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A review by betwixt_the_pages
Chronicles of Steele: Raven by Pauline Creeden
5.0
Human life has value.
The poor living in the gutter are as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
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Rating: 5/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: KICK ASS LEAD; Steampunk; complex and intriguing characters; awesome character arcs; magic and mayhem and all those yummy things.
Okay, guys. This book can be summed up in four small words. Oh my gosh...and steampunk!
Raven Steele is an assassin looking for a way to leave the lifestyle behind. On her way to visit an old childhood friend (and the man she hopes to marry), trouble finds her as it always does. This time, the young Baron Darius's carriage has taken a tumble (or dive) into a large body of water...and Raven does the sensible thing, stripping her weapons and throwing herself in the way, thereby saving his life.
Thus starts a career she didn't foresee. Instead of leaving the Reaping life behind on an even note (level number of lives taken and lives saved), she suddenly finds herself caring for the young Baron...perhaps for just a small amount of time, perhaps indefinitely.
Because Baron Darius is afflicted. Anytime he gets around automatons, they go berserk and often explode. And his dad, the Duke (part automaton himself) wants him dead. Under guise of darkness, Raven Steele is hired by the Baron's older brother to find a cure for his affliction, hoping his dad will be gone long enough to give the pair a decent head start. But something goes wrong; the Duke arrives early. With the Baron's life balanced precariously in her hands, Raven embarks on a journey to keep the child safe...and find redemption along the way.
So. I've had some hit and misses with books discovered via Book Outlet recently. I decided, for the ones I found interesting that I hadn't heard a whole lot about, to look into them on Amazon (I have Kindle Unlimited) before buying a physical copy, to cut down on potential buyers disappointment.
This book--a definite HIT. First off, the cover is gorgeous (I know, I know, it's an ebook, but LOOK at it up there sitting pretty! Just...gah!)
Second--I'm going to HAVE to get this book for my shelves, because OH MY GOODNESS, it's awesome. Let's look at some things here: 1. KICK ASS female main character; 2. Steampunk; 3. Adventure and mystery and sass and just that little HINT of romance I love so much in a book.
Really, though--the characters are well-written and complex, the story is gripping, the world is gorgeously imagined...and to top it all off, there's magic. Yes. And all of these elements are woven together SO, SO well, you'll fly through the book...and wish ARDENTLY for more.
Also, the character growth here is amazing. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to throw the book and scream at something...or maybe I have that backwards. Either way, the characters do a LOT of growing, and they'll drag you (willingly!) along with them.
Apparently, there's a second part of this coming out sometime this year...and I'm going to be looking for it very impatiently, because I'm addicted. I haven't read any of Pauline Creeden's other novels yet, but I will definitely be doing so in the near future, because DANG, can she write!
Highly recommended for lovers of steampunk/fantasy!
The poor living in the gutter are as valuable as the rich living in a manor.
The scoundrel is no less valuable than the saint.
Because of this, every life a reaper takes must be redeemed.
Raven has lived by this first tenet since she was trained by her father to become a reaper. But since his death, she’s been spending years redeeming the lives she’s taken. By her count, she’s even and it’s time for that life to end. If she settles down and becomes a wife, she might just feel human again. But on the way to the life she thinks she wants, the baron of New Haven asks her to complete a task which she cannot ignore… Just when Raven decides to give up on her life as an assassin, she’s pulled right back in.
---
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: KICK ASS LEAD; Steampunk; complex and intriguing characters; awesome character arcs; magic and mayhem and all those yummy things.
Okay, guys. This book can be summed up in four small words. Oh my gosh...and steampunk!
Raven Steele is an assassin looking for a way to leave the lifestyle behind. On her way to visit an old childhood friend (and the man she hopes to marry), trouble finds her as it always does. This time, the young Baron Darius's carriage has taken a tumble (or dive) into a large body of water...and Raven does the sensible thing, stripping her weapons and throwing herself in the way, thereby saving his life.
Thus starts a career she didn't foresee. Instead of leaving the Reaping life behind on an even note (level number of lives taken and lives saved), she suddenly finds herself caring for the young Baron...perhaps for just a small amount of time, perhaps indefinitely.
Because Baron Darius is afflicted. Anytime he gets around automatons, they go berserk and often explode. And his dad, the Duke (part automaton himself) wants him dead. Under guise of darkness, Raven Steele is hired by the Baron's older brother to find a cure for his affliction, hoping his dad will be gone long enough to give the pair a decent head start. But something goes wrong; the Duke arrives early. With the Baron's life balanced precariously in her hands, Raven embarks on a journey to keep the child safe...and find redemption along the way.
So. I've had some hit and misses with books discovered via Book Outlet recently. I decided, for the ones I found interesting that I hadn't heard a whole lot about, to look into them on Amazon (I have Kindle Unlimited) before buying a physical copy, to cut down on potential buyers disappointment.
This book--a definite HIT. First off, the cover is gorgeous (I know, I know, it's an ebook, but LOOK at it up there sitting pretty! Just...gah!)
Second--I'm going to HAVE to get this book for my shelves, because OH MY GOODNESS, it's awesome. Let's look at some things here: 1. KICK ASS female main character; 2. Steampunk; 3. Adventure and mystery and sass and just that little HINT of romance I love so much in a book.
Really, though--the characters are well-written and complex, the story is gripping, the world is gorgeously imagined...and to top it all off, there's magic. Yes. And all of these elements are woven together SO, SO well, you'll fly through the book...and wish ARDENTLY for more.
Also, the character growth here is amazing. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to throw the book and scream at something...or maybe I have that backwards. Either way, the characters do a LOT of growing, and they'll drag you (willingly!) along with them.
Apparently, there's a second part of this coming out sometime this year...and I'm going to be looking for it very impatiently, because I'm addicted. I haven't read any of Pauline Creeden's other novels yet, but I will definitely be doing so in the near future, because DANG, can she write!
Highly recommended for lovers of steampunk/fantasy!