Review: The Steampunk Chronicles #3: The Girl With the Iron Touch

Title: The Steampunk Chronicles #3: The Girl With the Iron Touch

Author: Kady Cross

Date of Publication: May 28, 2013

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: In 1897 London, something not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him...and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance at triumphing, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has....

My Review:

When I started this novel I was a little nervous, the description on the cover made it sound like there would be a major love triangle in the works and I thought we had left all that behind in the previous novel. Thankfully, if there was one thing this novel didn't have it was a love triangle. Cross has a wonderful writing style that completely pulled me in and kept me engrossed throughout the entire novel and left me desperate for more!

Rather than focusing on the plot The Girl With the Iron Touch focused mostly on character relationships and character development. While it was a little disappointing not to have a thrilling plot like in the last novel, I really enjoyed getting to know the characters more and watching as their interactions with each other gradually changed. I felt like Emily's and Sam's characters were especially fleshed out and by the end of the novel I felt like I knew them much better than I had when I started the novel.

Quite possibly the bests part of this novel was the double romance, I had gone into this book expecting the bulk of the romance to focus on Finely and Griffin but a fair amount focused on Emily and Sam as well. The relationship between Emily and Sam is absolutely adorable though a bit cliché , however the romance between Griffin and Finely is what always makes me swoon a little bit. Finely and Griffin follow none of the normal rules of attraction and Finely even plays more of a leading role in the relationship than Griffin.

One of the most interesting things about the world Cross has created is the fascinating steampunk contraptions. The Girl With the Iron Touch was full of some of my favorite mechanical creations so far, the best of them being Mila. Part automaton and part human her creation fascinated me just as much as her character. Sweet and innocent I couldn't help but love her and her adorable reliance on Jack Dandy. Cross has a way of creating characters that are just perfect for each other and I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of Jack and Mila (fingers crossed for a book focusing on those two!).

Fans of steampunk (young and old alike!) will be completely enraptured by this novel. One of the best steampunk series I've ever read Cross has a way of pulling you into the world she's created and drawing you in through the characters and fantastic setting. If there is one steampunk series I'll always recommend it's this one!

5/5