Posted in book reviews, comic books/graphic novels, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore, illustrated by Kevin O’Neill

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*Published 2011 by Vertigo Comics*

I had actually seen the movie with Sean Connery first, because I honestly didn’t know there was a comic of it. I liked the movie well enough, so I finally sought out the comic to see how it compared. It was interesting, and not quite what I expected.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 by Alan Moore, illustrated by Keven O’Neill

“A sharp-witted gloss on the scientific and sexual obsessions of Victorian society.”—TIME

London, 1898. The Victorian Era draws to a close and the twentieth century approaches. It is a time of great change and an age of stagnation, a period of chaste order and ignoble chaos. It is an era in need of champions.

In this amazingly imaginative tale, literary figures from throughout time and various bodies of work are brought together to face any and all threats to Britain. Allan Quatermain, Mina Murray, Captain Nemo, Dr. Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde and Hawley Griffin, the Invisible Man, form a remarkable legion of intellectual aptitude and physical prowess: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

I do like that this comic goes a bit more in depth to the threat that the League is trying to combat and figure out what is going on. I also liked that there were only a few members, rather than the whole rag-tag team the movie did. Though I will say that brought out some interesting characters for the movie. My favourite character was Mina, but I think that’s only because she was the eyes for us as the readers, we saw nearly everything about this story through her eyes. This lead me to leaning a little more in her favour when it came to responding to certain situations as well as getting irritated with the other characters when she did as well.

While this was a good comic overall, I’m not sure that I liked it as much as the movie, though that might be nostalgia clouding my memories as I watched this in college with friends. But I may just need to keep reading this comic series and it may get better. What movies have you watched, based on comics, where you liked the movie better? What lead you to watching the movie first? Comment below and let me know!

Posted in book reviews, ebook, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Iron Wyrm Affair

The Iron Wyrm Affair (Bannon & Clare #1) by Lilith Saintcrow

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*Published August 7, 2021*

I’ve had this book just sitting around in my Kindle library for a while, and I decided to finally read it after reading my way through the Elemental Steampunk Chronicles series, and The Iron Wyrm Affair looked similar enough for me to be able to read it while in my steampunk mood. And I’m actually really glad I did!

The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow

Archibald Clare is a detective of truly uncanny abilities—a mentath, capable of feats of deduction and logic that border on the supernatural. He is also abruptly, uniquely, the only unregistered mentath left alive in Londoninium. Someone has murdered the others and, if not for the timely intervention of the Prime sorceress Emma Bannon, there would have been no one left to stop… whatever is coming.

Mentaths and sorcerers are dying—or worse, being seduced into betraying Queen and Country. Bannon and Clare must uncover treachery, conspiracy, and sorcery of the blackest hue. And in a Britannia where magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head, time is short.

The game is afoot…

I didn’t really realize what I was getting into once I started reading this, but once I realized what was going on, I really really enjoyed it! It was a magical, steampunkish version of Sherlock Holmes, only Holmes isn’t the main character, but a side character who supports our main character, a Prime sorceress who fights for Queen and Country. It’s also set in a different version of London, called Londoninium, which is fascinating! I also love that this world, the Queen is a reincarnation of the spirit of Britannia, which is the the spirit of Londoninium. But, onto the actual review of the story.

Going to be very honest, I don’t remember a whole lot about the story itself, I just remember enjoying the actual setting and characters. It seemed to be a somewhat normal plotline, there’s only one specific person left, the others have been hunted down, he is taken into custody for his safety and the safety of others. There’s a plot to overthrow the ruling government, our hero is one of the few to stand up for the establishment, and our heroes overcome in the end. Very standard story I would say, but what isn’t standard, and what makes this particular book stand out is the setting. This world of magic and steampunk, logic vs. illogical, a reincarnated spirit of Britannia that rules, three different types of magic, it’s all so fascinating! And the magic is interesting as well, there isn’t a whole lot of explanation of what it is exactly, or how it works, but it is used as a normal thing and that helps give some explanation of what is going on at the very least.

