This book continues the story of Finley Jayne. You will meet Griffin King, Jack Dandy, Sam, jasper and Emilie. This is all the spoilers i am going to give. The category is steampunk. And this book is a wonderful example of this genre. I guess it is considered YA since the characters are still in there teens. However, it is very well written, and as an adult, i was never bored with the story, nor did i fear i was in Middleschool . I can only recommend this book. It is strong characters both male and female, a well thought out story and the steampunk chronicles don't suffer from book 0.5 to book 2. ( )

Probabley 3.5 stars. Well written and fun. I did find that the cover description was misleading, but it was a rollicking adventure nonetheless. ( )

That was fun. I like Kady Cross's imagination and she can write a swell action scene. Also, I want the outfits these characters wear. Gimme.
Her characterization was a bit clunky at times: I lost count of how many times I was told that Emily had red "ropey" hair, was "bloody brilliant", was Irish and small. The thing is, the author showed Emily's brilliance through the fact that she was the group's scientist and doctor at a very young age, in addition to being an inventor. No further explanation required.

This was sometimes the problem with the narrative too-the author showed what was happening and then felt like she needed to explain it too. Points for the showing, but I wish she'd had an editor who had reined her in better with the telling. It would have been a shorter and better book. Still, it was enjoyable, I liked the characters, ropey hair and all, and I will be reading the next. ( )

I always enjoy a foray into the steampunk world. Finley doesn't really know why she has unusual powers, but though she tries to hide them, her super strength makes a showing whenever she is faced with highly emotional situations. That leads her right into the world of Griffin King, royalty - who also happens to have unusual powers. While they are still figuring out if they can trust each other, they are also in a race to save the world - rollicking times to be had by all. ( )

I really enjoyed this little twist on the Jekyll and Hyde story, but I didn't fall in love with it. Finley is a girl with a mad case of puberty *ok, maybe not* who has bounced from place to place because of her "affliction." She's pretty badass, but she's also afraid of herself and afraid of what she could do to others in her alternate state. When Griff and Sam find her, she's just beaten the holy bejeezus out of the jerkhole she worked for because he was getting a bit too fresh. If only we all had that power...

I actually enjoyed the subplot with Sam a little more, even though some parts were kinda obvious (like his relationship with a stranger he meets).

At any rate, Kady Cross does a great job with bringing the steampunk elements into the story. From Emily's workshop to Sam's bionic body parts to the velocycles the group uses to zip through London's crowded streets, Cross brings to life this imaginative world where technology is just as important as character and plot, and it sometimes pushes the plot.

But for me, even with this hugely rich world and these intriguing characters (Sam's self-loathing is particularly...well, sad), I had some trouble connecting with the story. Maybe it's because this is the first steampunk I've read and I was getting a feel for the world, but something...just kept me from really engaging with the characters, even Jasper, who is certainly crush-worthy. I think it's because I didn't have much of a stake with them. Griff's tale is difficult to grasp at certain points. There's this whole thing with the ether and whatnot that was sometimes more confusing than cool (even though it was still cool, don't get me wrong).

I would still recommend this book, especially if you've already had experience with steampunk. The story's good, the characters are better, and the tech is just plain cool.

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