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Review

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

by Kady Cross

First sentence:

London, The Age of Invention, late April 1897

“You're the very spawn of Satan and I'll not have you darken this door ever again.”

Summary:

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...

source: Goodreads

 

My opinion:

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is the prequel to the Steampunk Chronicles and tells the story of Finely’s life before she joins the group of Griffin King.

Finley is not quite normal and this gets her into trouble. She already lost a job due to her darker side but when she is offered the job as a companion of Phoebe, a girl her age soon to be married to Lord Vincent and Phoebe’s mum asks Finley to protect her daughter, Finley’s dark side proofs as a true blessing.

Finley is a wonderful main character. She stands up for what she believes in and even though she tries to fit in she knows that she will never be a part of society and deals with this knowledge the best she can. She soon befriends Phoebe and even though Finley is working for Phoebe’s family she has some sort of friend for the first time in her life. Not only does she have a friend in Phoebe but also her dark side turns out to be quite useful in the end.

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is a prequel to the Steampunk Chronicles and I would highly recommend reading it before The Girl in the Steel Corset.

The Books in the Steampunk Chronicles are:

·      The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles, #0.5)

·      The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles, #1) – read my review here

·      The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles, #2)

·      The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy (Steampunk Chronicles, #2,5)

·      The Girl with the Iron Touch (Steampunk Chronicles, #3)

·      The Wild Adventure of Jasper Renn (Steampunk Chronicles, #3,5)

·      The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles, #4) expected publication: May 20th, 2014

For more information about Kady Cross visit her Homepage, her Blog, her Facebook or Twitter page.

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Review

Curtsies & Conspiracies

by Gail Carriger

Curtsies & Conspiracies is the second book in Gail Carriger's Finishing School series!

You don't have to read Etiquette &Espionage before reading this one 

but I highly recommend it!

First sentences:

“Miss Temminnick. Miss Plumleigh-Teignmott. With me, please, ladies.” Sophronia glanced up from her household sums. She was glad of the distraction.

Summary:

Does one need four fully-grown foxgloves for decorating a dinner table for six guests? Or is it six foxgloves to kill four fully-grown guests? Sophronia's first year at school has certainly been rousing. First, her finishing school is training her to be a spy (won't Mumsy be surprised!). Secondly, she gets mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and has a cheese pie thrown at her. Now, as Sophronia sneaks around the dirigible school, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making clandestine climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a school trip to London than at first appears ...

Vampires, werewolves, and humans are all after the prototype Sophronia recovered in Etiquette & Espionage, which has the potential to alter human and supernatural travel. Sophronia must try to uncover who is behind a dangerous plot to control the prototype as well as survive the London season with a full dance card.

source: Goodreads

My opinion:

Curtsies & Conspiracies is the second book in the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger and as good as the all of her other books. The official publication date was November 5^th, 2013 but I found it at my bookstore on October 31^st and had to buy it. I might have done a little happy dance as well.

The book starts with Sophronia, Dimity and their friends being at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality for six months now. Every student has to undertake a test after this time period which decides if are allowed to stay at school or not. Sophronia solves the test with her usual knowledge and unconventional way of thinking but as she is declared the best of her little group of friends the girls start avoiding her and she can't figure out what she did to annoy them so much. Even Dimity, her best friend and roommate ignores her. Shortly after this incident it is announced that their school will travel to London which excites the girls tremendously.

Curtsies & Conspiracies is a wonderful sequel to Etiquette & Espionage and written in Gail Carriger's typical witty, funny and engaging style which I love so much.

Sophronia is a headstrong and ambitious lady who not only enjoys her education and her nightly trips to the sooties, especially Soap, but would do everything for her friends.

Dimity, Sophronia's best friend, is a typical lady and familiar with all ladylike behaviour, including fainting, flirting and blushing but is always there to help her friend when she needs someone to distract the people surrounding them or fashion advice.

Soap is one of my personal favorites. He is a sootie at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality and even though he thinks he stands beneath Sorphonia she sees him as one of her best friends. She can always count on Soap and I think he is the one who keeps Sophronia grounded at prevents her from becoming a lady (which is good, don't get me wrong here).

With Curtsies & Conspiracies Gail Carriger managed to created a wonderful sequel in a highly addicting Steampunk series and I highly recommend it for Steampunk lovers and those who are looking for a soft entry into this genre. Sophronia’s story is set before the Parasol Protectorate series telling the story of Alexia Tarabotti but we meet some already well known characters in the Finishing School series.

I cannot wait for Waistcoats & Weaponry to be published so that I can continue this amazing journey with Sophronia and all the others at Mademoiselle Geraldine’s Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

The books in the Finishing School series are:

• Etiquette & Espionage (read my review here)
• Curtsies & Conspiracies
• Waistcoats & Weaponry (expected publication: 2014)
• Manners & Mutiny (no publication date given yet)

For more information about Gail Carriger visit her Homepage, her Blog and her Facebook and Twitter page.

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Review

Soulless

by Gail Carriger

First sentence:

Miss Alexia Tarabotti was not enjoying her evening.

Summary:

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

source: Goodreads

My opinion:

Soulless is the first book in Gail Carriger's steampunk series telling the story of Miss Alexia Tarabotti, 27 year old soulless spinster, living with her horrible sisters, her terrible mother and her mother's new husband in Regency London.

