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tehani's review
3.0
3.5 stars
A bit of fun with a great premise of three female protagonists, let down a little (for me) by being a bit over the top and overt - the anachronistic language could be a but jarring too, but it was fast-paced, action-packed and genuinely funny at times. May not be the best piece of literature of the year, but it's a good read!
kblincoln's review
4.0
"And then there was an explosion"
The repeat of that line in the beginning of each of the three chapters introducing the three girls (the scientist, the acrobat/magician, and the warrior) I had an inkling of both the fun and the somewhat formulaic nature of the story I was getting into.
Three girls, assistants to older men, live in London, and are experiencing a new relationship with a boy nearer their own age.
Cora is the inventor, Lord White's assistant. But Lord White's hired a new, male assistant who makes Cora wonder if she's about to be replaced.
Nellie is assistant to the Great Raheem (magician) but has a crush on the young policeman who is investigating the mysterious deaths of flower girls and the fog-shrouded attack on Michiko after an important party.
Michiko is the assistant to a ne'er-do-well of a nobleman who makes his living selling self-defense lessons. She takes on training the japanese assistant of a merchant who sells swords.
There is roof-leaping, swordfighting, explosions, creepy villains, and more girl power than you can shake a fist at. None of the action/fights would make me hesitate to give this book over to my third-grader, but the book is definitely aimed at the younger YA audience.
Tons of fun, but not at a level of characterization that will keep me hooked, although I bet my third-grader would stay with it if it becomes a series.
This Book's Snack Rating: Sea Salt& Vinegar Lay's for the fun, salty action and steampunkery flavor on slightly formulaic characters
The repeat of that line in the beginning of each of the three chapters introducing the three girls (the scientist, the acrobat/magician, and the warrior) I had an inkling of both the fun and the somewhat formulaic nature of the story I was getting into.
Three girls, assistants to older men, live in London, and are experiencing a new relationship with a boy nearer their own age.
Cora is the inventor, Lord White's assistant. But Lord White's hired a new, male assistant who makes Cora wonder if she's about to be replaced.
Nellie is assistant to the Great Raheem (magician) but has a crush on the young policeman who is investigating the mysterious deaths of flower girls and the fog-shrouded attack on Michiko after an important party.
Michiko is the assistant to a ne'er-do-well of a nobleman who makes his living selling self-defense lessons. She takes on training the japanese assistant of a merchant who sells swords.
There is roof-leaping, swordfighting, explosions, creepy villains, and more girl power than you can shake a fist at. None of the action/fights would make me hesitate to give this book over to my third-grader, but the book is definitely aimed at the younger YA audience.
Tons of fun, but not at a level of characterization that will keep me hooked, although I bet my third-grader would stay with it if it becomes a series.
This Book's Snack Rating: Sea Salt& Vinegar Lay's for the fun, salty action and steampunkery flavor on slightly formulaic characters
troyhpt's review
4.0
I liked this quite a lot, if there had been a second book available I would have bought it immediately. It's a quick, simple read of the steampunk variety and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
litwrite's review
4.0
This was a fun little YA foray into steampunk - I'd liken it to the younger sister of Gail Carriger's [b:Blameless|7719355|Blameless (Parasol Protectorate, #3)|Gail Carriger|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1293436281s/7719355.jpg|10463674] series, it has that same aura of infectious fun - light and frothy like a meringue, nothing heavy but infinitely readable and I easily found myself plowing through this in one sitting.
The 3 female protagonists were likeable, and the plot was enjoyable if not exactly War and Peace - the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed but again, in a YA novel I'm not looking for feats of literary greatness.
This would be a great beach read.
The 3 female protagonists were likeable, and the plot was enjoyable if not exactly War and Peace - the foreshadowing was a little heavy handed but again, in a YA novel I'm not looking for feats of literary greatness.
This would be a great beach read.
sydneylmeyer7's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
smolsaknussemm's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lisagoe's review
2.0
This is Steampunk Charlie's Angels. If you can get behind that, more power to you. I thought I could, but it just wasn't smart and self aware enough to keep me engaged. I probably won't finish it, which makes me sad as a completist, but I can't see it being worth the effort.
westcoastchelle's review against another edition
3.0
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I'm going to have to think on this one.
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I'm going to have to think on this one.
ria_mhrj's review
2.0
Darn, I was ready to love this. The book itself is gorgeous, the concept is great, the characters were thoughtfully fleshed out and the writing style promised fun... initially.
And the worst part is, I don't know if I can articulate WHY I didn't enjoy this, beyond the fact that when I arrived at the finale, I realised that I just didn't care. For all the fun and style, there wasn't quite enough depth to suck me in, which is a real shame.
And the worst part is, I don't know if I can articulate WHY I didn't enjoy this, beyond the fact that when I arrived at the finale, I realised that I just didn't care. For all the fun and style, there wasn't quite enough depth to suck me in, which is a real shame.