missbookiverse's review against another edition

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3.0

GENERAL IMPRESSION
This collection of stories was entertaining enough to keep me coming back. There were some really good stories ("Under Amber Skies", "King of the Greenlight City", "Vast Machinery of Dreams") but no outstanding ones. I wish there had been more 4 star reads.
I think a lot of the stories could've been better if they'd had more space to develop, some felt novel-worthy to me. Others would've needed more time to feel more authentic, because there was a lot of insta love involved. Not very believable but hard to do differently if you only have a certain amount of words to go with, I guess.
Surprisingly most stories didn't feel very steampunky to me. Some authors just dropped in a few clockworks here and there to make it fit the theme, I think. Romance on the other hand was displayed widely.

STORY BY STORY

Rude Mechanicals by Lesley Livingston ★★★☆☆
A Shakespearian stage director gets a new actress in form of an "actromaton" who takes her role a bit too seriously.
I didn't see that coming. Could've been longer. I would've liked some scenes in which Quint teaches Jewel how to act and they get to know each other better, some more scenes for the heart.

Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe by Frewin Jones ★★★☆☆
A half-mermaid leaving her secluded childhood behind to seek her fortune in London.
I really liked the first half of the story because it had this creepy fairytale vibe to it (the mermaids in this story are no music-loving Arielles). Then the tone shifted into something average and the ending didn't really fit together with the creepy mermaid-descriptions of the beginning. :(

Wild Magic by Ann Aguirre ★★★☆☆
A girl from a rich family learns how to use her magical powers from a handsome, young man not quite of her standards.
The story itself had potential but it felt too rushed. The characters fell in love too quickly and the really interesting parts (like how she actually trains her powers) weren't described at all. I can see this working as a novel, not as a short story though.

Deadwood by Michael Scott ★★★☆☆
A young man and woman meet on an airship that is being kidnapped.
This one had a more steampunky feel to it than the previous stories. The characters were likable but the conflict wasn't anything thrillingly exciting.

Code of Blood by Dru Pagliasotti ★★★☆☆
A girl has to save her city (Venice) from foreign attackers.
I really liked the writing of this one but I also had trouble with all the Italian vocabulary. Foreign words just were thrown around with no explanations. The setting was very atmospheric and described well though. The story itself was a bit I-don't-really-care, especially about the girl falling in love while being busy saving her city.

Clockwork Corset by Adrienne Kress ★★★☆☆
A girl attempts to go to war to save the boy she loves.
I loved the first part of the story were the childhoods of the girl and her friend are described. I really liked the writing in this one and actually underlined some quotes. The plot fell a bit flat and the ending was sweet but also rather cheesy. Nevertheless, my favourite story in the collection so far.

Airship Gemini by Jaclyn Dolamore ★★★☆☆
Siamese Twins are displayed as a freak attraction by their aunt until a magician/doctor offers to seperate them.
Very unique idea, good writing style but the ending kind of ruined it for me. First of all the fact that
SpoilerJames turns out to be a vampire
seemed to come out of nowhere and didn't fit with the rest of the story. It could've just been about Siamese Twins, that would've sufficed. Second of all everything just worked out too smoothly and with no real losses.

Under Amber Skies by Maria V. Snyder ★★★★☆
A girl who's father is a great inventor has to face Nazi soldiers who are looking for her father.
More like 3.5 stars. I liked it more than the previous stories. The family dynamics were very interesting to explore but some reactions (especially from Zosia's mother) felt unnatural, like I didn't know the character well enough yet to really believe the action. With more space to develop this would've made a great story. I loved Zosia's father's inventions, they reminded me of Maurice from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

King of the Greenlight City by Tessa Gratton ★★★★☆
A boy with an affinity for more than one element has to choose between developing his skills and the girl he loves.
So far this is my favourite story in the book. It doesn't really deal with Steampunk (actually all I remember is a clockwork horse) but it was very well told and had a beautiful fairytale touch to it. Unfortunately some parts felt rushed (like the romance), this story just needed a lot more space. I can easily picture this as a full-length novel. I really didn't expect this from Tessa Gratton because her novel [b:Blood Magic|8715032|Blood Magic (The Blood Journals, #1)|Tessa Gratton|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1285013996s/8715032.jpg|7201708] didn't have much of an impact on me.

