The Girl in the Steel Corset (2011) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 5 stars

“Very, very good. Looking foward to more in the series”

• Rated 4 stars

“This steam punk novel makes for a fun read!”

• Rated 4 stars

“I’ve always loved steampunk, but it was only in recent years that I realized that the thing I love has a name, so when I came across Kady Cross’s Girl with the Steel Corset, I knew I had to read it. Not only are there awesome machines and great costumes, but I loved the references to other stories that ran through the story.

Finley is a girl who, quite literally, has two distinct sides. Generally, Finley’s lighter side is dominant, but when she is threatened, her darker side activates (for loss of a better word). As our story begins, Finley gets into an alteration with her former employer and finds herself running into Griffin – the Duke of Greythorne – in the middle of the night.

At his home she meets Sam and Emily who work alongside Griffin and seem to have powers of their own. She is welcomed into their little family like a band of misfit heroes reminiscent of the X-Men. Add Griffin’s family history and you have a bit of Batman thrown in.

With so many great parallels The Girl with the Steel Corset does not disappoint; there is enough action and twists to keep you on your toes. As the story progresses the reader learns about the experiments that made Finley into the person she is – very reminiscent of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I found the characters to be well developed and even found myself curious about the shadier characters and what lead them to the lives they chose.

My one complaint about this story was varying points of view. Sometimes it was a little confusing when the narrative moved from character to character, thankfully it’s in the third person so we have a better idea as to who we are following, but I wonder if it was necessary to see so many character views.

Overall I loved the story! If you love steampunk, super heroes and villains that tread grey areas in their villainy, then this is a book for you.”

• Rated 5 stars

“I loved this book so much I would suggest it to anyone”

• Rated 3 stars

“I read this book quite awhile back, but it stuck with me. I really enjoyed this novel, and I can't wait for the next book in the series. I know that a lot of people have had problems with the fact that there was a ton of technology that shouldn't have been available to people yet being used in this novel, but I was able to have a willing suspension of disbelief where that was concerned. I think it would have been more believable, though, if Finley had at least seemed genuinely shocked by some of this technology. However, it's fiction, and if I can believe that she has some kind of weirdo split personality when she gets angry, then I can believe that they have showers and such. Also, the first scooter/motorcycle type deal was actually invented in England in 1897, so that part was believable for me. Griffin had a lot of money, and with money comes power. It's not TOO far-fetched that someone with his amount of money could have strange technological gadgets. Anyway, I digress. Cross has built a wonderful steampunk world that I can't wait to return to. The characters are well-developed, there is plenty of action, and the plot is intriguing.


I really enjoyed the characters and the Free Indirect Discourse POV that Cross used. She's obviously read her Jane Austen novels to be able to pull that off. She did it differently than Austen, but she was able to slip seamlessly into different characters at different times. That's not an easy task, and she did it very well. There was a bit more obvious separation between the characters than there is in Austen novels, but I'm actually glad of that. Sometimes trying to figure out who is insulting whom in an Austen novel can give you a headache.

The characters in The Girl in the Steel Corset were all unique and well-developed, in my opinion. My favorites were Finley, Griffin, Jasper, Emily, and Jack Dandy. Of course I couldn't really stand Sam. He got on my nerves, but I think he was supposed to. Finley was a pretty strong heroine, though sometimes she did second guess herself. That's only natural, though, and since she felt like she had a freaking demon growing inside of her, I can understand her random hesitation. Griffin was terrific. I liked that he was a Duke, but he didn't really adhere to the social conventions. He did what he liked, and I respected him for that. Emily was super smart, and I think that an intelligent female is always a great addition to any novel. Jasper was fun, and I just really liked him. Jack Dandy was the most complex character, and while I enjoyed his and Finley's interactions, I'm still team Griffin all the way.

I thought there was a good amount of action in this book, but I feel that sometimes it went too long in between the action scenes and the plot dragged a little then. I didn't finish this book all in one sitting, but I did finish it relatively quickly. I wish that Cross had cut out some of the slower moving parts and made this a shorter and more intense read, though. Maybe she will do that in the sequel. However, I do understand this was the first book in a series and she had to establish the characters, world, and plot that will keep the series going for the next however many books. First books in series are almost always my least favorite because they tend to move slower than the following books.

The plot was intriguing and it kept me guessing throughout most of the book. I couldn't always keep up with what was going on, and I felt confused at times. I feel that Cross could have made things a bit more clear in the plot department. Nevertheless, overall, I could follow the plot just fine. You will be kept guessing from the first page until the last, and that is what held my interest when things seemed to drag a little bit.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys steampunk/sci-fi books. Cross has created a rich and unique world, and this series is sure to get better and better with each novel. You don't want to miss out!”