While this was a very good book and an interesting world, I don’t think I’ll be going back. I have many books to read and I’m starting my reading for the High School Sequoyah team, so there are going to be a fair amount of YA books showing up on my reviews, but I will still read fantasy and science fiction when I get the chance. I will say that I’m excited to start my reading and seeing what sorts of book start showing up for me and what will make the Sequoyah lists for the next few years. What do you plan on reading this year? What are you looking forward to with your reading?Comment below and let me know! I may, eventually, get around to it.

Posted in book reviews, ebook, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Iron Fin

The Iron Fin (Elemental Steampunk Chronicles #3) by Anne Renwick

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*Published April 10, 2018*

The third in the Elemental Steampunk Chronicles series, we are now in a different local entirely, and we are only loosely connected to the characters in the last two books. It’s interesting how much can change, yet I still love the story and characters as I did in the previous books.

The Iron Fin by Anne Renwick

A vampiric octopus hunting selkies. A torrid love affair. Traitors who prey on those closest to them in a bid for power.

Isa McQuiston is caught between two worlds. Strange creatures are attacking her people, their injuries beyond her medical expertise. More than one fisherman has been tossed ashore by the waves, drained of blood, a severed tentacle piercing his flesh. To find answers, she must forge a cautious alliance with the outsider making inquiries… even if he does present an almost irresistible temptation.

Dr. Alec McCullough, an injured naval officer, is restless and bored. Until his brother–an agent for the Crown–offers him an assignment: investigate a recent rash of unexplained octopus attacks. On the wet and windy Hebridean Isles, his every effort is met with resistance. Coaxing an attractive young widow–the local healer–to allow him to examine the latest victim only leads to further complications.

A fusion of living and mechanical components, the creatures follow instinct, but also command. Together, they uncover layers of deceit, revealing traitorous tentacles that entangle both their lives. As those behind their creation callously sacrifice innocent lives in pursuit of their goals, Isa and Alec struggle to forge a future together while attempting to prevent a disaster of international proportions.

The last full book set in the world of the Elemental Steampunk Chronicles, we join up with the family of one Mr. Black; though, we don’t necessarily know that from the start of the book. We focus on Dr. Alec McCullough and Finn healer Isa McQuiston as they start to try figure out what is seeking out specific men of Isa’s people.

Dr. McCullough is an injured naval officer with an experimental knee replacement due to an injury he received while testing out new equipment. While he is serving his off-duty time (and dying of absolute boredom), he is called on by his older brother to see about a small undercover operation in Scotland to find out more information about men who are being targeted by vampiric squid/octopi and are dying before they can really answer any questions.

Isa McQuistion is struggling to find her footing between both the Scottish and the Finn, and isn’t being helped by either side that won’t accept her for not being fully one or the other. As she is called on to try and help the men who are being attacked, she and Alec are drawn into each other’s paths and set down the road to not only find out what is going on, but why these men are being attacked and what other experimental cryptozoology is going on with it.

Another excellent story set in this world, and I love that we actually get to see some technology(?) that deals with the cryptozoology of the world, and it’s both fascinating and horrifying at the same time. But you can see that Anne Renwick has done research on how something like this could possibly, in some far distant world, work. And it honestly kind of scares me how much thought has gone into this, yet this is what writers do! They think and think and think about the little nuances of their world and how certain things would work, and we get to see the actual end result in this book!

While I do miss that we don’t really get to see much of Lady Amanda or Olivia, or much of their family, from the first two books, I am glad to see that there are more characters in this world with stories to explore. I enjoy Isa and how much she was willing to go get her medical degree to better serve her community. I love Alec and how much he was willing to let Isa choose, and not just force her to choose between him and her desire to get her degree. I also enjoyed a new look into a different “human,” the Finn, Isa’s people and how they may have contributed to the selkie legends of the Scottish Isles. This world has so much to offer and you can bet your bodices that I’ll be looking into Anne Renwick’s other short stories for more steampunk adventures.