Emperor’s Man by Tiffany Trent ★★☆☆☆
A soldier starts questioning his past and the world he lives in when the princess he's supposed to protect tells him strange things.
Neat idea but I didn't care about the characters and it only scratched the surface of what it presented.


Chickie Hill’s Badass Ride by Dia Reeves ★★★☆☆
A girl and a boy try to save a group of kids from a monster "klan".
I love how Dia Reeves sets all her stories and novels in the fictional town Portero. So the setting and the monsters were great but the plot was a bit too straightforward. I liked the underlying theme of racism though, added more depth to the story.

Vast Machinery of Dreams by Caitlin Kittredge ★★★★☆
A boy meets a girl and attempts to write stories about the strange things she shows him.
I loved this one because of the way it was written. There are a lot of paragraphs and each one takes a little step back in the plot and redefines the way the story is going. It's hard to explain but I found it very creative.

Tick, Tick, Boom by Kiersten White ★★★☆☆
A girl of high stand is supposed to marry a lord she finds quite boring, she'd rather spend her time inventing things.
The story was sweet and uncomplicated, I liked the main character. The outcome wasn't too hard to guess though.

pewterwolf's review against another edition

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3.0

Review Taken From The Pewter Wolf

Now, I didn't know much on steampunk before I was told. But, to my understanding, it's an alternative history that uses steampower. Most stories are set in the Victorian England, but there can be set in the Wild West, in the Second World War among others. You could include Mortal Engines and His Dark Materials as steampunk novels (that's according to that trusted site, Wikipedia). And steampunk novels can have touchs of fantasy, sci-fi and other genres, but as long as there's steam technology in the background.

I could be completely wrong about the above paragraph but that's how I read Wikipedia.

So, 13 short stories set in the worlds of steampunk from well-known YA authors. Did this collection make me fall in love with steampunk?

Er… yes and no. And the reason for both these answers is that it depends on the author and the story they wrote. I mean, this is a collection of short stories so, of course, you will find stories that were great and longed for more. And then there were others that were just ok. Nothing great, but alright. And then you have one or two where you finished the story more confused and preplexed than when you started the story! It's a mix bag and you are not going to like them all.

There's not much else to say expect this is a nice way to introducing yourself to steampunk (and die-hard steampunk fans will love it). And, after reading Maria V. Snyder's Under Amber Skies, am very excited to read Poison Study.

libertyskies's review against another edition

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3.0

Some creepiness but I'll be revisiting a couple of these in the future I'm sure.

jaderobynn's review against another edition

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3.0

Although this book is all short stories; some of them seem lacking in detail. They also seem juvenially writen. I am enjoying the novel tough. It gives a twist to new and old aged romance. Incorporating technilogy into ages where you would never have seen it, and giving characters who in other books may have been 'evil' good qualities, and personalities. All in all, I'd suggest this book to people who enjoy a quick read.

malus23's review against another edition

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2.0

This collection shows some of steam-punk's growing pains. When this type of story started coming out, just being steam-punk was innovative. Now that it's been around long enough to have its own set of tropes, it takes a little more effort to stand out. Tick tick boom in particular, while written solidly enough technically, was completely paint by number steampunk, and completely forgettable. (Just a week after reading, I had to look it up 3 times to remember what happened.) The darker stories in the collection tended to be better, but even though I liked Vast Machinery of Dreams it's very lovecraft-lite. Cannibal Fiend was a little gross, but interesting. Under Amber Skies was well done, and split my sympathies in an unexpected way. Chickie Hill has promise too, but was a little wacky. Memorable though, which I can't say for some of the others.

So, not a bad collection if you want mostly very classic, comfortably predictable steam-punk shorts, but not as much new here.

dorktaped's review against another edition

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3.0

Some of the short stories didn't really have my complete interest but there were a couple that totally made up for that.

kappareads's review against another edition

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4.0

(I didn't finish it but at this point I'm not gonna finish it, so let's review it)

This anthology will always have a special place in my heart, so that's why the rating is 4 stars even though the average rating is 3 stars.

