'Here There Be Monsters'
by Meljean Brook
from the anthology: "Burning Up"
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: Aug 3, 2010
Source: sent by the author in exchange for honest review
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
My Review:
Ivy, a blacksmith, desperately needs to get out of London-her life depends on it. So she accepts passage on Mad Machen's ship, against her better judgement. Mad Machen, or Eben, is well known as a ruthless pirate, notorious for his ill treatment of prisoners and even his crew. Ivy escapes Eben immediately, but she knows she can't hide from him forever. He'll be back to make sure she pays him what she owes.
I love a good steampunk story and this one was great! The author balanced the romance well with the technology and gadgets that readers want to see in a steampunk story. The author paints a detailed picture of a different world that never once feels confusing or unbelievable.
This is a story where I'm so glad the romance genre uses two points of view-the heroine as well as the hero. At first, if I had only gone off of Ivy's preconceived notions of Eben, I wouldn't have liked him at all. But since we got to listen in on his thoughts as well, I totally understood why he had such a scary, hard image. I was able to also see the flip side of his personality and I liked him very much.
In true steampunk fashion, the leads had mechanical body parts, which was pretty fascinating. In fact, part of Ivy's job was to make and repair mechanical limbs.
There are so many supporting characters, each vividly drawn. The characters are especially deep for a short story. I'm eager to see them develop in the rest of the series.
Main Characters: 5/5
Supporting Characters: 4/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 4/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 3/5
Writing: 4/5
Bottom Line: This was a fantastic romance as well as a well-developed steampunk fantasy. I can't wait to read more about this world and these characters in "The Iron Duke."
(note: this review is only for Meljean Brook's story, not the entire anthology)
Great review!! Good luck with the challenge!
ReplyDeleteSuper! glad you liked Meljean's sweet piece.
ReplyDeleteHmmm I don't think I've ever read steampunk before. Great review, as always. :o)
ReplyDeleteSounds really cool. I'm gonna go check Ama to see if they just have that particular tale as ebook. Not sure if I want the whole Burning up book.
ReplyDeleteI've just discovered steampunk. I'm going to give this book a try.
ReplyDeleteI truly want this one, oh yes so freaking bad
ReplyDeleteGreat review! This really makes me want to read this...preferably stat! :)
ReplyDeleteThis isn't usually my genre, but I may have to try this one. Great review.
ReplyDeleteOoh! Something from both points of view? I haven't read that in a while
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review.
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I haven't tried steampunk yet but it sounds like I need to read this! Great review!
ReplyDeleteNever heard of this series but the tattoo on his back is pretty intense... That alone deserves a 4.5 on the scale of "Ouch... this is going to hurt" moment at the tattoo parlour :)
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