Posted in book reviews, ebook, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Silver Skull

The Silver Skull (Elemental Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Anne Renwick

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*Published January 7, 2017*

This is the second book in the Elemental Steampunk Chronicles and this time we actually get some insight into Olivia, Amanda and Emily’s younger sister, and her background is fascinating! I love it!

The Silver Skull by Anne Renwick

Lady Olivia is not all she seems. Trained for marriage to an assigned political target, her skills lie in programming household steambots to serve tea, dress her hair… and sound the alarm while she picks locks and listens at doors. Humiliated by a failed assignment, she decides to redeem herself by tailing a suspected double agent.

Lord Rathsburn must flirt with treason. Struggles to cure a horrible disease have met with unexpected complications. The cells he engineered can make a man’s bones unbreakable, but the side effects are fatal. He believed the research terminated… until his sister was kidnapped by a German count. Her ransom? A cure.

Piloting a stolen dirigible, he uncovers an unlikely stowaway, Lady Olivia. Arriving together at a crumbling castle, an impossible task is set before them: cure the count’s guardsmen. Amidst their fake marriage, a very real growing attraction, dying guardsmen and escalating hostilities, Lady Olivia and Lord Rathsburn are thrust deep into the world of international medical espionage from which there may be no return.

The best part about this book is that we see the side of Olivia that is hidden from everyone, including her sisters. The only ones who know what it is she is trying to achieve, and are trying to set her up to achieve, are her mother and father. And her mission? To wed an older man who is deemed suspicious by the Queen and other such people, wait for him to die, then she can be an unchaperoned widow who can do more household espionage. But she is never told when she’d be accepted as this type of “spy” until she can prove her worth, so her time comes when a certain Lord Rathsburn is suspected of turning traitor for the Germans. All she has to do is plant a listening/GPS(?) like device to Lord Rathsburn’s luggage and then get out. She does that but then decides, that to prove that she is ready for any other type of mission, she’ll stowaway in Rathsburn’s emergency vehicle and essentially follow him and find out more information.

Things don’t quite go to plan, and the more time that Olivia spends with Rathsburn, the more that she sees that he isn’t turning traitor, but really just trying to figure out how to save his sister and those a former colleague of his had infected with what is essentially bone cancer. He has a good heart, even if the way he’s going about things doesn’t always say that.

And again, the attention to mechanical detail in making steampunk technology actually work as a technology is impressive here. And this book also delves into the medical components of how this technology would work and how it could be applied to things that we are still trying to figure out today. I am amazed by how much this seems to be useful, and Anne Renwick has done amazing with it.

I will say that this book isn’t as strong as The Golden Spider it is still strong in it’s own right, I love that we get to see a lot more about Olivia and why she is the way that she is. That’s always the best parts of book series in my opinion that focuses on a series of characters, while others play background in each other’s books. And as always, I will recommend this book and this book series to anyone who is looking for usable steampunk technology and mystery in spades.

Posted in book reviews, ebook, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Golden Spider

The Golden Spider (Elemental Steampunk Chronicles #1) by Anne Renwick

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*Published August 8, 2016*

I am a sucker for a good steampunk novel, and this is definitely one of the better series as it actually uses steampunk technology, not just as decorations for Victorian era United Kingdom. So yeah, in the year of rereads and reading what I know I’ll enjoy, this is definitely one of those books!

The Golden Spider by Anne Renwick

London papers scream of dirigible attacks, kraken swarms, and lung-clogging, sulfurous fogs. But a rash of gypsy murders barely rates mention.

Lady Amanda is tired of having both her intelligence and her work dismissed.

