The Girl with the Iron Touch

The Steampunk Chronicles #3

by Kady Cross

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, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily. 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...

Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction, Paranormal, Historical

384 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2013

About the author

Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

THERE'S A THIRD ONE!!!

IT HAS A NAME!!!





(Just noticed that, that pic matches the cover! Hahaha, so wasn't on purpose!)


Review:
I love this series, and all things steampunk, but I felt something about this book just didn't quite match the incredible awesomeness of the rest of the series. Perhaps it's harder to relate to, or connect with an automaton, but I couldn't get as invested in the story as I wanted to. Perhaps it was because the usual clan was separated, and the romance seemed a little disjointed, but I was just a little disappointed. In saying that, still an amazing read!

[AJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

BOOKNUT!!!!!!!! BOOKNUT!!!!!!!!!! THE PLOT OFMG...

Finley must contact the highly unsettling Jack Dandy and face her feelings for two vastly different men

FINLEY YOU BITCH PICK DANDY LOL

LOVE THE COVER ANYWAY, DEFINITELY EMILY~

[Ferdy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spoilers

-Meh. Most parts were boring, some were plain rubbish, and some were mildly entertaining.

-The storyline wasn't particularly engrossing… Emily goes missing, bad guys act bad, everyone moans about their love life… Blah blah blah.

-The characters were a bit of a mixed bag. Emily and Sam were decent enough — they were mostly likeable and shared quiet a sweet romance. Finley was plain awful, she was so unlikeable and full of herself. I usually like arrogant heroines, but Finley just pissed me off. Griffin and his emo ways were annoying, also his relationship with Finley was lame. Jasper was boring, I didn't really see the point of his character. Jack irritated me with his manslut ways, and fake phonetic cockney dialogue. Mila was basically a female pinnochio, and her potential romance with Jack was disturbing what with her basically being no better than a blow up doll… Yea, I wasn't on board with her nonsensical machine to human transformation. Also, it was disturbing that manslut Jack would find a child-like-machine-turned-human so endearing. It seemed like Mila was introduced just so the Jack/Finley/Griffin love triangle could be put to rest — it was such a rubbish way of fully resolving the triangle. I didn't buy it, Mila and Jack connected for no reason whatsoever… It was obvious Jack wanted her, his little sister comment at the end was BS. I've no doubt that they'll be a couple soon enough. Ugh. I'd prefer Jack to stay a manslut instead of falling for a child-like-blow-up-doll.

-One thing that really grated on me was the faux British dialogue/narration. It was ghastly, I'm still in shock over how bad it was. It was as if the author was trying too hard, and in doing so the "Britishness" came across as false and forced. There was no natural flow to the writing, and it was jarring especially when certain Britishisms were used in the wrong context.

-I wasn't impressed with the steampunk elements — especially the modern technology that was weakly disguised/altered to seem more steampunky and less modern… Things like video cameras, trackers, mobiles and motorcycles. I would have preferred if the supposed steampunk technology didn't so closely resemble modern devices.

All in all, rubbish.

[Arooj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bloody brilliant! This was probably the most shocking-and frightening-book in this series. These automatons are damn scary. *shudders*

And we finally get some proper romantic developement between Griffin and Finley! YESSS!

But where was that kiss between Jack and Finley, the one mentioned in the synopsis? I don't seem to recall it. Probably because I was dead tired the majority of the time while I was reading this.

EDIT: Ok, so there definitely was no kiss between them. What the hell? Took off one star for being mislead. So disappointing.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads

3.5 stars

Mini review

Thank you Harlequin Teen for sending me this copy. No compensation was given or taken to alter the this review.

'All she had to do was destroy his brain. All she had to do was commit murder.'

When it comes to the Steampunk genre, I incline to have emotions jumbled all over the place. The Girl With The Iron Touch tended to be a novel I was on the fence about. While it was most to say, satisfying, I expected much more from Kady Cross. Told in mainly perspectives of Finley and Emily, we were lead on an another enthralling journey in the world of automatons and Steampunkiness.

I am a big fan for Kady's writing style, there's something to it that intrigues me greatly. It's like only her voice can write books in the Steampunk genre, there's a hint of subtleness and story-telling mastery in there that I can detect. For our main protagonist, Finley, I feel like I can really relate to her. She's so clear minded and has just strong will that I really admire. I've never treated Finley like she was some heroine, she was always that girl stuck in the middle of everything but was so genuine and compliant. There were times her where I could feel like I could reach out to her, for her personality was so well created and defined. This is probably due to the fact that Finley has slowly become to harness her two selves, gaining overall harmony between good and evil.

What really ruined this novel for me was two things: firstly, the romance. In the two previous books, I became agitated that the fact we barely had any romance, there used to be an agreeable angst floating in the air. In this novel, yes. Our love triangle does get resolved (even though I never thought there REALLY was a love triangle, but others seem to deem so) but it was so uneven and all over the place. As individuals, Griffin, Jack and Finley are admirable characters, but when we get them interacting it seemed so over done and forced. One time they were kissing, the next they were not even talking. Also, the romance stole the action and plot a tad too much for my liking. Secondly, like the romance, the pacing of The Girl With The Iron Touch was irregular. We had action, the a big plop of boredom. It just could compromise with me well at all.

