A book review and a novella review

I couldn’t stop reading so I decided to give you guys 2 reviews in one post.

First, my thoughts on The Girl with the Iron Touch:

In this book, the gang is back in London and after everything that has happened, the adventure still isn’t over. Trouble seems to follow this gang anywhere they go and the events that transpired in this book have been the most disturbing so far.

First things first, based on the title, it’s obvious that the main focus of this book is Emily and her special ability to communicate with machines. As it was mentioned in the blurb, Emily is kidnapped by automatons and you will not believe the reason why. I am not going to spoil it for you all though but it does have something to do with the group’s nemesis. He might not be entirely gone after all.

However, the story showed just how strong Emily is as a person. We get to know the girl behind the brilliant mind and what has happened to her in the past may shock you. You wouldn’t think that a girl with as big a heart as Emily has been hurt in the past. Knowing this and seeing her drive to still love has made me love her all the more.

Another character that is going through tough times in this book is Griffin. In the last book, he was attacked by this dark spirit while he was in the Aether. He didn’t know what it was at the time but now, he does and it’s not good news. Griffin is being haunted and it is taking a toll on him and his budding relationship with Finley. However, Finley takes matters into her own hands and does her best to help Griffin, especially after Emily is taken. Oh and just so you know, there is a lot more action in the romance department in this book. Use your imagination.

Now, there is a new character that we meet and she was also pretty integral to this book. This is the character were first “introduced” to in Jack Dandy’s novella but we get to know more about her in this book. Her name is Endeavor 312 or “Mila”. Take note of this girl. She is not what she seems but she was an interesting character to know and I hope to know more about her in the next book.

All in all, exciting story line, romance is blooming and the nemesis back. The gang has a lot on their hands.

Second, my thoughts on The Wild Adventure of Jasper Renn:

In The Girl with the Iron Touch, Jasper doesn’t come out as much because a friend of his called on him for help. This novella tells us who that friend is and what she needed help with.The friend is Wildcat or Cat, one of Jasper’s flings from across the pond. She had come to London to look for her sister. When she came up empty with her only lead, she went to Jasper for help and sparks started flying once more.

In this novella, we get to go into Jasper’s mind as well as Cat’s. These 2 feel something for each other but yet keep on pushing each other away. The chemistry is so obvious! But things ended up going very well for these guys and the gang now has an additional member.

Let’s see what the last book in the series holds for the gang. I’ve already started reading and things are already going wrong.

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING!

 

Now Reading (from my Kindle): The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

Let’s go! Let’s go! The gang is back in London and I want to know what awaits them!

The Blurb:

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, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily. 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…

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING!

Novella Review: The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy by Kady Cross

This novella was short and pretty packed. It’s no wonder I finished it pretty quickly.

We actually get to see different sides of Jack Dandy here. We get to see how he conducts his business and we also get to see a softer side to him which apparently started when he met Finley. We also get to know a little about his background and what drove him to start his business. Abandonment and betrayal can be very strong motivators. He has had a tough start to life but as we see now, he’s doing his best to make the most of it.

The story of this novella tells of Jack being called upon to do a job for a viscount. He was led to believe that it was just going to be a simple retrieve and delivery but it turned out to be way more than he thought. The job actually triggered feelings in Jack that he normally doesn’t feel. He knows how to cut himself off emotionally. So when he found out what he was delivering, he started to feel wary and even guilty. He knew something was not right but he still finished the job.

I swear, when that twist happened, I was freaking out myself. I felt bad for Jack but I want to know how it all ends. I want to know if he’ll be able to find the crate he delivered again. So now, it’s off to the next book in the series!

HAPPY READING! 🙂

Now Reading (novella): The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy by Kady Cross

First things first. I have to read this before I can continue with the Steampunk Chronicles. Time to get to know the enigmatic Jack Dandy…

The Blurb:

Before he makes his appearance in The Girl with the Iron Touch, Jack Dandy had an adventure of his very own. Learn how his actions set the plot in motion in The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy, a short teaser story from author Kady Cross’s Steampunk Chronicles.