After blackmailing her way into medical school, she catches the eye of her anatomy professor from the moment she walks into his lecture hall. Is he interested in her? Or only her invention–a clockwork spider that can spin artificial nerves?

Lord Thornton, a prominent neurobiologist, has been betrayed.

Secret government technology has been stolen from his laboratory, and a foreign spy is attempting to perfect it via a grisly procedure… using gypsies as test subjects. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a beautiful–and brilliant–new student, even if her spider could heal a deteriorating personal injury.

Until her device is stolen and used in the latest murder.

Lord Thornton has no option but to bring her into his laboratory as well as the investigation where they must fight their growing, yet forbidden, attraction. Bodies accumulate and fragile bonds are tested as they race across London, trying to catch the spy before it’s too late.

I love how much technology is actually highlighted as viable in this book series! We actually start out with our main protagonist as, essentially, a computer programmer on one of the smallest scales possible, only it’s all mechanical! I love it and I love this world we are set up in, I love Amanda and all that she is doing to ensure that her mechanical spider can one day help fix her brother’s broken spine, and I love that she is striving to ensure that she gets recognized for her intelligence in the medical world, and not just recognized as a very pretty lady that can pop babies once married.

Lord Thornton is also fascinating, having received an injury to his leg that nearly crippled him, and now requires that he take a drug that essentially takes away the pain of what happened, but once the drug loses all effectiveness, will eat away at his nerves and render him disabled. He is not only interested in keeping his leg in good working order to stay in the field if possible, but in the possibility of being healed by Amanda’s spider.

Things get off to the wrong foot though when the two meet, and their personalities clash in such a way as to render their ability to work together a bit off hinges. Yet, when Amanda’s spider goes missing and it looks like it’s being used in a series gruesome murders being performed on the local Roma (as stated in the books) population. Lord Thornton does finally acknowledge Amanda as more than just a girl seeking out a husband, and invites her to work with him and his team in order to track down the murderer and stop any more experiments.

I enjoy the chemistry between Lady Amanda and Lord Thornton, as well as how much they end up acknowledging that their initial assumptions of each other were wrong as the book progresses. I also love that Amanda is shown not to be a prodigy in creating her spider, as it continues not to work in certain aspects, and once she does have working prototype, there is still more trial and error to make sure it all works properly. And Lord Thornton is able to help her develop her spider to work smoother as well, making it a working machine.

There’s humanity in our characters, all of them have flaws, all of them are well-rounded, all of them make sense in that they are human people with realistic human flaws. I also like that due to the increase of actual steampunk technology and what that entails, that changes the environment of the London area as well. There are heavier, denser fogs; more particulates in the air from using coal for the steam-powered machinery; different technologies have been utilized in order to take advantage of steam-power. You can tell there was more thought that went into the actual technology of a steampunk era and I love it!

All in all, this is an excellent book, and I enjoyed reading about Amanda and Thornton as they race after the murderer and hope to find them in time to stop them from killing and using the spider again. If you’re looking for a steampunk book with mystery, intrigue, and actual use of steampunk technology, then the Elemental Steampunk Chronicles are for you.

Posted in book reviews, ebook, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: The Tin Rose

The Tin Rose by Anne Renwick

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I had this sitting in my Kindle library for a while, and I finally decided it was high time I read it as I had read The Golden Spider, and The Silver Skull a few years ago, but didn’t get much further than that. This is a short SHORT story prequel to The Golden Spider.

The Tin Rose by Anne Renwick

Note: This is a SHORT story.

A promise. A poison. A race to save a love balanced on the edge.

A clockwork contraption unwinds a poisonous bloom, sending Lady Emily and Luca, her gypsy love, on a race to reach the cure.

This is probably one of the shortest! books that I have ever read. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good story, it’s just super short. It also gives a good insight to what happened to Emily before we meet her in The Golden Spider. When the book starts, we are at an engagement party where Emily is waiting to see a signal fire from Luca to show that he is ready to receive her in his caravan to whisk her away from her life of being a lady. But things start to go south for Luca, the man Emily is waiting for the signal from, is caught up with Rayka, a Roma (as called in this book and the book series) that felt she was slighted when Luca started to fall for Emily instead.

