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A review by annkniggendorf
Balanced on the Blade's Edge by Lindsay Buroker
3.0
I got a free copy of this book because I reviewed some of Lindsay Buroker's books before. Quite a few of her previous works are on my "favorites" shelf. These facts won't alter my opinion about [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808].
However, that [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] is also an all time favorite of mine does alter it, because - frankly - for a little more than half the book I felt as if reading the same story.
Get me right, this is in no way a case of copycat or even plagiarism. [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is sufficiently different from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952]. One is steampunk, the other is space opera. One heroine risks being burned as a witch, the other risks being worshiped. One plays in a mining prison, the other on a deprecated space station infested by parrots. But the flow of the plot, the plot evolving events, even the characters' dynamic are similar to a T, resulting in me having a hard time remembering what version belonged into which book until the plot started separating at around 70% into the ebook.
That doesn't mean [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is a bad book, judged on its own it's a solid four stars, fun, entertaining, and a great way to spend a rainy weekend if you like steampunk and/or romance with a good dose of action and believable characters. :)
However, if you also know (and love) [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952], you might feel more familiar and precognizant of the developing plot than you'd like.
For me, I frankly like "Fix-it" Mak and Simon, the crystal ship from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] better than I like Ridge and Jaxi, the juvenile sword in [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808]. Also, if [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] had been [a:Lindsay Buroker|4512224|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1292869920p2/4512224.jpg]'s inspiration for it, a line of acknowledgment would have been nice, so that readers knowing both books might expect the parallels.
However, that [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] is also an all time favorite of mine does alter it, because - frankly - for a little more than half the book I felt as if reading the same story.
Get me right, this is in no way a case of copycat or even plagiarism. [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is sufficiently different from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952]. One is steampunk, the other is space opera. One heroine risks being burned as a witch, the other risks being worshiped. One plays in a mining prison, the other on a deprecated space station infested by parrots. But the flow of the plot, the plot evolving events, even the characters' dynamic are similar to a T, resulting in me having a hard time remembering what version belonged into which book until the plot started separating at around 70% into the ebook.
That doesn't mean [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808] is a bad book, judged on its own it's a solid four stars, fun, entertaining, and a great way to spend a rainy weekend if you like steampunk and/or romance with a good dose of action and believable characters. :)
However, if you also know (and love) [a:Linnea Sinclair|202269|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1200676158p2/202269.jpg]'s [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952], you might feel more familiar and precognizant of the developing plot than you'd like.
For me, I frankly like "Fix-it" Mak and Simon, the crystal ship from [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] better than I like Ridge and Jaxi, the juvenile sword in [b:Balanced on the Blade's Edge|21797289|Balanced on the Blade's Edge|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1396094126s/21797289.jpg|41051808]. Also, if [b:An Accidental Goddess|352727|An Accidental Goddess|Linnea Sinclair|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1388350894s/352727.jpg|342952] had been [a:Lindsay Buroker|4512224|Lindsay Buroker|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1292869920p2/4512224.jpg]'s inspiration for it, a line of acknowledgment would have been nice, so that readers knowing both books might expect the parallels.