By Kady Cross
Published by Harlequin Teen
Summary: 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.
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I was first pulled in by the cover. As soon as I saw it, I wanted to read it.
I loved how the author was able to make this steampunk feel natural. It was such a normal part of their world I didn't find it jarring to read. I also liked how even though it's YA it doesn't read as one. Since I'm over thirty sometimes I can find YA to be too young for me.
There is a great mix of characters so you're sure to find one you like. The fact that Sam didn't immediately like/trust Finley made me like him more. I dislike when a group comes together and is one big happy family within the first chapter. Finley was a strong (literally and figuratively) female lead. Trying to find the control over her evil side that comes out when she is scared/angry and integrate it with her relative normal side was interesting to follow. I liked both Griffin and Dandy but was glad that this didn't become another love triangle YA book.
Overall: I could not put this book down, I had to know what happened next and who was going to come out on top. I also liked how the ending led nicely into the next book without being a cliffhanger. What needed to be resolved in this book was.
Rating: 5
Totally agree with you, that cover sucks you right in. I like the way you describe the relationship between Sam and Finley--relationship development should happen at a reasonable pace, just like character development. Great review!
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