Jack Dandy didn’t become prince of the London underworld at barely twenty-one by being softhearted, even if a certain girl in a steel corset has wormed her way into his affections of late. He knows how to manipulate, charm and rob people blind.

And if his criminal activities embarrass his aristocratic father, so much the better. So when a friend of Jack’s father hires him for an underhanded job, Jack is happy to oblige—for an outrageous fee, of course. Delivering a mysterious crate seems like an
easy task—until Jack realizes just what is inside…

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING!

Book Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Wow… Talk about twists and turns! There was a lot to deal with in this book and I don’t know where to start.

Okay so, in this book the gang heads to New York to try and get Jasper out of the mess that he is apparently in. But that brings a whole new adventure since this isn’t their territory and Jasper never really mentioned it. He did try to in the last book but he was interrupted. I kind of felt bad for Jasper in this book since the story centered around him and his predicament. He just got mixed up with the wrong group of people and even though he tried to escape it, it caught up to him. Luckily, he has a new group of friends who did not give up on him.

Speaking of those friends, they also had their issues. Finley and Griffin in particular. In the last book, Finley was having a hard time handling both sides of herself. But now that both sides have merged into one, her main trial is finding out who she is as a person. This unknown brought out trust issues particularly with Griffin. Finley has never really had anyone to trust beyond her parents so trusting someone new, especially one who happens to come from the same class as those who have tried to hurt her, was hard. This put a strain on her relationship with Griffin. However, even though her dark side liked the excitement that came with being on the wrong side of the law, her allegiance to Griffin, Emily, Sam and Jasper never really wavered. You will actually see that in the book. It was like once the adrenaline ran out, Finley’s head cleared and she knew whose side she was really on.

For Griffin, besides trust issues with Finley and dealing with a very annoying and nosy socialite, he had another thing he had to deal with. Something dark is in the Aether and it seems to be after him. He had never encountered it before so he still doesn’t know what he is dealing with. In addition to that, he still has a lot to learn about his own power. It’s not just about being a medium anymore. He can do a whole lot more and cause a lot of damage if he doesn’t get it under control. He’s trying though.

If you’re wondering about Sam and Emily, Sam’s good. He’s back to his good old broody self but he shows a bit of his softer side in this book. While Emily was just being the awesome brainiac that she is and also the voice of reason, especially to Griffin. Can I just say that Emily is my favorite? I love the little redhead.

Now, unlike the last book wherein the steel corset played a small role, the clockwork collar was there, front and center, and was a constant reminder of danger to the one wearing it. The girl in the clockwork collar was a girl from Jasper’s past named Mei Xing and she was used by the devil in this book, Dalton, as emotional blackmail. At first, I felt bad for her and everything. Jasper did everything he could to keep her out of trouble but it didn’t work. However, I had a very strange feeling about her, like something was not right and that suspicion was validated by one of the biggest twists in the story. Let me just say that I am on Finley’s side when it came to this girl. Be mindful of her if you decide to read this series.

All in all, this was another gripping adventure for the group and I’m glad that it ended relatively well. There were casualties that I think might have some psychological repercussions in the future books but I’ll just have to wait and see. Back to reading for me. I’m excited to know what comes next!

Now Reading (from my Kindle and catch up): The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

As I mentioned in my last post, I had already moved on to the next book in this series. I am so excited to know what will happen next! And we’re no longer in London for this book. The group is heading to New York!

The Blurb:

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling-or dangerous Finley Jayne and her “straynge band of mysfits” have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper from the clutches of a devious criminal 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 follows Jasper’s elusive trail. And they’re about to discover how far they’ll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley must 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.

Now, to help those she’s come to care for so deeply, Finley must infiltrate the criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much…

That’s all for this post. I’m going back to reading. HAPPY READING!

