Review: A adventurous novella from start to finish
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 20, 2012
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is a 78-page novella and precursor to The Steampunk Chronicles first novel, The Girl in the Steel Corset. I don't normally read novellas (even when they're a part of a series), but when I opened The Girl in the Steel Corset and saw the blurb about reading the series in THIS order, I thought, "Oh shit! I better go read Finley Jane first!"I'm not sure what would've happened if I didn't. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered. Maybe I would've been confused. Maybe I'd be attacked by a hoard of parasol-toting women in bustles. I didn't know, but I didn't want to find out.The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is a great introduction to the Finley Jane character and, now that I've read through Steel Corset, I recommend for anyone wanting to read the series to start here first.Standing on a front stoop in 1897 London, 16-year-old Finley Jane narrowly escapes being hit with her own carpet bag as her former employer tosses her on the street. Dismissed for the second time in two months - and for what? She had simply protected young master Fenton who'd been slapped by Mrs. Clarke for trying to take a fourth biscuit off the tray. Of course, maybe bashing the woman's face in was a little excessive. But how was she to know the governess's teeth would be so poorly attached to her gums?Still, Finley knows something isn't right with her. She's been...changing. She's stronger - abnormally stronger - and faster. And her body heals itself at a rapid rate.Finley moves back in with her mother and stepfather until she can find another job - if she's even employable after word spreads about her antics. To her dismay, a job offer finds her. Lady Morton is looking for a companion for her daughter, Phoebe, and insists Finley would be the perfect person for the job. The pay is substantially better than anything Finley's seen, so how could she say no?It's seems too good to be true.After moving in, she finds Lady Morton and Phoebe to be delightful. Finley's taken shopping, bought beautiful clothes that she'd never be able to afford, and attends a ritzy ball as a "cousin" of Lady Morton. But it's at that ball that Finley meets the reason for her employment: Phoebe's much older fiancé, Lord Vincent.Something isn't right about him and it's up to her to expose the truth.This novella was totally enjoyable! Not having much room to dilly dally, it kicks right into gear. There's not a lot of time to incorporate too many twists and turns or elaborate on characters, but it served its purpose as an introduction to an extraordinary girl.How is she extraordinary? Not quite sure. I mean, she feels like she's getting stronger and has this "evil" coming out, but one might chalk it up to hormones or an untreated mental condition. I'm just saying it's not like she's doing anything incredibly odd like shooting laser beams from her eyes.The plot was guessable, but the real enjoyment came from watching Finley react the situations she'd been put in. Her "evil" side was kind of snarky - even funny at times. I think I liked it better than the "good" Finley that seemed a little too humble and mousey.I was surprised at the ending when Finley rejected Lady Morton's offer for more money to continue working for the family. She gave some excuse that she felt Phoebe would be reminded of everything that had happened if she stayed around. I didn't see that at all since Phoebe genuinely liked her. For a girl who worried about being unemployed and burdening her parents, it seemed like an irresponsible decision.Check it out if you...like short adventure stories.Skip it if you... want an in-depth plot and characters (and don't want to jump into a series).