I think what was most enjoyable about this short story is that it gives a bit more insight to Emily and Luca, who we see a little bit of in the start of the actual series, but I also like that it’s a woman who is seeking to leave her life of being a lady behind to live as a Roma with Luca. I love that there’s is a love story and that she is choosing to leave her life behind to live with the one that she loves and that she is willing to live and follows the customs of the Roma, especially as the Roma are very much about not letting outsiders in, in this book series at least.

If you’re a fan of steampunk and it actually being used as a technology, than I would highly recommend the series this is a prequel to the Elemental Steampunk Chronicles, as well as the short stories.

Posted in audiobooks, book reviews, goodreads, reading

Tiny Navajo Listens: Gossip and Gorgons

Yes, I know that missed a post yesterday, it honestly had just slipped my mind and by the time I remembered, it honestly wasn’t really worth it to write up a Top Ten post real quick. But I’m back today and reviewing the third in a series that I’m truly enjoying!

Gossip and Gorgons (Manners and Monsters #3) by Tilly Wallace, narrated by Marian Hussey

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*Published February 28, 2020*

gossip and gorgonsThe third volume in the Manners and Monsters series by Tilly Wallace, we finally know just what secret that Wycliff had been hiding from Hannah all this time, and we know just a little bit more about this world where the supernatual and the natural intersect.

One look could turn you to stone…
The newly married Lord and Lady Wycliff are cordially invited to a house party–to be mocked and ridiculed as entertainment. Wycliff insists on attending to discuss business with the host, while Hannah longs to hide in the library with its rare volumes on the Fae.

Bound to Wycliff even beyond death, Hannah wonders how she will survive the week–when a guest unexpectedly expires. A notorious cad is discovered turned into a statue in the garden. The dead lord had many enemies, including Lord Wycliff.

Hannah’s accord with her husband is tested when a trail of footprints leads to their window. What secret is Wycliff hiding and does he know more about the magical death than he admits? Someone among the house guests has murder on their mind and the newlyweds need to determine who, before anyone else is immortalised as stone…

This is the latest audiobook, and you can bet your lucky stars that I was so so grateful to see that it was out and that I could listen to what was going to happen next with Hannah and Wycliff, especially as we truly found out Hannah’s secret, that she and her whole family have strove to keep hidden from all of society: Hannah is one of the Afflicted. Should what happened in the previous book ever happen again, her father ending up in jail and society not acknowledging the Afflicted as alive in any aspect which includes inheriting, then Hannah and her mother will be thrown out into the streets. Since Wycliff is the one who inadvertently brought about this mess in the first place, he offers a simple solution: he will offer for Hannah’s hand in marriage and keep her secret, thus preserving her and her mother should Dr. Miles no longer be able to.

This is irritating to Hannah, but she does it that it may be her and her mother’s only defense against losing their home, thus Hannah accepts and they are quickly married. And this is where this book picks up: Hannah and Wycliff have been married but a few weeks when they are invited to house party, where they are to be the entertainment in part. Yet, when they get there, guests start to disappear and statues of them start to appear in their place. Hannah and Wycliff start to investigate and prevent anymore statues from appearing.

I love when the supernatural intersect the natural, so to have supernatural elements at a typical houseparty along with the intrigue and goings on, it’s always fun to read that sort of mystery. I also like it when two characters that have gotten off on the wrong foot or to a rough start, use the time they are forced to be together in an environment they do not want to be in, to get to know each other and to get used to being with one another. This is precisely what happened with Hannah and Wycliff, being stuck into a room they actually have to share as husband and wife, and learning how to live with each other as husband and wife. It was nice to see both of their barriers break down and dissolve over the week and to see them become more comfortable in each other’s presence.

