The Buried Life - Review

Title: The Buried Life

Author: Carrie Patel

Series: Recoletta #1

Synopsis:  "The gaslight and shadows of the underground city of Recoletta hide secrets and lies.  When Inspector Liesl Malone investigates the murder of a renowned historian, she finds herself stonewalled by the all-powerful Directorate of Preservation -- Recoletta's top-secret historical research facility.

     "When a second high-profile murder threatens the very fabric of city society, Malone and her rookie partner Rafe Sundar must tread carefully, les they fall victim to not only the criminals they seek, but the government which purports to protect them."

Review:  I found the whole premise of The Buried Life fascinating.  A city buried underground?  Wow, yes please.  Although I found myself getting confused about locations and what was where and what do things look like?  I would have enjoyed more description of the city and buildings.  The Buried Life reads more like a detective mystery than a steampunk novel.  If you like mysteries and steampunk, then great.  You should love The Buried Life!  But if you aren't overly fond of mysteries I suggest perhaps skipping this one.

     I personally love mysteries; and I love steampunk.  So I loved The Buried Life.  I enjoyed learning about Patel's world and the culture of this underground city.  I honestly could not figure out the "whodunnit" and had no idea who was the murderer until the characters figured it out at the end.  For me that's a huge plus as I can normally figure it out pretty quickly.  I purchased the sequel, Cities and Thrones, the same day I bought The Buried Life; and I look forward to reading it.

Publisher:  Angry Robot

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan

Depth by Lev AC Rosen (read BookGirlR's review here)

Karen Memory - Review

Title: Karen Memory

Author:  Elizabeth Bear

Synopsis:  “Set in the late nineteenth century – in a city a lot like what we now call Seattle Underground – when airships plied the trade routes, would-be gold miners were heading to the gold fields of Alaska, and steam-powered mechanicals stalked the waterfront.  Karen is a young woman on her own, making the best of her orphaned state by working in Madame Damnable’s high-quality bordello.  Through Karen’s eyes we get to know the other girls in the house – a resourceful group – and the poor and the powerful of the town.

     “Trouble erupts one night when a badly injured girl arrives at their door, begging sanctuary, followed by the man who holds her indenture and who has a machine that can take over anyone’s mind and control their actions.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, the next night brings a body dumped in their rubbish heap – a streetwalker who has been brutally murdered.

     “Hard on the heels of that horrifying discovery comes a lawman who has been chasing this killer for months.  Marshal Bass Reeves is closing in on his man, and he’s not about to reject any help he can get, even if it comes from a girl who works in the Hôtel Mon Cheri.”

Review:  I have yet to meet a novel by Elizabeth Bear that I didn’t like.  That goes for Karen Memory as well.  This novel sucked me in and would not let me go.  I mean, just look at the first line: “You ain’t gonna like what I have to tell you, but I’m gonna tell you anyway”.  Told in the first person, Karen Memory allows us to see inside the head of Karen Memery, which is fascinating.  As readers we get to see coarse, outspoken Karen evolve into a steampunk hero, wielding her sewing machine.  One of my favorite things about the novels by Elizabeth Bear is the depth of her characters.  Now that I’ve read a novel about Karen Memery I want a novel about Miss. Francine, Karen’s transgender friend.  I want a friend like Miss. Francine, any takers?

     I love the characters.  I love the story.  I love this book and I love Elizabeth Bear.  Go buy Karen Memory or find it at your local library, you won’t regret it!

Publisher:   TOR Books

If you like this book you may want to read:

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan

Guild Assassin - Review

Title: Guild Assassin

Author:  Berley Kerr

Series:   Curse Breaker #1

Synopsis:  “Wendy Magdalena Braca lived in a Victorian mansion under three moons in Jupiter City. But her privileged upbringing falters when after the death of her father and the murder of her mother, she is shipped away to Greenleaf Asylum for Troubled Girls and lived there for years until she is “rescued” by a strange guild that shows Wendy their world; the world of Guild Assassins made up of the Cæcus (normal humans), the Validus (magic-users), and Half-Breeds (demi-gods). In this world, Wendy discovers she is the most special and powerful Validus known to exist, the Curse Breaker.”

Review:  This novel lacked depth.  I couldn’t even force myself to finish it.  I try to finish every novel that I start to read, especially if I am going to be reviewing it.  However in extreme circumstances, if I have reached the halfway mark and find myself wondering why I am torturing myself, I’m allowed to stop.  The premise of this novel sounds great.  I read the synopsis and was excited to begin reading.  Two pages in I knew I had made a mistake.  Guild Assassin reads as if it is a rough draft.  It is written almost entirely in passive voice and there is no depth to it at all.  The characters are one-dimensional, and I developed no feelings for them.  I could care less what was happening to Wendy.  The ideas behind the poor writing have great potential.  With some major editing this could be a wonderful novel.