Book Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

One good thing about reading from my Kindle is that I tend to go through books faster. I think that’s because I can’t really skip ahead and cheat. I still find a way though but it’s a hassle to backtrack.

Anyway, my first thought on The Girl in the Steel Corset is that it was the right read for me at this moment. It had the right amount of action, suspense, mystery, fantasy and romance. It was pretty cool and I couldn’t stop reading. I had to make myself stop reading because I needed to sleep. It has been a while since I book has had that effect on me.

As I was reading, a thought came to me. This book is like a Victorian era version of X-men. Weird right?! But there were several similarities. First, all the characters have something special or different about them. Finley has a dual persona, Griffin can be a medium and them some, Sam has super strength, Emily can understand machines and Jasper is really fast. In addition, these special abilities were brought upon them because of a special substance and it even enhances their abilities the more they are exposed to it. Sounds like some sort of mutation to me. Next, Griffin, who is a duke by the way, took all of these guys into his estate and makes them stay and train there. Sounds like Professor Xavier and his school for gifted youngsters right? Griffin’s not a paraplegic though. Lastly, the group’s nemesis works with metal aka he makes automatons. Just a little similar to the concept of Magneto. Okay, enough with the X-men references.

There was another concept crossover that was used in the book: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This relates to the case of Finley. 2 personas: pure and dark, fighting for dominance over one body. This was her biggest struggle in the book. She had been suffering from this since puberty hit and it was getting stronger as she got older, more so when she went to live with Griffin. However, Griffin helped her as much as he could. Well, the least I can tell you is that she is learning how to control both sides of herself. How she came to be this way? You will have to read the book to find out. It’s not a happy story.

Besides Finley, another key character in this book was Sam, Griffin’s best friend. He is very surly for most of the book. Something is revealed to him that he has a hard time dealing with. This caused him to pull away from his friends and confide in a stranger he met at a bar. Sam told him everything he was feeling, including his suspicion of Finley. Take note of this stranger. In the end, he plays a distinct role in this story and when his identity is revealed, it’s like a slap in the face. For me, I knew that when he and Sam met, the former was up to no good.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of action and I meant it. There were several fight scenes and they kept me on the edge of my seat. Some of those fights nearly ended in complete tragedy for the group. But I was glad for the action because it kept the story moving.

I also mentioned that there was romance. Heck, there was a love triangle between Griffin, Finley and a certain Jack Dandy. Both guys play favor to a side of Finley: Griffin for the pure and Jack for the dark. Griffin is a duke while Jack is an underlord. But having Finley go back and forth between the 2 young men is a pretty big part of the story line as well. That’s where you’ll see part of her struggle to control both sides of her.

By the end of the book, there were a few questions that were not completely answered and the ending was a cliffhanger, as usual in a series. Oh and I wished that the steel corset came out more. It’s in the title and it only came out twice. I thought it would’ve had a bigger role in the story. But anyway, I’m still very happy with this book. So happy that I have moved on the next one.

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING!

Now Reading (from my Kindle): The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Okay, to be honest with y’all, I’ve already started reading this book. I’m actually already in chapter 5 and I’m excited to see what’s coming up…

The Blurb:

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.

Book Trailer:

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING!

Now Reading (from my Kindle): 3 novellas from Elizabeth Eulberg: A Hard Day’s Night, Two of Us and From Me to You

Here are my thoughts about Take A Bow:

