Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Source: Bought

Synopsis from Goodreads:


She thought there was something wrong with her. She was right.
Finley Jayne has known for quite some time that she isn’t ‘normal,’ but when she beats up the son of her employer and is forced to flee, she stumbles into a world where there are bigger freaks than her. They take her in, treat her like family and demand her trust. How can Finley trust them when she can’t trust herself? And why is she drawn to the powerful Griffin as well as the dangerous Jack? She has to get herself under control before she gets into trouble she can’t get out of.

Griffin King is one of the most powerful men in Britain but he couldn’t save his best friend from almost dying. He is determined to save Finley and help her become the person he knows she can be, but there’s evil afoot in London. Machines have attacked humans under the orders of a nefarious criminal called The Machinist. He has sworn to protect his country against such a threat, but he’s never faced any foe like this. However, when he discovers The Machinist’s connection to his past, Griffin vows to end the villain once and for all — but he’ll need the help of all his friends, including the beautiful Finley Jayne – the girl in the steel corset.

This book is so good! It's like a steampunk X-Men with action, drama, romance, weird technology, and a creepy super-villain called The Machinist! I love it when I'm reading a book and it suddenly hits me- this is really good and I'm really enjoying it.

Within the acknowledgments at the end of her book, Kady Cross describes her original desire to write The Girl in the Steel Corset as "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets teen X-Men." There's really no better way to describe this novel than that- it really comes across as a band of people with something that makes each of them different from the average person. What I loved was the camaraderie and the sense of family between them all.

Finley has a kind of Jekyll and Hyde type problem. When she is threatened or upset her darker self takes over, and she has the strength of a prizewinning boxer. Finley is the perfect kind of lead character because she is so feisty, and such a strong independent character, but she also has a very endearing vulnerability about her.

When she is fired from her job after knocking out her sleazy boss with one punch she is found by Griffin- a duke who works for Queen Victoria manipulating a newly discovered substance found deep underground. Griffin again is such a perfect character to read about because he has this innate need to try and look after everybody, and he is very sweet. Griffin has a secret power as well, but despite all his wealth and power he has no snobbery about him at all. The whole background of the story, was so cool, with an element of magic about it.

I also really enjoyed the developing relationships between the main characters. Griffin and Finley just like each other and there are no complications and no dancing around each other denying that they do. But I also adored lovable rogue Jack Dandy, who is also attracted to Finley, and who has a dangerous reputation, but is also a total gentleman, and such a mysterious character.

This book is so much fun. I love the band of oddball characters, and the whole world of the book- with airships floating above Victorian London, and all the cool clockwork technology and gadgetry that they have, created by their kooky inventor friend Emily. This story has adventure, excitement, laughs and romance. It is so unique- and I loved it!

This is due to be published in the UK by Mira books in June this year. Look out for it!





Sequel:

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. I'm looking forward to reading this.