Alexia is not one of the soft hearted girls. She and her trusty parasol are able to kill vampires and wound werewolves and those skills are needed right from the beginning of the novel onwards.

Alexia Tarabotti is one of the strongest female characters I came across in modern day literature. She lives in Regency London as a spinster, which makes her an outcast of society. She has to bear her sisters' mocking and her only friends are a gay vampire rove and a girl with terrible taste in dresses and hats. She does not take s**t from anyone and fights for her rights – if necessary with her trusty umbrella.

Lord Conall Maccon, the local werewolf alpha, head of BUR and originally from Scotland, initially has his difficulties with the feisty Alexia, especially after the hedgehog incident but after he realizes that he can be himself with her he gets more comfortable in her presence.

Gail Carriger's writing style is brilliant. The story is engaging and thrilling from the first page to the last and has some laugh-out-loud moments. I received strange looks on the train more than once. The main characters are a lovely bunch and I cannot pick a favorite because each and every one of them is special in his or her own ways. I really love Lord Akeldama, the gay vampire friend, and Floote, the butler who is super protective of Alexia and always seems to know everything and of course loyal Professor Lyall, the Woolsey werewolf pack Beta, who warmed my heart from his first appearance.

Soulless is a witty, funny and clever, Alexia is as un-Victorian as possible but still not out of place and the perfect protagonist. She will always get her way and is a strong female character in a predominantly male society, except for the Queen, of course.

If you like paranormal novels, steampunk or books with strong female characters – read Soulless. If you are not a big fan of vampires, werewolves and other paranormal creatures give this series a try. It might change your opinion on the paranormal genre.

The books in the Parasol Protectorate series are:

• Soulless
• Changeless
• Blameless
• Heartless
• Timeless

For more information about Gail Carriger visit her Homepage, Blog, Facebook or Twitter page.

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The Fascination of Steampunk

This was originally posted on the 6th of August on Once Upon A Time for Clockwork Carnival

Have you ever wondered what Steampunk is exactly?

According to Wikipedia:
“Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century. Therefore, steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the 19th century’s British Victorian era or American “Wild West”, in a post-apocalyptic future during which steam power has regained mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power. Steampunk perhaps most recognizably features anachronistic technologies or retro-futuristic inventions as people in the 19th century might have envisioned them, and is likewise rooted in the era’s perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, and art.”

Steampunk is up and coming not only in the YA genre but all over the place. Since 2009 many great  Steampunk series such as Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate novels (Soulless, Changeless, Blameless, Heartless, Timeless), Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy (Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath) and Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices trilogy (Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince, Clockwork Princess) were published and since 2003 with the release of the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen the film industry produced many Steampunky movies such as Van Helsing (2004), The Golden Compass (2007) and both Sherlock Holmes movies starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law (2009 and 2011 with a third film that should come out in 2015).

Everywhere you look Steampunk is a thing right now and everyone knows the term. Many can name certain books or movies that deal with this theme and almost everyone knows that Jules Verne’s works could be classified as Steampunk although he lived from 1828 to 1905.
In my family Steampunk is well known, not only because I read a lot and there are a fair amount of Steampunk novels on my shelves but also because my uncle and my cousin’s long-term girlfriend are huge Steampunk fans. Whenever I see my uncle we start talking about Steampunk and last year he decided to transform my aunt’s office into a Steampunky one. It matches their house perfectly and in June I finally had a chance to look at it and I have to tell you it is fabulous. My cousin’s girlfriend got Steampunk jewelry for Christmas and when I was talking to Hannah about her Clockwork Carnival I immediately had an idea for a blog post.

I asked my uncle, my cousin’s girlfriend and Hannah what fascinates them about Steampunk.
Here are their answers:
My uncle, who is so not a reader at all, told me that he is fascinated by the huge variety of things that can be seen as Steampunk. The small machines that consist of so many components and are all built with love and devotion, the different takes on Steampunk films, that Jules Verne experimented with this genre over a hundred years ago and that he is seen as the “Godfather of Steampunk”.

My cousin’s girlfriend sees Steampunk as something special and unique. For her those little hidden gems of Steampunk are those things that fascinates her the most. There are so many different ways of expressing your love of Steampunk and so many different people loving this genre.

I love the variety of Steampunk – it can be found in books, films, jewelry, fashion, etc. It is a way of life! Exploring all those different ways the genre expresses itself and stumbling over little hidden references towards Steampunk is something I appreciate a lot. Whenever I read a Steampunk novel I can see the story evolve before my inner eye because all of those I read are written so well and suck you into their world. Every time someone talks to me about Steampunk I see a dark, dusty and foggy London and cannot help but smile. For me this genre lives from the huge variety and the large amount of feelings it awakens in all of us. Steampunk is unique and combines the love of the old (aka Victorian times) with modern features (aka the machines and inventions) and a very special way of transporting them either via screen or via the pages of a book, which clearly is my favorite way of
experiencing Steampunk.

When I asked Hannah she wrote the following:
”Ooh good question.. Steampunk is unlike any genre out there. You find it as a setting for fantasy novels, a world in urban fantasy, and the stories in Science Fiction. It can be subtle and flamboyant and it is fascinating to see how different authors use it. However, it is also so much more. For many Steampunkians it is a culture and a way to express themselves. There are so many aspects to Steampunk and I love to explore them all.”

And with this wonderful declaration of love to Steampunk I will leave you now but not without asking you why you are fascinated with this genre and what is your number one book or film you can recommend me reading/watching?