overview
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no oneÂ…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, ...