ashnight's review against another edition
4.0
Good start to the series. The middle of the books was slow, but then did pick up at the end. i am excited to learn more about this world. Hope that these characters make appearances in the next books.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
5.0
Kiss of Steel
4.5 Stars
Forced into the squalor of the East End following her father's death, Honoria Todd must swallow her pride and seek aid from the most notorious rogue in the city. Blade, aka The Devil of Whitechapel, rules the slums with a ruthless hand but finds himself unable to turn Honoria away.
Readers expecting a traditional Steampunk novel will be disappointed as these elements are quite minor and contribute very little to the overall world building, plot and characterization. Nevertheless, McMaster has created a detailed alternate world with compelling dystopian features and an original approach to vampirism. Moreover, the setting comprised of the rookeries of Whitechapel and the upper echelons of London society lends darkly sinister and gothic overtones to the story.
The characters are well-developed with intriguing backstories and the romance is intense both physically and emotionally. Blade is fiercely possessive and volatile hero who will stop at nothing to protect those he considers his own. Struggling against the darkness that threatens to consume him, Blade must reconcile with his traumatic past and accept that the person he has become is deserving of love and happiness.
Honoria is an intelligent and admirable heroine willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves. Her pride and stubbornness often lead her astray, but once she learns to love and trust, she does so with her entire heart and soul.
The plot does take a few chapters to get going, which is understandable given that this is the first book in a series, but once the stage is set, the story turns into a captivating page turner.
In sum, a well-written and refreshing take on traditional paranormal tropes, and I am eager to see what happens next for the characters and world McMaster has fashioned.
4.5 Stars
Forced into the squalor of the East End following her father's death, Honoria Todd must swallow her pride and seek aid from the most notorious rogue in the city. Blade, aka The Devil of Whitechapel, rules the slums with a ruthless hand but finds himself unable to turn Honoria away.
Readers expecting a traditional Steampunk novel will be disappointed as these elements are quite minor and contribute very little to the overall world building, plot and characterization. Nevertheless, McMaster has created a detailed alternate world with compelling dystopian features and an original approach to vampirism. Moreover, the setting comprised of the rookeries of Whitechapel and the upper echelons of London society lends darkly sinister and gothic overtones to the story.
The characters are well-developed with intriguing backstories and the romance is intense both physically and emotionally. Blade is fiercely possessive and volatile hero who will stop at nothing to protect those he considers his own. Struggling against the darkness that threatens to consume him, Blade must reconcile with his traumatic past and accept that the person he has become is deserving of love and happiness.
Honoria is an intelligent and admirable heroine willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves. Her pride and stubbornness often lead her astray, but once she learns to love and trust, she does so with her entire heart and soul.
The plot does take a few chapters to get going, which is understandable given that this is the first book in a series, but once the stage is set, the story turns into a captivating page turner.
In sum, a well-written and refreshing take on traditional paranormal tropes, and I am eager to see what happens next for the characters and world McMaster has fashioned.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
4.0
A sizzling Steampunk debut.
Oh, I really enjoyed this. It's definitely Steampunk with its steam cabs, bio-mechanic limbs, clockwork toys and Metaljacket soldiers. But it's also a Paranormal-Historical Romance filled with blood-drinkers, vampires and werewolves. In fact, the paranormal aspect I felt was actually stronger than the Steampunk stuff for the most part, which was mostly just used for worldbuilding and padding in the background.
It's also set in a kind of alternate history dystopian society. Oh heck, I don't know what genre it is, but it's a delicious mix of sexy Steampunk and Paranormal awesomeness. And I think I'd quite like to marry that cover too. Although, having read the book, I have to tell you that Honoria would never flash her garters in public like that. In private, well, that's another matter, and it all depends who's asking....
Honoria, of course, is our leading lady. She has an interesting tale to tell regarding how she's ended up the soul provider for her two younger siblings, the youngest of whom, Charlie, is very ill. She's having to live on the outskirts of The Rookery, which is the worst and most dangerous part of London, because it's all she can afford. A strategic position that she hopes will keep her well under the radar of the man who owns everything and everyone in The Rookery; the Devil of Whitechapel himself, Blade.
Why on earth would anyone want to avoid Blade? He's so yummy! He absolutely stole the show for me. Honoria was great as heroines go, but Blade. Ah, Blade. He was simply delicious; just the right amount of arrogance and vulnerability. Not impossibly beautiful, definitely a bit rough around the edges, but he won my heart with his willingness to give his to Honoria, whether she wanted it or not.