Elizabeth Eulberg has done it again. I loved this book. Talk about self-discovery through high school. A performing arts high school no less. Of course, there was some drama, some laughter and some romance. Typical high school right? But I think the main focus of this book was the characters: Emme, Ethan, Carter and Sophie. These 4 kind of emulate the main 4 stereotypes you would normally see in any high school. Emme was the smart, quiet girl who would rather hide in the background. Unfortunately, she kind of stood out with her red hair. Her trouble was learning to step up and not be afraid of her talent. She was one of the most talented students in her batch and she got all this encouragement from her band and even her teachers. But since she was made to believe by a so-called friend that she wasn’t good enough and that she was meant to stay in the background, she had a hard time believing in herself, in her talent. But in the end, she did. Ethan was the musical genius with a somewhat troubled soul. He was scared that he would always mess up things because he usually does. When he and 3 friends, Emme being one of those friends, put a band together when they were freshmen, he was made front man. At first, he didn’t know how to engage the crowd but after his friends intervened, he opened up. However, sometimes he opened up a bit too much. This kind of led him to be the bad boy, the player. He made some bad choices which got him a major tongue lashing from Emme. Quiet Emme. Obviously, you listen if your usually quiet friend yells at you. He tried to change but some events, especially those that have to do with Emme (romance alert!), made it hard for him to redeem himself. But in the end, he did. Now for Carter, he was the popular boy. He was a child star who decided to go to a performing arts high school. Problem was his heart wasn’t in what he was doing. He may have been acting since he was a kid but that caused him to lose his sense of self. He knew people liked him because he was “Carter Harrison” but he always wondered if people would like him as plain old Carter. As he goes through his final year, he realized things about himself, his mom and the world around him. He also learned to stand up for what he wanted and what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Good for him and he’s not turning back. Lastly is Sophie. She was typical self-absorbed popular girl. She always had her head in the cloud and thought the world revolved around her. She thought she was going to be the star of the school. But as she went through high school, she didn’t become the star she thought she would be. She used people. She used Emme for her song writing abilities. She used Carter to get into the spotlight. She stepped on people and wasted relationships to try to get to the top, only to be knocked down. I suppose the one good thing about Sophie was that she was resilient. She still believed that after graduation she will be the star she always wanted to be and no one was holding her back. Well, I suppose only time will tell on that one.

It’s kind of obvious which of the characters above I relate to the most: Emme. Sometimes Ethan as well. Maybe even Carter. Also everyone may have had a Sophie moment at least once in their life. This book just shows the struggle that everyone has gone through or will go through in high school. But in the end, it will be your own decision in how you will handle the struggle. Will you face it? Will it change you for the better or the worst? It’s all on you. Take life by the reins and good luck.

Now, I am still in that mood. Probably blame the psychologist in me. But I have decided to read the 3 novellas from Elizabeth Eulberg based from the book that got me hooked in the first place: The Lonely Hearts Club.

The Blurb:

Penny Lane Bloom, founder of The Lonely Hearts Club, has never loved Halloween. Her dad’s a dentist, so she’s never been allowed much in the way of candy. And forget being a witch or a ghost or a superhero–Penny is always one of the Beatles, along with the rest of her family.

But this year, she’s got the Club, and the support of an amazing group of girls who all have each other’s backs. So when someone tries to ruin Halloween for one member, the Club sets out to prove revenge is a dish best served en masse.

The Blurb:

Penny Lane Bloom founded The Lonely Hearts Club, which means that she basically doesn’t date. She’s got her awesome girls to hang out with, she’s got her hilarious (and sometimes annoying) family, she’s working towards high grades to get into a great college–she’d never give up any of that to be with a boy.

But all of a sudden, the rules of the Club have changed and Penny’s not only allowed to date–she’s going out with Ryan Bauer, longtime friend, all-around amazing guy, and her best friend Diane’s ex-boyfriend. It’s not like Penny hasn’t been on plenty of first dates before, and it’s not like she hasn’t seen Ryan practically every day for years… so could someone please let the butterflies in her stomach know it’s okay to calm down?

The Blurb:

Four months ago, Penny Lane Bloom was heartbroken over a guy, had only a small handful of close friends, and was sure that, somehow, this year was going to be different.