I love this series and when I saw that there was a fourth, I excitedly try to buy the next audiobook. That is when I realized that while the cover and title are decided, it’s not yet published which means there’s no audiobook just yet. Well, I know what I’ll be getting next, once it does come out!

What book series have you read where you saw the next one was out and you had to buy it immediately? Also, do you start a series knowing that it’s not all out yet, or do you wait till all the books are published before diving in? Comment below and let me know!

Posted in arcs, author given, book reviews, books, ebook, goodreads, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: Defy or Defend

*Thanks to Gail Carriger for providing a digital ARC for review!*

Defy or Defend (Delightfully Deadly #2) by Gail Carriger

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*Published May 3, 2020*

defy or defendThis was a sweet novella and it was one that I had been waiting for a while to come out! I am so glad that Gail Carriger decided to reach out to me about reviewing this book for her. While she did provide a digital ARC, the following review is my honest opinion.

A vampire hive descending into madness. A beautiful spy with a sparkly plan. The bodyguard who must keep them from killing each other.

New York Times bestselling romantic comedy author Gail Carriger brings you a charming story of love, espionage, and Gothic makeovers set in her popular Parasolverse.

SPY

Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, code name Honey Bee, is the War Office’s best and most decorative fixer. She’s sweet and chipper, but oddly stealthy, and surprisingly effective given the right incentives.

VERSUS KNIGHT

Sir Crispin Bontwee was knighted for his military service, but instead of retiring, he secretly went to work for the War Office. Mostly he enjoys his job, except when he must safeguard the Honey Bee.

Neither one is a vampire expert, but when the Nottingham Hive goes badly Goth, only Dimity can stop their darkness from turning bloody. And only Crispin can stop an enthusiastic Dimity from death by vampire.

In a battle for survival (and wallpaper), Dimity must learn that not all that sparkles is good, while Cris discovers he likes honey a lot more than he thought.

“This intoxicatingly witty parody will appeal to a wide cross-section of romance, fantasy and steampunk fans.” ~ Publishers Weekly, starred review (Soulless)

Spinning off from the Finishing School series, featuring deadly ladies of quality, this story stands alone, but chronologically follows Poison or Protect before the start of the Parasol Protectorate Series. It’s Cold Comfort Farm meets Queer Eye meets What We Do In The Shadows from the hilarious author of the Parasol Protectorate books, perfect for fans of Julia Quinn, Jodi Taylor, or Meljean Brook.

Delicate Sensibilities?

Contains fraternizing vampires and one very curious young lady, who asks about seduction, sometimes in detail but mostly in retrospect. May also involve excessive use of velvet, melodramatic poetry, and the strategic application of interpretive ballet.

Like I said, this is a sweet book and it gives the epilogue to Dimity Plumleigh-Teignmott, one of the girls from Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series. It’s a epilogue I had been waiting for for a while and it was well worth it! I loved Dimity and her bubbliness while she was in school, and I love how well that bubbliness helps her now as she works for the War Office in fixing situations that seem to have gone awry.

When Dimity’s skills are called upon to bring a vampire hive back from going Goth, it will take all of Dimity’s skill, both decorative and espionage, in order to bring things to rights before a Sundowner is called to deal with the matter. Nothing will stand in her way, not her safety, a man trying to be a knight, or a drone with thoughts of being center spotlight.

This was so cute and it definitely the ending that Dimity wanted and needed. Dimity has never been one to love the espionage game, but she was extremely good at the game. What she truly wanted was to settle down with a husband and maybe become a society matron. But before she can do that, she must convince her knight that he’s actually her knight, and a vampire hive that going Goth is not the way to do. And she does it all by being herself, not the Honey Bee or Sparkles.

