The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross


Published: May 24th, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles, Book 1
Rating: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: NetGalley
Amazon ❘ Goodreads ❘ Website

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

**This Review is based on an ARC (Advanced Reader's Copy). The final text/cover may be different.**

This was the second Steampunk book I've read (Clockwork Angel being the first), and Disney's Treasure Planet is probably the only Steampunk movie I've ever seen. So, what is Steampunk for all of y'all out there who don't know? I have to admit, I didn't either, so here's a little explanation from Kady Cross' website, her explanation about Steampunk.

Steampunk is basically a Victorian/Edwardian world where the science fiction of the time is reality. So, people like Dr. Jekyll might truly exist. Man could fly to the moon, or build incredible automatons. Dorian Gray could really be that handsome man sitting next to you, and you’d never know about the secret in his attic.

Steampunk is about discovery and industry, science and nature. Also, it has some pretty cool fashions. 

Hopefully, that's enough for you to understand what it's about. Onto the review!

This book was BRILLIANT. One of the best Victorian era books I've ever read. It's her debut, and it's been so well written! I fell in love with it instantly. I didn't want to stop reading it, but unfortunately I had to due to other "commitments" such as homework and other dull boring stuff in my life. I love how different it is, than the "typical" historical books. This fuses modern and history together...kinda like bringing on The Industrial Revolution! Only probably, more advanced (I dunno, I don't take history!).

This book seriously reminded me of different stories fused together. There's "The Machinist" in this story, which reminds me of the Magister in Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, which also of course, being a Steampunk book, has automatons and all other machinery and such. *SPOILER ALERT* And the main scheme of The Machinist? it really reminded me of Disney's The Great Mouse Detective...you gotta admit, it's pretty similar! *SPOILER OVER*

I LOVE Finley. Gods, she's so...brave! She really reminds me of Savannah Grey in Savannah Grey by Cliff McNish. They both have weapons, which "change" them when they're threatened. Just throwing that out there! I loved Emily as well, she's so sweet as a character. I seriously loved, like, ALL the guys in this novel: Griffin, Jack, Sam and Jasper. Although, of course, I found Griffin best. I found that Emily was quite the "attracter" in this book and her romance is so cute :)

I found that the tone of this book ranges through a lot. There's a lot of emotional, "heavy" type moments, such as sadness, anger etc. and yet, there's also a lighter, funnier mood during other times. This is one action-packed book, so the icebreakers were very welcome! I was hooked onto the fighting scene's in this book, and of course, with all the romancey-cute scenes I took that very slowly and read over every word...*sigh* Cross is so good with detail and description. She grabs the readers attention and makes sure they never let go on this eventful roller coaster.

I have to say though, the plot was somewhat...easy to get. I mean, like maybe around 3/4 through the book I already knew who the Machinist was and what the scheme was. Well, maybe that's just me and my love for Agatha Christie Mysteries, but that's besides the point. Look for clues. It'll be a big hint if you find them! Or rather, don't do that if you don't want the plot told earlier for you...hopefully, you know what I mean.

The cover of the book is GORGEOUS! I kinda picked the book, because the cover was really attractive :) But I'm glad I judged a book by it's cover, 'cause otherwise I wouldn't have read this...possibly. But I do have to say, the gown on the cover is beautiful (reminds me of The Luxe!) and is it just me, or does the cover model kinda look like Megan Fox? I dunno, she just kinda has her...face shape and stuff, I guess.

Overall, if you're one of those people who love technology, and/or love historical novels, this book is DEFINITELY for you. Engrossing, mysterious, and fantastically dark, The Girl in the Steel Corset will keep you hanging until the last word. Kady Cross has written an amazing debut, and I can't wait for more Steampunk books from her.

If you like this, try...

• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (Review ❘ Amazon ❘ Goodreads)
• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman (Amazon ❘ Goodreads)