yoannna's review
5.0
I have to start by saying, this was my first ever steampunk novel and now I can't believe I've waited for so long to sink my teeth into this awesome world. I mean, it has two things I've always looked for in the imaginary worlds I'd escape to - swords & horseriding and gadgets! Simply amazing.
I don't know if it was Pauline Creeden's skill or the whole genre, for now I can only attest to Creeden's skill. I devoured this novel in only a couple of days and it only took me this long because I had to sleep at some point. I was totally engrossed in the story the whole time. What I loved the most is how simple it seemed the whole time. No unnecessary frills and details, totally straight-forward, which, for me, made it all the more realistic.
There were some predictable and some totally unforeseen twists in the plot, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, I have to say it's been about a decade since I've whole-heartedly rooted for the romance underplot in a story and had little flutters of my own. I seriously hope there will be glimpses of it flourishing in Chronicles of Steele: Darius (One thing because of which I'll be looking forward to 2015 for sure!)
What bugged me a little was that Raven's age was undetermined - in two places in the text there are references (by Raven herself) about a past event and her correlating age, and they differ by five years. So that was a little jarring, but not unforgivable. And apart from a couple of people changing their hair-colour, a few mixed up personal pronouns and the one too many "unshed tears", I have very little remarks - and mostly for the editor - in general.
I don't want to say anything for fear of giving out details and spoiling it for anyone so I'll just say this - it is well worth a read! If all steampunk is this good, I'm a convert! :)
P.S.: A big Thank You to Story Cartel for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review only!
I don't know if it was Pauline Creeden's skill or the whole genre, for now I can only attest to Creeden's skill. I devoured this novel in only a couple of days and it only took me this long because I had to sleep at some point. I was totally engrossed in the story the whole time. What I loved the most is how simple it seemed the whole time. No unnecessary frills and details, totally straight-forward, which, for me, made it all the more realistic.
There were some predictable and some totally unforeseen twists in the plot, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Also, I have to say it's been about a decade since I've whole-heartedly rooted for the romance underplot in a story and had little flutters of my own. I seriously hope there will be glimpses of it flourishing in Chronicles of Steele: Darius (One thing because of which I'll be looking forward to 2015 for sure!)
What bugged me a little was that Raven's age was undetermined - in two places in the text there are references (by Raven herself) about a past event and her correlating age, and they differ by five years. So that was a little jarring, but not unforgivable. And apart from a couple of people changing their hair-colour, a few mixed up personal pronouns and the one too many "unshed tears", I have very little remarks - and mostly for the editor - in general.
I don't want to say anything for fear of giving out details and spoiling it for anyone so I'll just say this - it is well worth a read! If all steampunk is this good, I'm a convert! :)
P.S.: A big Thank You to Story Cartel for giving me the chance to read this book in exchange for my honest review only!
gabs_myfullbookshelf's review
3.0
Read more of my reviews at My Full Bookshelf
Warning: There are some spoilers in this review.
This was one of those books that started out perfectly and got a little sloppy as the story went on. When I first picked up Raven, I was sure I was going to adore it; I immediately fell in love with the protagonist. But things got iffy plotwise later on.
Raven is an amazing main character. She's a steampunk ninja--well, technically, she's a reaper, but steampunk ninja is basically the same thing. She's noble and tries not to kill any of her enemies if she doesn't have to, but yet she still manages to dominate in every single fight. Not only that...she's great with kids. Wonderful, in fact. Basically, she's the type of heroine you will cheer out loud for while staring at your kindle even if there are other people in the room.
But, like the best characters, Raven has some issues. She has a tragic backstory. And I felt some pain in my heart when I read about her and the love of her youth. The good pain, though, that makes you want to keep reading and hug the character.
The young Baron Darius was so cute! He really acted like a little kid is supposed to act, yet he was never a brat and he was always really sweet. I loved how he and Raven interacted; she was so good with him, and he was adorable.
Now, here's where I get to be my usual criticizing self. The plot started off great; lots of Raven showing up a bunch of palace guards, lots of cute moments with Darius, no real romance...but then as soon as the wood witch rolled around everything went south. It was still readable, but I didn't get as many touching scenes...and I instead got Jack Grant.
Jack Grant...you are not the great character I assumed you to be. You are pretty unremarkable, and you came in with the predictable romance and...bleh. I can't ship you and Raven; she is better off without you in my opinion. I mean, in the beginning, did you not try to kill her? That's not cool. Plus, I had to endure your POV a couple times, and I just wanted to get back to my wonderful Raven.
The plot also was less straight forward as time went on; which, 99.99% of the time is a good thing. But I felt like it went in a complete 180 degree turn from where it started out, which was kind of hard to transition from.
Still, as this is a steampunk novel, I still enjoyed some aspects of the plot, because they were just so, well, steampunky. The automatons, Darius' strange affliction...these are things you can only really get from a steampunk novel, and I loved them. So the plot didn't totally disappoint me.