Four months later, everything has changed. Penny’s gone from a few friends to a huge group of girls who all have each other’s backs, from a guy who thought nothing of cheating to a total sweetheart, and from the idea for The Lonely Hearts Club to a full-scale girls-rock revolution. Just think how much more she’ll be able to accomplish by the end of the school year! And it’s the holidays, which means Penny has two blissful weeks to spend eating cheese fries with her girls and kissing Ryan. The only thing she still has to do…is survive Christmas with her family.

Just so y’all know, I will be reading these one after the other. That’s why I grouped them together since they are all short stories.

That’s all for now. HAPPY READING! 🙂

Now Reading (from my Kindle): Take A Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

This is the first time in a few months wherein I have finished a book in only a couple of days. As much as I didn’t want the book to end, I couldn’t put it down.

Anyway, here is my 2-cents about Isla and the Happily Ever After:

Wow. This was a nice way to end everything. Besides meeting a new couple, Isla and Josh, we also find out how the 2 couples from the last 2 books are and I guarantee squeals of delight from the fans of this series. Seriously, I squealed. Anyway, this book’s pace is a little different from the first 2. Unlike its predecessors, this one was fast. In the first 2 books, Stephanie Perkins took her time in telling the story of Anna and St. Clair and Lola and Cricket. The couples didn’t get together until the end of the book. With Isla and Josh, they started dating by Chapter 8 and they were officially a couple a few chapters later. The initial flirting was fast. Next thing I know, they’re on their first date and making out. However, in true Stephanie Perkins fashion, the sexual tension was palpable. As a result, there were some pretty steamy scenes. I think it was the strongest in this one thanks to some new rules in the dormitory. But it showed that the level of maturity in these two was pretty high. They were able to be open with each other and talk about the hard things a.k.a. past relationships. Although both only had one prior. I was pleasantly surprised with how open they were about it all. I told you it was fast.

Now, emotionally speaking, it gets pretty dramatic come the middle of the book. Isla had a lot of insecurities which were “validated” by multiple things. Some people disapproving of Josh. Josh’s drawings of his ex. Her own self-doubt. Instances and people making her think that she was just a “placeholder” out of pure convenience. That’s another thing with Stephanie Perkins. She can make her characters relate-able. I mean, who hasn’t questioned a relationship? Who hasn’t been a rebound or settled for? Who hasn’t gone through a fight and break up just because of doubt? At one point or another, everyone of us will experience one or all of the things I have mentioned. Luckily for Isla and Josh, they never gave up on each other. Isla came to the realization that it’s okay to be a blank canvass, to not have much planned for the future. Josh was just determined to prove her accusations wrong and redeem himself. They worked it out and experienced their own happily ever after. Twice. This book shows what can happen after the initial courtship and saying yes. Pressure from outside forces and even your own inner demons can cause some friction. But if you two are really meant to be, it will work out. Kismet. Fate. Either you believe it or you make it work for you.

One last thing, this book also shows that you have to know and accept yourself. Be okay with who you are because someone loves you for that. Easier said than done? Yes but it’s possible. Thank you Stephanie Perkins.

Now, since I’m still in that mood (my icy heart melted a bit), I’m going to another favorite YA author. I haven’t read her stuff in a while. Time to get back to it.

The Blurb:

From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Chasing fame. Chasing love. Chasing a future.

Emme has long lived in her best friend Sophie’s shadow. She writes songs, and Sophie sings them. It’s always been like this, and feels like it always will be.

Sophie will stop at nothing to be a star. Even if it means using her best friend and picking up a trophy boyfriend, Carter.

Carter is a victim of a particular Hollywood curse: He’s a former child star. Now all he wants is a normal life. But being normal is about as hard for him as being famous.

Ethan has his own issues — a darkness in his head that he just can’t shake. He’s managed to sabotage every relationship he’s ever been in. Emme’s the only girl he’s ever really respected . . . but he’s not sure what to do about that.

That’s all for this post. HAPPY READING! 🙂