by Susan Dennard
Rating: 4/5 stars
Susan Dennard, you did not disappoint!
I had originally heard very mixed reviews about this trilogy. Some people really loved it and found it very action-packed and enjoyable, while others were bored by the book and didn't enjoy it at all. Despite the various reviews, I really ended up liking this novel!
The story was very intriguing from the start, and it was very fast-paced. Our heroine, Eleanor, was very spunky and didn't let people talk down to her. Her interactions with all the other characters were wonderful to read. The other main/side characters in the novel were very interesting as well, and I was never bored reading about any of them either. It was very refreshing to see a very diverse cast of characters throughout the novel. Not only did things like ranking in society and ethnicity set them apart, but they all had very varying personalities as well.
Now to focus more on the storyline itself. I really enjoyed the plot and the setting of the novel. Even though I love the 1800s steampunk setting in novels, I haven't read many of them. The various gadgets and machines we learn about throughout the book are described well, as we get a good image of what they look like and how they are used. The plot was developed very well too, and wasn't hard to follow at all. While the descriptions of how the dead came about are vague at first, we soon learn when they first showed up, and how they believe they came to be. There was a lot action throughout the novel, and it dominated most of the book. I was expecting a very angsty and cliche romance, but the romance was very light and slow burning and didn't really start to develop until the end of the novel. Our main character, Eleanor, being very stubborn and headstrong, wasn't really focused on the romance as much as she was on finding her brother and stopping the dead.
In addition, the writing flowed very well and was well balanced between descriptions and dialogue. Susan Dennard still took time to develop her characters thoroughly, as we got to know some characters very well from the beginning, while some we understood more as the story went along. Nothing about her writing was confusing and while it wasn't mind blowing, I still enjoyed it very much!
The only reason I did give this book 4 stars instead of 5 was because of the pace. The overall pace of the novel was good, but in almost all of the action scenes, I felt like everything was being resolved rather quickly. The scenes would only last for a few pages (end battle excluded), and many important things would happen in a very short span of time. While it was still easy to follow, I just found it unbelievable that the issue could be solved so quickly. I just really wished we would have gotten more in-depth with the majority of the action scenes.
Overall, I really liked this novel, and ended up finishing it in about two sittings. I defiantly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different than a normal steampunk novel.
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