It was a good story, though the beginning was better, and the romance made things slightly less awesome than the beginning. But if you like steampunk Raven is a pretty solid read.
Warning: There are some spoilers in this review.
This was one of those books that started out perfectly and got a little sloppy as the story went on. When I first picked up Raven, I was sure I was going to adore it; I immediately fell in love with the protagonist. But things got iffy plotwise later on.
Raven is an amazing main character. She's a steampunk ninja--well, technically, she's a reaper, but steampunk ninja is basically the same thing. She's noble and tries not to kill any of her enemies if she doesn't have to, but yet she still manages to dominate in every single fight. Not only that...she's great with kids. Wonderful, in fact. Basically, she's the type of heroine you will cheer out loud for while staring at your kindle even if there are other people in the room.
But, like the best characters, Raven has some issues. She has a tragic backstory. And I felt some pain in my heart when I read about her and the love of her youth. The good pain, though, that makes you want to keep reading and hug the character.
The young Baron Darius was so cute! He really acted like a little kid is supposed to act, yet he was never a brat and he was always really sweet. I loved how he and Raven interacted; she was so good with him, and he was adorable.
Now, here's where I get to be my usual criticizing self. The plot started off great; lots of Raven showing up a bunch of palace guards, lots of cute moments with Darius, no real romance...but then as soon as the wood witch rolled around everything went south. It was still readable, but I didn't get as many touching scenes...and I instead got Jack Grant.
Jack Grant...you are not the great character I assumed you to be. You are pretty unremarkable, and you came in with the predictable romance and...bleh. I can't ship you and Raven; she is better off without you in my opinion. I mean, in the beginning, did you not try to kill her? That's not cool. Plus, I had to endure your POV a couple times, and I just wanted to get back to my wonderful Raven.
The plot also was less straight forward as time went on; which, 99.99% of the time is a good thing. But I felt like it went in a complete 180 degree turn from where it started out, which was kind of hard to transition from.
Still, as this is a steampunk novel, I still enjoyed some aspects of the plot, because they were just so, well, steampunky. The automatons, Darius' strange affliction...these are things you can only really get from a steampunk novel, and I loved them. So the plot didn't totally disappoint me.
It was a good story, though the beginning was better, and the romance made things slightly less awesome than the beginning. But if you like steampunk Raven is a pretty solid read.
thedaydreamreader's review
5.0
See full review on The Bookwhore Diaries
Raven is everything you'd ever want in a book; each elements work without overpowering the other. Thus, reading it is a highly enjoyable journey that you'd definitely want to grab the next book in this series.
Raven is everything you'd ever want in a book; each elements work without overpowering the other. Thus, reading it is a highly enjoyable journey that you'd definitely want to grab the next book in this series.
ashrowe's review
3.0
Raven
Chronicles of Steele
Pauline Creeden
Reviewed by Ash Rowe ( The Reading Chameleon)
3 Stars
I have been wanting to read this book since I saw it on Goodreads so when I got the opportunity to read it and review it I jumped all over it. This book is one of those books that came out in episodes but I read all of the episodes in one volume. I think I might have preferred reading it as it came out in episodes. It took me awhile to get into the book I think it might have been the pace was too slow but the story,characters and world was well written. I might have enjoyed it more in smaller doses. It caught and lost my interest a few times through out the book.
Raven is a reaper, her father was a reaper and so on down the line. She was trained from a very young age to be an assassin by her father. As a reaper what life she takes she must make amends and save a life. Raven now is one of few reapers left and reapers are not as loved as the use to be. She is getting ready to stop her reaper ways and settle down with the boy she grew up with and fell in love with. As she heads that way she saves a young boy from drowning who happens to be the young baron of her world. The barons father wants him dead and Raven is hired to guard him and take the young boy to a witch to help figure out what is wrong with him that causes machines to break.
I enjoyed Raven as a character she was awesome and kicked butt. She also had vulnerabilities that made her relatable. I liked reading about the bond the developed between her and Darius. And the unlikely bonds she formed with the other characters who she came to trust.
This is a good young adult steampunk adventure and I would recommend it for people who just want a light easy steampunk read. I tend to like more action but the action scenes in this book were not bad. I think I might expected more from a book about a female assassin type character. I think I read somewhere where someone said this story might have been better written in first person as oppose to third I think I might agree with that. All in all not a bad read, good characters and interesting steampunk world.
Chronicles of Steele
Pauline Creeden
Reviewed by Ash Rowe ( The Reading Chameleon)
3 Stars
I have been wanting to read this book since I saw it on Goodreads so when I got the opportunity to read it and review it I jumped all over it. This book is one of those books that came out in episodes but I read all of the episodes in one volume. I think I might have preferred reading it as it came out in episodes. It took me awhile to get into the book I think it might have been the pace was too slow but the story,characters and world was well written. I might have enjoyed it more in smaller doses. It caught and lost my interest a few times through out the book.
