Review: A fair opening novel . . .
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 25, 2013
Like a lot of good steampunk stories, the author has a really good cadence to the writing, with smart dialogue and a witty heroine.  The concept  behind the book is sound and the techno-babble is entertaining without bogging the story down.  There are two reasons why this didn't get raised to four stars.  First, the heroine kind of felt like every other heroine in every other steampunk novel.  The same dry wit, the same intellectualism . . . in other words, there was nothing about her to set her apart from any number of contemporaries.  Also, the romance angle was incredibly forced and involves a paramour who is incredibly unlikable, making the pairing even more suspect.  So overall, it was a good first attempt, but the author needs to give the main character a little more of a unique voice.