Scan barcode
claire_loves_books's review against another edition
2.0
I just found this dull and predictable. All the characters seem fairly one dimensional and there's very little character development. It felt more like a list of things that happened than a story.
It was also pretty obvious that whoever wrote this wasn't actually from Britain, they just didn't get the atmosphere quite right.
It was also pretty obvious that whoever wrote this wasn't actually from Britain, they just didn't get the atmosphere quite right.
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars, rounding up because the audio book was better than the print book. The story is entertaining and the characters are unusual and interesting, but it lags a bit in the telling. TBH this is something that seems to happen with a lot of Steam Punk style books, and I don't know if it's just a hazard of the genre or something else.
wychwoodnz's review against another edition
5.0
This was immensely enjoyable right from the first chapter. A beautifully defined familiar-yet-different Victorian London! Archivists! Kiwi chicks kicking arse! I just can't decide which of the two main characters I love more. Funny, sexy, fierce - I'm off to buy the sequel now.
dejahentendu's review against another edition
3.0
lively, good enough to finish. spies meet steam punk.
tobyyy's review
5.0
This was such a fun read that I can easily overlook any of the errors that it had in it. The main characters, Books and Braun, were stereotypes, perhaps, but they were so enjoyable to read about that I barely even acknowledged that. At no point in this novel did I roll my eyes and think, "Oh, this was expected." There were plenty of amazing plot twists and hilarious romps. I also really loved how Books was underestimated by Braun at first... and I am curious about where the next book in the series will take me.
It was a wonderfully raucous ride through steampunk London. I highly recommend it to anyone who can procure a copy of it, whether on e-reader or in paperback format. While it took me awhile to actually read this, that wasn't because it was boring. It was anything but!! I have already gotten the second book in the series and cannot wait to read it. :D
It was a wonderfully raucous ride through steampunk London. I highly recommend it to anyone who can procure a copy of it, whether on e-reader or in paperback format. While it took me awhile to actually read this, that wasn't because it was boring. It was anything but!! I have already gotten the second book in the series and cannot wait to read it. :D
mayetra's review against another edition
5.0
The gaslight of Victorian England meets the steampunk genre combined with a bit of Warehouse 13, James Bond and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Not counting the Ketty Jay series, this is probably the best steampunk I've read to date.
The two leads are likable with real personalities. They aren't perfect which is a relief. There is sexual/romantic tension between them but this is NOT a romance. I loved the world building. The steampunk aspects were nicely inserted into the story without a lot of extraneous exposition. There was a touch of the paranormal/supernatural mostly in the form of artifacts rather than supernatural creatures.
The bad guys were, gasp, actually bad. They killed people - innocent people - during the course of the story. I found myself actually really wanting the good guys to defeat them. They were really evil.
There are plenty of plots, intrigues and clandestine organizations to keep things interesting. While the main plot is resolved in this book, there is an ongoing story arc.
Excellent story. I will be reading the sequel and checking Ms. Ballantine's fantasy novel which is supposed to be better than this one.
The two leads are likable with real personalities. They aren't perfect which is a relief. There is sexual/romantic tension between them but this is NOT a romance. I loved the world building. The steampunk aspects were nicely inserted into the story without a lot of extraneous exposition. There was a touch of the paranormal/supernatural mostly in the form of artifacts rather than supernatural creatures.
The bad guys were, gasp, actually bad. They killed people - innocent people - during the course of the story. I found myself actually really wanting the good guys to defeat them. They were really evil.
There are plenty of plots, intrigues and clandestine organizations to keep things interesting. While the main plot is resolved in this book, there is an ongoing story arc.
Excellent story. I will be reading the sequel and checking Ms. Ballantine's fantasy novel which is supposed to be better than this one.
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
With my recent conversion to steampunk fan, I have been on the hunt for good books in the genre and this book seemed to fit the bill.
Kick-ass heroine and a Mr know-it-all combine forces to solve a cold case in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
This is a classic buddy cop book, set in a steampunk universe. The Victorian world was well done and there were some great action scenes. I thought the characters a bit typical, one careful cop and one devil-may-care cop, forced to work together and they end up making a pretty good team. Maybe I just watch too many cop shows and the formula is starting to bore me.
I did like the storyline, the evil society was a bit bizarre and I really wanted to jump in and give them a good punch, which I imagine was the intent of having such a bunch of chauvinists in the story. I hope that most of the whining has been done in this book and the next will just be a good action packed adventure.
Kick-ass heroine and a Mr know-it-all combine forces to solve a cold case in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
This is a classic buddy cop book, set in a steampunk universe. The Victorian world was well done and there were some great action scenes. I thought the characters a bit typical, one careful cop and one devil-may-care cop, forced to work together and they end up making a pretty good team. Maybe I just watch too many cop shows and the formula is starting to bore me.
I did like the storyline, the evil society was a bit bizarre and I really wanted to jump in and give them a good punch, which I imagine was the intent of having such a bunch of chauvinists in the story. I hope that most of the whining has been done in this book and the next will just be a good action packed adventure.
chelseas_reads's review against another edition
2.0
I loved this book so much. It's very intense and relatively fast passed. I've been looking for a novel like this for some time, and I'm glad I came across this one!
I did find the first half slightly hard to get into, but I think that was more character building. The second half was amazing, and I found I couldn't put the book down (even after one in the morning). Once the characters got more into the adventure, it got better and better.
Nicely written, and definitely something I want to read more of.
I did find the first half slightly hard to get into, but I think that was more character building. The second half was amazing, and I found I couldn't put the book down (even after one in the morning). Once the characters got more into the adventure, it got better and better.
Nicely written, and definitely something I want to read more of.
hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
Pretty slow moving, but improves when it picks up the pace in the second half. Eliza and Books are interesting characters with some depth to them and the steampunk setting is well-done. The mystery is so-so, nothing out of the ordinary but enough to make me want to read the second book.