Raven is a reaper, her father was a reaper and so on down the line. She was trained from a very young age to be an assassin by her father. As a reaper what life she takes she must make amends and save a life. Raven now is one of few reapers left and reapers are not as loved as the use to be. She is getting ready to stop her reaper ways and settle down with the boy she grew up with and fell in love with. As she heads that way she saves a young boy from drowning who happens to be the young baron of her world. The barons father wants him dead and Raven is hired to guard him and take the young boy to a witch to help figure out what is wrong with him that causes machines to break.
I enjoyed Raven as a character she was awesome and kicked butt. She also had vulnerabilities that made her relatable. I liked reading about the bond the developed between her and Darius. And the unlikely bonds she formed with the other characters who she came to trust.
This is a good young adult steampunk adventure and I would recommend it for people who just want a light easy steampunk read. I tend to like more action but the action scenes in this book were not bad. I think I might expected more from a book about a female assassin type character. I think I read somewhere where someone said this story might have been better written in first person as oppose to third I think I might agree with that. All in all not a bad read, good characters and interesting steampunk world.
lucy_rain_and_cupcakes's review
3.0
At first I didn't care for how this book would jumps from present to past and so on. Then I grown to appreciated it because it really give you a better idea on Raven's character and her history. Although sometimes I do feel like it takes away the focus of the story (the present).
Raven's character is easily likable, she is highly-skilled and level-headed. The romance part however, was just okay for me. I didn't care much about Jack's character, he didn't leave much of impression for me.
This book was my first Steampunk book, and I rather like read about all sort of neat stuff. It isn't overwhelming for a Steampunk genre newbie, it's pack with thrilling adventures and an awesome leading female character that simply kick-ass I thought this was a good introductory of this genre for me, and I look forward to read more.
Raven's character is easily likable, she is highly-skilled and level-headed. The romance part however, was just okay for me. I didn't care much about Jack's character, he didn't leave much of impression for me.
This book was my first Steampunk book, and I rather like read about all sort of neat stuff. It isn't overwhelming for a Steampunk genre newbie, it's pack with thrilling adventures and an awesome leading female character that simply kick-ass I thought this was a good introductory of this genre for me, and I look forward to read more.
urlphantomhive's review
3.0
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Trained by her father to become some kind of assassin, a Reaper, hunted down by the other Reapers, Raven has learned to fend for herself at a young age. But taking lives comes at a price. For every life that's taken she has to redeem and save another life. So, when she's asked to take the baron's younger brother, Darius, to the wood witch as a last means of saving him, it seems like a good way to redeem herself for Raven.
This was an interesting mix between steampunk and fantasy, that included Zeppelins and mechanical horses but also witches. The start was slow and it took me quite some time to get into the story, but near the end I wanted to know how it was going to end. Though a bit predictable at times, it didn't really disappoint.
The romance plot was unnecessary and not that original either. I'm not such a fan of switching POVs and the fact that another POV will be added in the next book makes I'm not completely sure I will continue this series. But I'll probably give it a try because I did enjoy myself with Raven.
Raven is the first book in the Chronicles of Steele. The second book will be called Darius.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Trained by her father to become some kind of assassin, a Reaper, hunted down by the other Reapers, Raven has learned to fend for herself at a young age. But taking lives comes at a price. For every life that's taken she has to redeem and save another life. So, when she's asked to take the baron's younger brother, Darius, to the wood witch as a last means of saving him, it seems like a good way to redeem herself for Raven.
This was an interesting mix between steampunk and fantasy, that included Zeppelins and mechanical horses but also witches. The start was slow and it took me quite some time to get into the story, but near the end I wanted to know how it was going to end. Though a bit predictable at times, it didn't really disappoint.
The romance plot was unnecessary and not that original either. I'm not such a fan of switching POVs and the fact that another POV will be added in the next book makes I'm not completely sure I will continue this series. But I'll probably give it a try because I did enjoy myself with Raven.
Raven is the first book in the Chronicles of Steele. The second book will be called Darius.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
zareena's review
3.0
Review originally posted on The Slanted Bookshelf.
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Raven quite surprised me in how much I enjoyed it. The steampunk element really made this book stand out for me because it’s been such a long time since I read a steampunk book. Combine that with assassins and well, I was pretty hooked :) Raven isn’t the usual assassin – cocky, beautiful, impatient (well, how I think of assassins, but that’s mainly because in my mind assassin=Celaeana straight away) – and I liked that. She’s not overconfident in her skills and is very aware of her limits. She knows how to hold her tongue and can be very patient. Pretty much, Raven isn’t perfect and that made her seem a lot more relatable.
