sandraagee's review
3.0
Not a completely miserable read overall, but I have a few personal beefs to bring up:
This book's main character is ridiculously immature. I spent a significant amount of time wanting to throw things at her. That said, if she does some growing up in the sequel the trilogy could definitely be salvaged, and there are signs that this could be the case. Fingers crossed.
Romance is, arguably, the book's most major plot element. This was unexpected as there were no real hints of this in the book's synopsis, and it was a bit if a disappointment. When I read steampunk I personally was awesome world building first and foremost, and despite a really awesome premise and loads of potential I think much was sacrificed in the name of a really painful love triangle between an immature girl, a selfish boy, and his bland and underdeveloped brother.
Overall I just wanted more from this read than I got. Still, I'm considering grabbing the sequel so I guess it wasn't too painful...
This book's main character is ridiculously immature. I spent a significant amount of time wanting to throw things at her. That said, if she does some growing up in the sequel the trilogy could definitely be salvaged, and there are signs that this could be the case. Fingers crossed.
Romance is, arguably, the book's most major plot element. This was unexpected as there were no real hints of this in the book's synopsis, and it was a bit if a disappointment. When I read steampunk I personally was awesome world building first and foremost, and despite a really awesome premise and loads of potential I think much was sacrificed in the name of a really painful love triangle between an immature girl, a selfish boy, and his bland and underdeveloped brother.
Overall I just wanted more from this read than I got. Still, I'm considering grabbing the sequel so I guess it wasn't too painful...
midgereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
thecaptain's review
3.0
Promising at first and from the blurb, but took on too much for its short length. Forgettable.
book_nut's review
4.0
A wee bit too much romance to make this universally loved, but REALLY cool premise.
cordelia_egnor's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
idheilehleila's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
taylor_mcclernon's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
endlessmidnight's review against another edition
4.0
This book deserves five stars, maybe it's because I really enjoyed it compared to some books recently. Other wise, it's a good read overall, there are some areas for improvement but I really enjoyed this as a whole. It was exciting to read a Steampunk series that took place in a different world, where history changed, maybe this would be a little more in the dystopia place but honestly I don't care.
This story looks better and caught my attention because of the cover and the beginning. Let's just say that I'm a little sick of reading from first person. It's just really boring after a while and when I took this it was great and I began to read it. I couldn't even put it down for a minute and thus my review is a day later.
The worldbuilding here is great and explains certain things here and there. I enjoyed the description of the clothing, machines, new york. though I feel that there could have been more description when it came to certain things.
The plot is fast for this story which is great and I enjoyed the fast pacing for once. All the characters were pretty good, Charlotte, Jack and everything.
This story looks better and caught my attention because of the cover and the beginning. Let's just say that I'm a little sick of reading from first person. It's just really boring after a while and when I took this it was great and I began to read it. I couldn't even put it down for a minute and thus my review is a day later.
The worldbuilding here is great and explains certain things here and there. I enjoyed the description of the clothing, machines, new york. though I feel that there could have been more description when it came to certain things.
The plot is fast for this story which is great and I enjoyed the fast pacing for once. All the characters were pretty good, Charlotte, Jack and everything.
akstern13's review against another edition
4.0
A fun little adventure with touches of mystery, and a pleasant YA steampunk novel.
couillac's review against another edition
3.0
I've never read Andrea Cremer before, and I'm not a particular fan of steampunk, so I was surprised to enjoy this book as much as I did. I'm a sucker for a good cast of characters, and I really enjoyed getting to know this group of allies. Cremer's world-building is also excellent. Despite a few info-dumping sections, she allows readers to decipher her world gradually and organically from the story. And what a fascinating world! Exploring what might have happened if the US lost the Revolutionary War is an intriguing premise, and I like where she goes with it. Teen readers will also enjoy the romantic aspects, which are pitch perfect for the audience (even if I preferred to skim over them). My only critique is that this volume seems to exist primarily to set up the rest of the series - it needed more of a central conflict driving the story. Grave's secret, while intriguing, doesn't really come across as critical enough to be the central focus, and yet there isn't really anything else there. No big battle, no resolution of any of the questions raised. Overall, however, it's a really enjoyable read, and I look forward to returning to this world in the next volume.