I thought McMaster got the balance just right in all areas of the book. Blade was aggressively male but not a dominant douchebag. Honoria was feisty but not bitchy. (She makes up for any excessive snappiness through her sacrifices for her brother and sister. And hey, if I was starving myself to leave more food for my family, I'd be in a bad mood too, let me tell you). The action scenes were bloody but not overly gruesome. And the inevitable Happily Ever After was sweet but not too saccharine.
Oh, and the sex scenes were extremely well done as well I thought! Sexy, but with an emotional connection to go with them.
My only complaint (because there has to be one, right?) was the way Blade's Cockney dialogue was written. Writing someone's accent can be a tricky venture and I felt like some of the dropped letters were incorrectly placed, forcing me to stumble through his dialogue sections, which just bugged me. But I have say this, and it's only a teeny tiny peeve really, was the only reason it didn't get 5 stars.
I'm very interested in several of the secondary characters that were introduced, including Honoria's sister Lena, and Blade's second in command Will the Verwulfen, as well as several others. I hope to see them starring in their own books very soon. I'll definitely be checking out the next instalment which is called Heart of Iron, when it hits the shelves in May 2013.
Recommended to fans of Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series, and Kristen Callihan's Darkest London series.
41/2 Stars ★★★★1/2
Oh, I really enjoyed this. It's definitely Steampunk with its steam cabs, bio-mechanic limbs, clockwork toys and Metaljacket soldiers. But it's also a Paranormal-Historical Romance filled with blood-drinkers, vampires and werewolves. In fact, the paranormal aspect I felt was actually stronger than the Steampunk stuff for the most part, which was mostly just used for worldbuilding and padding in the background.
It's also set in a kind of alternate history dystopian society. Oh heck, I don't know what genre it is, but it's a delicious mix of sexy Steampunk and Paranormal awesomeness. And I think I'd quite like to marry that cover too. Although, having read the book, I have to tell you that Honoria would never flash her garters in public like that. In private, well, that's another matter, and it all depends who's asking....
Honoria, of course, is our leading lady. She has an interesting tale to tell regarding how she's ended up the soul provider for her two younger siblings, the youngest of whom, Charlie, is very ill. She's having to live on the outskirts of The Rookery, which is the worst and most dangerous part of London, because it's all she can afford. A strategic position that she hopes will keep her well under the radar of the man who owns everything and everyone in The Rookery; the Devil of Whitechapel himself, Blade.
Why on earth would anyone want to avoid Blade? He's so yummy! He absolutely stole the show for me. Honoria was great as heroines go, but Blade. Ah, Blade. He was simply delicious; just the right amount of arrogance and vulnerability. Not impossibly beautiful, definitely a bit rough around the edges, but he won my heart with his willingness to give his to Honoria, whether she wanted it or not.
I thought McMaster got the balance just right in all areas of the book. Blade was aggressively male but not a dominant douchebag. Honoria was feisty but not bitchy. (She makes up for any excessive snappiness through her sacrifices for her brother and sister. And hey, if I was starving myself to leave more food for my family, I'd be in a bad mood too, let me tell you). The action scenes were bloody but not overly gruesome. And the inevitable Happily Ever After was sweet but not too saccharine.
Oh, and the sex scenes were extremely well done as well I thought! Sexy, but with an emotional connection to go with them.
My only complaint (because there has to be one, right?) was the way Blade's Cockney dialogue was written. Writing someone's accent can be a tricky venture and I felt like some of the dropped letters were incorrectly placed, forcing me to stumble through his dialogue sections, which just bugged me. But I have say this, and it's only a teeny tiny peeve really, was the only reason it didn't get 5 stars.
I'm very interested in several of the secondary characters that were introduced, including Honoria's sister Lena, and Blade's second in command Will the Verwulfen, as well as several others. I hope to see them starring in their own books very soon. I'll definitely be checking out the next instalment which is called Heart of Iron, when it hits the shelves in May 2013.
Recommended to fans of Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series, and Kristen Callihan's Darkest London series.
41/2 Stars ★★★★1/2
emac021's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
procrastinatewithreading's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
bitterlina's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
heydebigale's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I really liked the science fiction aspect to the vampires. I thought that was very original. Unfortunately the romance didn’t work for me.
megatza's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Bec McMaster writes such a great blend of action, worldbuilding, character growth and relationships. I really love the vampire mythology she's created here and cannot wait to keep going with this series!
nakedsushi's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
A fun, cliched romp through the world of vampires, werewolf, steampunk, and Victorian sensibilities with a lot of sex. I like how this book set up the back story for what I'm assuming the other books in the series will explore.
A fun, cliched romp through the world of vampires, werewolf, steampunk, and Victorian sensibilities with a lot of sex. I like how this book set up the back story for what I'm assuming the other books in the series will explore.
ladywhistledown's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5