Reviews

Mulan meets Iron Widow in this thrilling silkpunk fantasy about a girl who must disguise herself as a boy and enter the famed and dangerous Engineer’s Guild trials to unravel the mystery of her father’s murder.

I listened to this on audio. I liked the setting and the book was fun to read but I never felt invested in the story. I just thought this book was okay but not great.

kmartbooks's review against another edition

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2.0

This had so much potential, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite deliver for me. I was initially drawn in by the promise of a steampunk fantasy, but I found myself STRUGGLING to stay engaged. The premise is undeniably strong—a young woman seeking revenge for her father’s murder while disguised as her brother.

However, the execution left me wanting more. I often found myself zoning out and losing track of the plot, which is never a good sign. HI had to re-read pages because I wasn’t invested in what was happening.

One of my biggest disappointments was that the engineering aspect, which I was so excited about, didn’t play as central a role in the story as I had hoped. I wanted to see more of Ying’s skills in action, more inventive uses of her engineering knowledge, and more challenges that put her abilities to the test. Instead, it felt like a background detail rather than a driving force in the plot.

The characters didn’t feel fully fleshed out, and I struggled to connect with them. The lack of character development made it hard to care about their fates or the outcome of their journeys. While I appreciated the diversity in the cast and the world, the story felt flat. I kept waiting for that moment when everything would click into place, but it never quite happened. Instead, I was left with a sense of disappointment, feeling like the book had all the right elements but didn’t know how to use them effectively.

I wanted more—more excitement, more character development, more depth.

Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin, and Viking Books for the opportunity to review. This review is based on a complimentary pre-released copy and it is voluntary. All opinions are my own.

trumpetmark's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

If I could give zero stars I would. Oh I can!
Would you like a book that has dragons and shit in it?
There are NO DRAGONS IN THIS FUCKING BOOK.
The first bit of the book I was hooked and excited, the main character being like a female hiccup from "How to train your dragon" - I was excited to see how their inventions, their "mulan-ing" would work out pretending to be a boy to get into the guild, the big three trials she had to do, finding her father's killer, the secret of the book he wanted her to burn?! So many amazing things!!

She gets on a ship.
She goes to school.
The first trial is a FUCKING ESSAY.
Waffle, talk, zero action, zero nothing. My GOD this was the most painful read of my life.
AND THERE'S NO DRAGONS!!!

Worst thing I've ever put into my eyes. My pupils need to vomit

moidevaux's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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