Lady of Devices by Shelley Adina

Summary (goodreads): London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices . . .

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals…

Review: This is the first book of a series that is still ongoing and so far consists of four books, I think. I can’t really say that this novel is very different from other steampunk novels I’ve read so far. It is close to All men of genius in terms of characters and story, at least in the beginning. Still, I liked the book quite well. The characters are likeable – or detestable, at least some.

The heroine is intelligent, humourous and not afraid of doing what’s necessary in dire situations. The male counterpart, Andrew Malvern is lovely, of course. Their relationship develops slow but steady I would say, but circumstances are not in their favour, so I’m keen on reading the next few books to see what’s going to happen. The Lady’s crew, with the Mopsies, Snouts, Jake and Tigg is funny and fresh and I enjoy reading their slang. I don’t want to spoiler, so it’s hard to write about this without giving too much away. But I’m sure these characters will follow Claire through the next few books and that is another reason to read them.

The writing style is quite easy, sometimes I stumble over dialogue where I’m not entirely sure who’s talking, but those are minor things that I can overlook. The story is told from multiple viewpoints, not only Claire’s but also Andrew’s, the Mopsies and so on. I find that refreshing and it helps to keep up with the storyline – since not all characters are always together.

So in total, I enjoyed the read and even though it is not very original and certainly no masterpiece, it is great to pass the time on the metro – and since there will be more to the story, considerably more (I heard there will be 8 books), I shall look forward to the continuations. This book gets a 4 out of 5.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Summary (goodreads): Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Review: Well, this book had been on the back of my mind since it was published. I had read a preview of about 90 pages some when in 2011 and liked the story and especially the main character, Karou, very much. At that point, I was in the midst of my final exams and so I didn’t have the time to get the book and read it.

By change, I read a post on another book blog about the second book to this series, and I realized I wanted to read both books right NOW! That’s basically what I did, I started Daughter of Smoke and Bone yesterday morning and I already finished.

The first half of the book is certainly the better one. Karou is such a special character, not knowing who or what she is but being unique all the time. Her appearance, her attitude and the love for drawing made me like her immediately. Karou has the ability to be strong and vulnerable without being whiny or otherwise overly annoying. In the second half, when most of the secret is unveiled, I was a bit disappointed. I had already guessed what she was and was silently praying it wasn’t like that. Basically, throughout the last dozen chapters, Karou doesn’t really DO anything, except for seeing visions of the history, explaining everything. While I liked the world-building and insights on seraphs and chimera, I would have preferred Karou to learn about this stuff more like One Step at a time instead of “BAM!”

The other characters are so very different and distinct that I had no problem with keeping up – I envied the friendship between Karou and Zuzana, marveled at the diversity of the chimera and tried to imagine the beauty of seraphs. Akiva is still a mystery and I look forward to unravel his full story. I can imagine him and Karou being together in the end, but so far this couple has not touched me as much as those in the Clockwork Series. (Unfortunately I know why that is – I’m shallow. Akiva does not long hair and thus I fail to fall completely and utterly in love with him…)

Laini Taylor has a lovely way of writing, colourful, humourous but also quite emotional and serious if needed. I laughed at some passages, but the series has failed to make me cry – yet. There is a lot of potential for that in the following books, I’m sure. I will postpone reading the second book in order to read a book I requested to review.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone gets a 4 out of 5 for the lovely characters and world.

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

Summary (goodreads): The land of Terre d’Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good…and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission…and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel’s Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair…and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.

Review: I have to tell you in advance that I read this book in German. A friend of mine insisted I read this and lend the book to me. It is the first non-German book I enjoyed in years (the last I remember is a book by Trudi Canavan), so that means a lot! It has been a few months since I have read this, and I have finished another trilogy by Carey, so this review might be a little bit biased.

The characters are very unique and distinguishable and I liked most of them from the start. Phedre is going through a huge development, starting out as a little girl that even her parents didn’t want and growing into a capable and strong young woman who is both desirable and dangerous. Delaunay, her mentor, has a dark history that is revealed in the course of the story, but he appears as a genuine man and teacher. And I admit, I cried at some points. Then there is Joscelin. He is destined to choose over and over again in his life where he wants to stand. So this character is designed for hardship. He is handsome, very skilled with his daggers and a fierce protector. I came to like him best during the Scaldic adventure.

The princess, Ysandre is one of my favourite characters. She is a very strong yet gentle person, even though she is very young has has gone through hard times. It is as much her story as it is Phedres, even though she is not always present.

The story is at first slowly building. We learn about Phedre and her aprenticeship with Delaunay and all that. And we learn about her “specialty” as a courtesan and we read a lot about sex. Yes, this book has a number of sex scenes and not of the light sort. But since most of them are important for the storyline, it didn’t bother me overly much (as opposed to Shades of Grey, but we’ll come to that another time).

The story picks up a lot when Melisandre comes into the story. She is the evil one, even though she looks like an angel. and Phedre, the poor girl is so captivated by her, that she cannot resist. Ever.

I really like the whole setting, Terre d’Ange has grown on me, probably because it’s not unfamiliar. It is, after all, an altered version of France and the other European countries. It has nothing to do with real history and the names are all changed, but it is still recognizable. I admire Careys imagnation, for I couldn’t have come up with half the intrigues and plots she has. While in the beginning I was not too much into the book, I couldn’t put it down towards the end.

Careys style is interesting to read, though at some points I stumble over some sentences that seem odd. She portrays emotions well enough, but I was not always touched by them. I like the description of landscape and buildings, though. It is easy enough to imagine the palace, the scaldic tundra and the battlefield of Troyes-le-Mont.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and the story and wanted to read the next books. At first, I didn’t want to read them in english, because I thought it might be weird. So I read the Moirin Trilogy next. I’ll review that one later. It was not the best book I read, but it was the best translated-to-German book I read in years. For that, I give 4 out of 5.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Summary (goodreads.com): About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She’ll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace—and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly’s Dust—and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can’t control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren’t so clear…

Review: This is one of my favourite books ever (I first read it in 2010). A friend of mine recommended it and I thought it sounded interesting. It is the first book in a trilogy and I have read all three books, but this is the best.

I simply love the characters. Yelena has a very strong personality and, having been through a lot, is not naive or one of those disgustingly sweet heroines that rely on the male counterpart. Her thoughts and actions are very comprehensible and I could identify with her fears and hopes.

Valek, the mysterious gift mixer and spy master is the spitting image of my perfect male hero. Dark-haired, tall and lean, witty and always in control – except in certain situations with the heroine. I always go for the stories with characters like him in them. It’s a shame there are not more.

The story is also not an average one. There are elements that we have read before, yes. But then again there are some twists to the whole thing that I did not expect and was surprised by, and that does not happen too often. I probably like the first book best because the magical element is not as strong as in the sequels and focuses more on the storytelling. I have two favourite parts – the one where Yelena acts as a runaway and at the ending, when Yelena and Valek have their “I tell you the truth now” moment.

Maria Snyder is one of my favourite authors. I have read almost everything she wrote that I could get my hands on. She has a captivating style and always keeps me on the edge. She writes in first person, but you don’t know everything the main character thinks and knows. You get to know her story as the people around her do, which I like very much. Her style is not very soft and romantic, but then again the story doesn’t call for that and I think she does a great job at describing emotions without a flowery vision.

Having said all that, I can only recommend Poison Study and/or all other books by her to you. this book gets a 5 out of 5.

P.S: I have this book in an audio version, too. It is the only audio book I can fall asleep to. All the more reason to love it!