This is a totally fun, YA adventure. Add in a good dose of steampunk, a couple of love triangles, characters you just can’t help but love—no matter how dastardly they may seem—and a girl with the power to kick major butt and you have an enjoyable read.Finley’s plight reels you in from page one, where she’s attacked by a perverted member of the peerage. But in a surprising twist, she not only gets out from under the lord’s clutches, she beats him to a pulp. Her darker side takes over and she flees the scene, only to crash headfirst into the arms of Griffin King. Griffin has secret powers of his own, as does his tiny band of allies: Emily, Sam, Jasper and his aunt Cordelia. Griffin takes Finley under his wing and through a series of events, they discover that not only are they attracted to each other, they have a past that is intertwined.The steampunk elements in this novel were really enjoyable and I felt added to the story, instead of making it confusing as is sometimes the case. I also loved how dualistic the characters were. There was a little good and bad in each of them and it made them all so much more relatable. The author’s attention to dress was endearing; you could tell how much she loves the clothes of the Victorian era and enjoyed giving them her own edgy twist.A couple of things kept me from giving this book the full five stars. I felt like there were many sentences with repeated words or wording, which is just a pet peeve of mine. Emily’s curly red hair was described as “ropey” like a million times! And I’m not personally a fan of the whole “villain explaining exactly what he’s going to do” thing that so many authors employ at the end of their books. It was not needed here, we readers could have guessed what The Machinist’s plans were or Cross could have weaved in the explanations into the action or dialogue better.I’m definitely going to pick up more of Cross’s books and I can’t wait to find out what happens to Finley, Griffin, Sam, Jasper and Emily in the next edition of this series. (You don’t need to read earlier books to understand what’s going on, this can be a stand alone if desired.) —M. Amazing! I love Finley Jayne! Too often in books the girl is portrayed as physically weak, not the case in this book. This girl can kick butt. Though it scares her I think that is part of her charm. Her loyalty to her friends is admirable and though Sam annoyed the hell out of me, I warmed up to him as well. This book has well rounded characters, an exhilarating plot, and a wonderful setting. All in all I'm glad I picked this one up.
Do You like book The Girl In The Steel Corset (2011)?
Really enjoyed the characters, can't wait to learn more about Dandy in the next book.
—ogey8747
Loved side character(s): Jack Dandy, Sam, Emily, and Jasper
—reader
for my first steampunk book I really liked it
—Pooh