I don't know what it is with anthologies and magic, but this one as well has several stories that I feel focus more on the magic than the steampunk, which is not what I want. I try being "objective" with the ratings, but a lot of the time I'm swayed by whether they're a heavy magic or no magic.

Rude mechanicals - 4/5 stars, I love the idea of an automation actor, I just wish more time had been dedicated to the romance so it didn't feel so show horned (although the explanation the author does give, I feel is satisfactory)

The cannibal fiend - 3.5/5 stars, a very Jack the Ripper feel with enough steampunk aspects that make me happy, which is what saves it from feeling too magicy

Wild Magic - 2.5/5 stars, too heavy on the fantasy, not enough with the steampunk. Also, didn't remember much of it from past readings and it shows.

Deadwood - 4/5 stars, Martha is a great main character and I love the combination of wild west and steampunk

Code of blood - 3.5/5 stars, again too much magic over steampunk, but there were more steampunk elements here than in other magic ones. Enjoyed the adventure even if there's a bit insta-love

Clockwork corset - 5/5 stars its only after reading have I realized how much this story had influenced my own style of writing, with witty dialogue and all. I just love this story

Airship Gemini - 3.5/5 stars, like most of these steampunk works, I wish there was no magic. I did however like the idea of the twins not wanting to be separated and their guardian wanting them to be separated. A nice subversion on the usual tripe that comes with an abusive guardian and kids who are extraordinary.

Under Amber Skies - 3/5 stars, I like that this is steampunk not in Victorian settings, but it's weird for it to be in the time of nazis

King of the Green Light City - 2/5 stars, there are clockwork objects but it's entirely focused on magic. Add some instant love, it's just an ok story

Emperors man - 2.5/5 stars, rating given due to pacing not magic use. At least this marriage of magic and steampunk had a unique setting

Chickie Hill’s Badass Ride - DNF, I read about a doll moving and noped the fuck out

Vast machinery of dreams - 1/5 stars, dull, confusing, yes it had clockwork stuff but didn't feel steampunk at all. I have many unanswered questions

Tick tick boom - 4.5/5 stars, definitely one of the best in here. Love the undercover rebel plot line. Wish the romance part had been explained more, as we're left with kind of a cliff hanger at the end

waywardskyril's review against another edition

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DNF-ed for now. This book has been on my "reading" shelf for actual years, but I haven't touched it in ages. Maybe I'll come back to it one day. Short stories aren't really my thing, apparently, especially a whole book of them.
From what I remember, this is a mixed bag, as I imagine most collections of short stories would be. There's something in here for everyone if you're a fan of steampunk.

g1rlwhol1ved's review against another edition

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3.0

some of the stories were better than others but i think my favorites were the first one (rude mechanics) and one from the middle (the clockwork corset)

mothreadsbookssometimes's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Rude Mechanicals (4/5): decent story, good intro to steampunk
The Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe (5/5): my favorite story of the collection; friendship (rather than romance), vengeance against men; ✨selkies✨
Wild Magic (3/5): fey, heist story with magic
Deadwood (3/5): strong start/conflict intro, but rushed the rest
Code of Blood (2/5): no strong feelings, a little too long
Clockwork Corset (4.5/5): MC gives off Autistic vibes, sweet romance (though the fake-brothers thing was a little weird), well-described wartime setting
The Airship Gemini (3.5/5): unexpected (but good) vampire romance, girlbosses, disability rep (conjoined twins)
Under Amber Skies (3.25/5): not great romance, interesting concept (unexpected villain mother)
King of the Greenlight City (3.75/5): cool mythology, interesting plot twist, cool magic system
The Emperor’s Man (2.5/5): meh
Chickie Hill’s Badass Ride (3.5/5): started boring but I liked the monster concept, ended poorly
The Vast Machinery of Dreams (2.5/5): interesting, unique writing, but ultimately boring
Tick, Tick, Boom (3/5): plain romance, not a great ending to the collection