Friday, November 22, 2013

Review: The Girl With the Iron Touch (The Steampunk Chronicles #3) by Kady Cross

Release date: May 28, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 384
Format: Egalley
Source: Publisher provided through Netgalley
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon | The Book Depository
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...
It took me forever, but I am so happy I finally picked up The Girl With the Iron Touch! This is one of the most fun series and while this isn't the last book, just thinking about it being over with the next book just makes me sad. What's great about these books is that each is its own mostly contained episode even as it furthers the stories of the characters. While the villain recurs, each book ends with a kind of finality, never leaving us feeling cheated, but also making us want more.

With each book, it seems that Kady Cross is having more and more fun with this world. I thought the goings on in the last couple of books were pretty crazy, but the automatons are just getting out of control! Even on the verge of death, the Machinist proves to be a formidable opponent for Griffin, Finley, and the gang. But now his automatons are gaining a will of their own, one that allows them to think and reason. And yet, this spurs a huge development that I believe we've only seen the beginning of, and I am crazy excited to see how it turns out in the last book.

Although I love the world, what keeps me coming back are the characters and this book is so gratifying in that department. Sam and Emily continue to be ridiculously adorable but also so real and strangely communicative, considering Sam's nature. And finally Finley actually puts into words what we've known all along regarding a Mr. Jack Dandy. FINALLY. If you're all about Finley and Griffin, this is the book for you. I do wish Jasper had been around more. It felt like he just popped into scenes here and there with no real purpose aside from being sad. Blerg.

As a third installment in a series of four books, The Girl With the Iron Touch could have fallen prey to second book syndrome (even as it's not a second book, but you know what I mean!) and simply been a stepping stone between the group's adventures in New York and their ultimate showdown with the Machinist, but it's not. Not only do we get so much development in terms of the world, plot, and characters, but it's just such a fun read. There's not a lagging moment, and it'll only leave you even more excited for the last book, The Girl With the Windup Heart.

No comments:

Post a Comment