Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook from my library.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this book but found the plot to be a bit messy and poorly paced. The story follows Mattie, an intelligent automaton who has gained independence from her maker to become an alchemist. Mattie is approached by the gargoyles to help them find a cure to their slow demise. Then Mattie is unfortunately drawn into a political conflict between the gargoyles, the alchemists, and the mechanics that is tearing the city of Ayona apart.

I enjoyed Mattie as a character, she was unique with a very unique set of concerns. Watching her struggle between hating her creator and still wanting to obey and support him was both tough and intriguing. She also wanted to form connections with other humans but her dreams would be dashed when the humans didn't recognize her need for connection.

I really loved the gargoyles who built this stone city and watching them try to adjust to the changes in their world. The city of Ayona itself was another aspect I loved about this

Where the story fell short was the plot. There are a few different plot threads going on here. Mattie's search for an alchemical cure for the gargoyles, Mattie's struggle to leave her creator behind, and then the turmoil between the different factions of the city. These storylines weren't woven together very well and would get dropped and then picked back up. It made the story feel fractured.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. It was heartfelt, unique, and engaging. I loved Mattie, the city, and the gargoyles. I did struggle with how fractured the storyline felt. It is hard to find decent steampunk reads and this is one I would definitely recommend if you enjoy reading steampunk themed books. I do plan to check out additional books by Sedia in the future; there were some very unique ideas in here. ( )

this is basically a book about the toaster falling in love, but AWESOME. two thumbs up. ( )

This one reminded me of the China Mieville books that I've read. It's somewhat less grotesque and I really liked the clockwork girl alchemist protagonist. Everyone's looking for their own freedom in a stone city full of mechanics, alchemists and gargoyles. ( )

Abandoned @ 11%. I'm just not finding it very interesting.

But there was something – maybe the very juvenile prose – that kept me from being entirely swept along with it. Perhaps it’s a failure to write strong relationships: I didn’t see Mattie’s connection to Sebastian at all. The one to her master, Loharri, was there and interesting, though I didn’t exactly feel that she was prepared to allow him to be harmed. However, there were plenty of interesting ideas – the gargoyles, use of blood alchemy were cool. It’s never exactly explained how Mattie’s mind/feelings work, though. I appreciate Sedia’s willingness to kill her character, though I was never particularly emotionally invested in her. ( )