A review by scifimagpie
The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato
4.0
This is definitely more of a bubblegum read, but it has a darkness to it that offers a sense of grounding and foundation. The cloak and dagger elements are delivered with a pinch of self-awareness and plenty of charm, but Cato avoids falling into screwball territory or Whedonesque banter.
I did figure out some of the twists before they happened, but certainly not all of them. The antagonistic force felt maybe a bit Evil (tm), but their reasons still felt logical and even understandable.
All in all, if you miss steampunk as a genre or if you're craving a good escapist read, I can recommend this for sure. The magic system and worldbuilding are intriguing, and it's a bit of a shame that this is a duology rather than a longer series.
I did figure out some of the twists before they happened, but certainly not all of them. The antagonistic force felt maybe a bit Evil (tm), but their reasons still felt logical and even understandable.
All in all, if you miss steampunk as a genre or if you're craving a good escapist read, I can recommend this for sure. The magic system and worldbuilding are intriguing, and it's a bit of a shame that this is a duology rather than a longer series.