I love all of this story and I love how all of ties together, not only with some of the Finishing School stories, but with some mentions of characters from Gail Carriger’s other series as well. I love Dimity, I love Crispin and his morality, and I love how much a change of scenery can change not only a person, but their outlook on life as well. If you’re looking for more of Gail Carriger’s writing, or just want to know what happened to the girls after Finishing School, then you need to read this book next!

Posted in audiobooks, book reviews, goodreads, reading

Tiny Navajo Listens: Soulless

Soulless (Parasol Protectorate #1) by Gail Carriger, narrated by Emily Gray

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*Published June 22, 2010*

soulless audiobookThis is one of my favourites series that I have ever read, and it’s written by one of my favourite authors EVER! ALL HAIL QUEEN GAIL!!! Oh, so good! And I was needing something to listen to while driving home from work, and I had never listened to this books before so I decided to give this series a try on audiobooks.

Victorian romance mixes seamlessly with elegant prose and biting wit – and werewolves – in Gail Carriger’s delightful debut novel. Soulless introduces Alexia Tarabotti, a parasol-wielding Londoner getting dangerously close to spinster status. But there are more important things than finding a husband. For Alexia was born without a soul, giving her the ability to render any vampire or werewolf completely powerless.

Okay, I will admit, that before listening to this book, it has been several years since I’ve read Soulless. But! Soulless is a wonderful Victorian steampunk about a woman who would be considered a spinster, an Italian one at that, who doesn’t have a soul. She, being soulless, is able to render both vampires and werewolves, who are members of society, back to their human forms. Otherwise, she looks and acts like any other person of society.

I honestly find Alexia to be the best character throughout this book. She and Lord Akeldama, a rove vampire who is the sparkliest of sparkly vampires (as in actual jewels, no Tw/i/light vampires here!). She is a strong woman who knows what she wants, and will go after it with a will. She also stands up for herself and her smarts, seeing as she has no soul, Alexia decided to educate herself from a young age so that she would have some sort of moral code as she grew.

Steampunk Victorian England is also a wonderful world. The majority of us know what Victorian England looks like, or at least what it should look like, because of the whole steampunk genre that seems to have gained popularity in the past decade or so. I also love the small changes in vampire and werewolf lore that Gail Carriger brings to her series and her world with Alexia. It’s a world that fits the characters and these characters are a bit larger than life, so much so, that you just have to pay attention to what they are doing.

I do love this series, but there are a few things that haven’t aged quite as well, but this is still a wonderful book all around. I do look forward to continuing my dive back into the world of our Queen, Gail Carriger! What authors are your absolute favourite authors? What about their books have drawn you to them? Comment below and let me know!

Posted in book reviews, books, goodreads, reading

Tiny Navajo Reads: Mist, Metal, and Ash

Mist, Metal, and Ash by Gwendolyn Clare

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*Published February 19, 2019*

mist, metal, and ashOkay, I did like the expansion of the world of Ink, Iron and Glass a bit, but there’s not a lot else going for it.

Worlds collide in this thrilling sequel to the epic, imaginative, acclaimed fantasy Ink, Iron, and Glass.

In an alternate 19th-century Italy, Elsa has an incredible gift: she can craft new worlds with precise lines of script written in books. But political extremists have stolen the most dangerous book ever scribed―one that can rewrite the Earth itself.

Now Elsa must track down the friend who betrayed her and recover the book before its destructive power is unleashed. Can she handle the secrets she’ll uncover along the way―including the ones hiding in her own heart?

So, this book…very much about the teenage angst and drama. I, personally, am not a fan of the angst and the drama, it just drive me up the wall a little bit. I did like seeing Elsa take action. She was very much about going in and trying to save Leo from his family. That was actually a good move on her part, she was proactive.

Other than that, there wasn’t much that I truly enjoyed about this book. It was a good sequel, but if you don’t care for teenage drama or angst, maybe don’t read this series.

What’s the one thing that drives you up the wall concerning reading? Or do you push through anything no matter what? Comment below and let me know!