• Rated 3 stars

“Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick and Dirty: A girl with a Jekyll & Hyde personality bands together with a group of paranormal teens to defeat a crazy automaton mechanic/expert.

Opening Sentence: The moment she saw the young man walking toward her in the darkened hall, twirling his walking stick, Finley Jayne knew she’d be unemployed before the sun rose.

The Review:

Finley Jayne is trying to be independent from her family — not because she doesn’t like them, but because her actions cause destruction everywhere she goes. She is trying to make a better reputation for herself, which means working as a maid for a very rude, touchy-feely (in a bad way), and rich gentleman that is high on the social ladder. So when she ends up beating the dude half to death and runs across the street, she doesn’t expect to run into yet another aristocrat. Although crashing into Griffin King is the least of her worries. A madman is becoming bolder, determined to use his automatons to disband Griffin’s group. To make matters worse the evil half of her personality is growing stronger — and Griffin may be the only person able to help.

This book definitely has potential. This was an amazing read once you get into it, but there were some parts that were predictable. After the first few chapters, the story never slows down. Twists? Yeah. Cliffhangers? Definitely. Victorian England makes the story even more complicated with status problems, balls, and the annoying social rules.

And what’s a great book without romance? Cross had the perfect amount of action and romance in the story. The love triangle between Finley, Griffin, and Jack Dandy was somewhat predictable and a tad slow. Emily’s love triangle between Sam and Jasper was minor but still intriguing nonetheless.

Then there was Finely Jayne, multi-personality extraordinaire. Cross delivered a new take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and had me begging for more. This independent, lower-class girl struggles controlling her “other half” throughout the book. She had me laughing and crying with every epiphany.

And then there was Griffin King, who had me yelling “Go after her!” and the like. His power to control the Aether (the force between the dead and living) is unusual and useful. His way of controlling people’s emotions is perfect in helping Finley control her other personality. Plus, not only is he rich and handsome, he’s the leader of the ragtag group of superpower people. Of course he has his flaws, but what good hero doesn’t?

The rest of his group make the story full and rounded. His team consists of Sam (part robot), Emily (automaton genius), and Jasper (the American cowboy). There’s also Jack Dandy, infamous criminal and as rich as Griffin (well, maybe a little less). These characters all have a big part to play in the story, even if their part is short. Jasper may only be in half the book, but his character leads us to the next book in the series.

Overall, this story was worth the slow beginning. Once you get past that, you won’t be able to put it down. The next book, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is already out and picks up right at the end of Steel Corset. But you’ll have to read the book to find out where the story ends.

Notable Scene:

“There’s something not right about her,” Griff said finally, frowning as he studied the girl.

“She’s come to the right place then,” the redhead replied with a touch of a smile as she pushed her ropey hair out of her face. “There’s not one ‘right’ amongst us the lot of us.” And then, “She must of jumped out of your way and struck her head on the ground. If you had hit her, she’d be more seriously injured.”

Griff kept frowning. “I did hit her. That’s part of what’s not right.” The girl had practically leaped onto his cycle, hadn’t she? He shook his head, uncertain whether his memories were real or his imaginings.

Other than remaining unconscious and the gash on her head, there was nothing wrong with the girl. Nothing at all–except the bruise on her face, which he could now see bore the imprint of a signet ring.

“Someone beat her,” Emily said. “You probably saved her.”

“Or saved whoever was after her,” Sam commented from the doorway.

The Steampunk Chronicles:

0.5. The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

1. The Girl in the Steel Corset

2. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

FTC Advisory: Harlequin Teen provided me with a copy of The Girl in the Steel Corset. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Wonderful! Fantastic! Love it!”

• Rated 3 stars

“Rating is 3.5
Great start, draggy middle and good end. Full review to come.”

• Rated 0 stars

“Interesting read”

• Rated 5 stars

“I finally got around to buying this book and I'm SO glad I did!! I absolutely loved it! I flew right through it because the writing was so smooth. The characters were very well written, the plot kept me interested from start to finish, and the action was awesome. I'm starting immediately on The Girl in the Clockwork Collar and can only hope that it is half as good as this one, because I honestly couldn't find anything to complain about at all :) I highly recommend it to fans of steampunk, fantasy and historical fiction, and I give it a very enthusiastic 5 stars!”