**I was provided a free copy of this novel by Curiosity Quills Press via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review**

Publisher:   Curiosity Quills Press

If you’re looking for good steampunk skip this one and try these instead:

Mechanique by Genevieve Valentine  (read BookGirlR’s review here)

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt  (read BookGirlR’s review here)

Mechanique - Review

Title: Mechanique
Author: Genevieve Valentine
Series: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti


Synopsis: “Outside any city still standing, the Mechanical Circus Tresaulti sets up its tents. Crowds pack the benches to gawk at the brass-and-copper troupe and their impossible feats: Ayar the Strong Man, the acrobatic Grimaldi Brothers, fearless Elena and her aerialists who perform on living trapezes. War is everywhere, but while the Circus is performing, the world is magic.
“That magic is no accident: Boss builds her circus from the bones out, molding a mechanical company that will survive the unforgiving landscape.
“But even a careful ringmaster can make mistakes.
“Two of Tresaulti’s performers are trapped in a secret stand-off that threatens to tear the Circus apart, just as the war lands on their doorstep. Now they must fight a war on two fronts: one from the outside, and a more dangerous one from within…”

Review: I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book. I’ll admit it, I bought Mechanique because the cover and the title intrigued me and I had a 30% off coupon for Borders. After getting it home I assumed, after briefly skimming the synopsis on the back cover, that Mechanique was going to be a steampunk novel about a travelling circus. Boy was I wrong! I guess I should have read the synopsis a bit closer. I started the book at 530pm, after I got home from work. I had assumed that it would be easy to put it down to make dinner and go to bed early since I had to be up early the next day. No. Everyone has been told by a teacher at some point in their life to never assume. This is what that teacher was taking about. I ended up ordering pizza for dinner and staying up until after midnight because I could not put this book down.
This story about a dystopian world in which magic and the mechanical seem to coexist fascinated me. At first Valentine’s writing grated on my nerves. The tenses were constantly changing and every page had approximately three parenthetical statements. However after the first few chapters I realized that it seemed as if these “flaws” were intended to throw the reader for a loop, quite like a real circus. Valentine is a ringmaster and this novel is her circus.
Don’t make the mistake of believing this to be a steampunk novel about a circus. It’s so much more.

Trying to stay away from spoilers I believe I can say that Boss fixes people that are broken. She changes them into something else, something more or less than human. In a world surrounded by war she creates her own community, her own army, of misfits. Her characters become real people that I felt for. Valentine has created a world that sucks you in and refuses to let you go.

Publisher: Prime Books
ISBN: 978-1607012535

If you like this book you may want to read:



Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt (ISBN: 978-0061054273)



The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (ISBN: 978-1597801584)

The Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt (ISBN: 978-0765360229) See my review of this novel here.

The Court of the Air - Review

Title: The Court of the Air
Author: Stephen Hunt
Synopsis: “When streetwise Molly Templar witnesses a brutal murder at the brothel she has recently been apprenticed to, her first instinct is to run back to the poorhouse where she grew up. But there she finds her fellow orphans butchered, and it slowly dawns on her that she was the real target of the attack.
Oliver Brooks has led a sheltered existence in the backwater home of his merchant uncle. But when he is framed for murder he flees for his life, accompanied by an agent of the mysterious Court of the Air. Chased across the country, Oliver finds himself in the company of thieves, outlaws, and spies.
Soon Molly and Oliver will find themselves battling a grave threat to civilization, an ancient power thought to have been quelled millennia ago. Their enemies are ruthless and myriad, but the two orphans are also aided by indomitable friends in this endlessly inventive tale full of drama, intrigue, and adventure.”

Review: I love steampunk. The mix of mechanical and magic fascinates me. This novel was full of both. Molly and Oliver are lovable characters, whose struggles tugged at my heartstrings and kept me reading until past my bedtime. In the midst of a civil war, in which they are both valuable commodities, these orphans are struggling to find a purpose for their lives. Molly searches for meaning with the mechanical men that she has a mysterious affinity for and Oliver struggles to accept his forbidden magic.

The Court of the Air is one-part coming of age story and one-part adventure. Because of the multiple story lines and the introduction of a vast new world this novel is both rich and complex. The complexity of this novel was both fascinating and distracting, at times I found myself going back and rereading sections because I felt I had missed something. Despite this, I loved this book, and look forward to reading more of Hunt’s novels.

Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 978-0765360229

If you like this book you may also want to read:



Soulless by Gail Carriger (ISBN: 978-0316056632)



The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (ISBN: 978-1597801584)