Review: Fun peek into how Cherry the Collector took shape
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2013
If you're a steampunk fan and haven't picked up Karina Cooper's St. Croix Chronicles yet, what are you waiting for? This series really has it all - a tortured yet capable lead, fabulous supporting characters, a gritty underworld, intriguing steam-powered devices, and a plot filled with tension and heart-breaking emotion. Karina's books are truly underrated and deserve to find a larger audience. This novella would be perfect for readers looking for a taste of Cherry St. Croix before they commit to a full novel. While Cherry is much younger here than in the series, the storytelling was still deftly balanced and showcased Cherry struggle to find herself.The Curious Case of Mr. Strangeway follows a 15-year-old Cherry St. Croix as she begins her career as a Collector. It is her first bounty and she is nowhere near as skilled and savvy as in the main series. I really liked the narrative of Cherry retelling the story because we got insights and side notes that we wouldn't have otherwise. I also liked seeing the difference between how Cherry thought of the side characters then and her relationship with them now. The story was very effective at showing how this incident affect Cherry and influenced her growth both as a Collector and with fitting into society. While not required reading for the series, it did provide an interesting perspective into Cherry's character that the reader wouldn't otherwise have.Thank you to Netgalley and Carina Press for providing an ARC copy of this book!