Story wise, there wasn’t anything too complex but what was there worked. The main principle of being a reaper (an assassin) is that for every life taken, the reaper must save another life. Raven has put her days of killing behind her and is literally one life away from redemption. Then she’s arrested and asked to save the Baron’s little brother from their father, who thinks the boy is possessed. Raven of course accepts and off they go on a journey to find the Wood Witch to hopefully cure him. But chasing them are the Captain’s Guard with orders from the Duke (the boy’s father) to kill Raven. The story switches between Raven and Captain Jack’s POV and that added a new perspective to the book too. The pace of the book was pretty good and once I started reading I found it pretty hard to put this one down.
The one thing that bugged me was the ending. I didn’t really like Raven’s actions in the final chapter. She does something and then changes her mind but then the book just ends! One extra chapter was definitely necessary to just finish tying off the loose ends. On the note of romance – there wasn’t really any. Usually this makes me dislike the book but I was okay with it here.
So all in all, Raven was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you’re looking for a steampunk-fantasy-assassin book.
3.5 stars
**I received a copy of this book free from the blog tour host in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.**
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Raven quite surprised me in how much I enjoyed it. The steampunk element really made this book stand out for me because it’s been such a long time since I read a steampunk book. Combine that with assassins and well, I was pretty hooked :) Raven isn’t the usual assassin – cocky, beautiful, impatient (well, how I think of assassins, but that’s mainly because in my mind assassin=Celaeana straight away) – and I liked that. She’s not overconfident in her skills and is very aware of her limits. She knows how to hold her tongue and can be very patient. Pretty much, Raven isn’t perfect and that made her seem a lot more relatable.
Story wise, there wasn’t anything too complex but what was there worked. The main principle of being a reaper (an assassin) is that for every life taken, the reaper must save another life. Raven has put her days of killing behind her and is literally one life away from redemption. Then she’s arrested and asked to save the Baron’s little brother from their father, who thinks the boy is possessed. Raven of course accepts and off they go on a journey to find the Wood Witch to hopefully cure him. But chasing them are the Captain’s Guard with orders from the Duke (the boy’s father) to kill Raven. The story switches between Raven and Captain Jack’s POV and that added a new perspective to the book too. The pace of the book was pretty good and once I started reading I found it pretty hard to put this one down.
The one thing that bugged me was the ending. I didn’t really like Raven’s actions in the final chapter. She does something and then changes her mind but then the book just ends! One extra chapter was definitely necessary to just finish tying off the loose ends. On the note of romance – there wasn’t really any. Usually this makes me dislike the book but I was okay with it here.
So all in all, Raven was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it if you’re looking for a steampunk-fantasy-assassin book.
3.5 stars
**I received a copy of this book free from the blog tour host in exchange for an honest review. All views and opinions are my own.**
panamaangie's review
5.0
I received this book from Kathy with Ebooksforreview to read and write an honest review. thank you I couldn't have asked for a better first book to review.
I really enjoyed the Chronicles of Raven. It took a very interesting look at a very common concept of the reaper, and changed it into something like a bodyguard/protector without being nothing but a deadly assassins by giving them a really great set of guidelines/moral compass to redeem themselves. I love the imagery it was very steampunk and while there was some very old world concepts such as horse-drawn carriages, sword fighting, and women as homemakers only the story if full of lifelike automatons and science and medicine ahead of its time. This story was everything you could want from a steampunk fantasy ya novel. With a bit of romance. I am looking forward to the release of Pauline Creedens next novel in the series that is coming out this year.
I really enjoyed the Chronicles of Raven. It took a very interesting look at a very common concept of the reaper, and changed it into something like a bodyguard/protector without being nothing but a deadly assassins by giving them a really great set of guidelines/moral compass to redeem themselves. I love the imagery it was very steampunk and while there was some very old world concepts such as horse-drawn carriages, sword fighting, and women as homemakers only the story if full of lifelike automatons and science and medicine ahead of its time. This story was everything you could want from a steampunk fantasy ya novel. With a bit of romance. I am looking forward to the release of Pauline Creedens next novel in the series that is coming out this year.
magickislife's review
5.0
absolutely brilliant and beautiful writing. I was sad when it ended because I wanted to stay with the characters forever.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I am so happy that I did. However, it's exactly the sort of book I would have picked up to read anyways. The cover art is scrumptious, the story drags you in and demands that you pay attention. It's perfection.
The only flaw I found with it was of course that it ended but that is usually what happens with a good book.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review and I am so happy that I did. However, it's exactly the sort of book I would have picked up to read anyways. The cover art is scrumptious, the story drags you in and demands that you pay attention. It's perfection.
The only flaw I found with it was of course that it ended but that is usually what happens with a good book.
lpcoolgirl's review
5.0
Great book, so glad that I could read the whole thing at once, instead of the episodes, and yeah, just such an entertaining book!