Other than that, The Girl With The Iron Touch contained an intricate plot line, some humour and a beautiful setting. We get to learn more about Emily and get some more romance between Emily and Sam- which I enjoyed more than Finley's. If you are looking for a Steampunk series, this one is a perfect one to get you going.

[Jessica]

Oh good Lord the cover!

[Colleen Houck]

Love Griffin and Sam. If I had to pick one power to have I'd choose Emily's. Talking to machines is so different and there's so much you could do with it. All the automatons were so creepy and I love Mila! Excited to read her story.

[Linsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, so by now you know what the plot is and why people loved it.

Well, why they said they loved it. I can't really figure that out, myself. Maybe I'm not meant for "Teen Harlequin" novels when I came for Steampunk. Don't get me wrong, each book has given me enjoyment, but also each book has seemed somewhat... lacking.

Anyway, these are some of the issues I've had with it.

1) Griffin-Finley-Jack Triangle. It hasn't been a triangle since the first book, but it's like Cross is still trying to push the triangle. And what hurt worse is that Jack Dandy seems so much more attractive to me. And Cross tries to fix that by making Finley see the dangerous daring aspects of the straitlaced Duke, all the while cringing at the possible actual criminal elements of Jack Dandy. Just shows Finley isn't mature enough for him.

2) Sam's one-line personality. Since the first book, Sam has been pouting. In this book, he lays off his pouting a little bit to be concerned. I still cannot see what Emily sees in him. He just sulks. All the time. Is angry. We are assured he used to have a personality and sense of humor, but since we never saw it, we still don't know it. Emily should have gone with Jasper. Mild criminal past, sense of humor, charm. Pity the second book turned him into something of a wuss. (And the random, unfinished and undetailed story of Wildcat...what? That's called "tying up loose ends.")

3) Emily's character being fleshed out by never-before-heard-of past. Maybe once I'm an author with a few published books I'll find this option more attractive, even necessary. But it bugs me to no end when I see it used. Maybe I missed this little detail from previous books, but seeing how much it's being pushed... Emily was abused somewhere in the past. We're just finding this out in the third book. And she took revenge on the boy by "making sure he'd never force himself on anyone again." Except she spends half the book convincing herself it's right to kill the Machinist, but that would make her a murderess. So did she not murder the previous boy? And all of a sudden the plucky young inventor with a weird propensity for liking big sulking guys is shying at things that were just written this book. Re-invented past. As in, I think Cross just made it up to flesh her out or provide drama or whatever. The point being it was just added. Like book five of the Sword of Truth series in which Kahlan is like, "I have often seen Richard carving things at campfires at night. He's a sculptor!" Though in previous books we'd never seen Richard carve anything ever.

4) Finley-Griffin bleh. I'm ok with a little romance, a little kissing. But it seemed like half of this book as Finley and Griffin dancing around each other, fighting and kissing and wanting to kiss and talking about kissing and finding places to kiss and thinking about kissing. I think Sam and Emily would be shocked at how little Finley and Griffin actually thought about them, or about how Finley and Griffin almost started making out when they were supposed to be searching for them to stop an impending lobotomy.

5) Pacing. Was weird. Especially near the end where there was a fight and captives and Mila was like, "I'll go for help!" and Jack Dandy is like, "Why don't you come in, have a cup of tea, tell me your whole life's story." And then they mosey over to Griffin's house and meet him and Finley (why didn't Finley go with Sam?) and there's some posturing and guys and some more introductions and talking before they're finally like, "Hey, maybe we should try saving them, yeah?"

6) Loose ends. I hadn't heard this was supposed to be the last book in the series. In all honesty, I thought it clearly wasn't the last book. Seemed more like she had written a huge book, cut it in half for publishing, and this was the first half. What on earth was the story with Wildcat? Was that just to distract Jasper and tie him up neatly with a bow? What about Silverius Isley and him lusting after Jasper? Why was the kid even introduced? What about The Royal Society and them seeing some of Griffin's powers? How 'bout the bad guy not being totally vanquished? Mei still trapped in the aether? Mila's life with Dandy and drawing Dandy into their little group? (Or was she to tie up his loose end as well? I kind of liked her.) What ever did Emily do to that one boy? Will Sam ever regain his fabled sense of humor? Basically, I really thought there would be another book. Although using the same bad guy in three out of four books seems a bit much.

[Booknut 101 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5

'It seemed humans, the scientifically minded ones at least, were either tempting death or trying to prolong life. Surely that was an indication of madness.'


Whilst the occupants of 1897 London slumber, a sinister force awakens below...

Apparently it takes a lot more than a roof to 'off' your enemies these days - as Finley Jayne and her motley group of friends are about to discover.

The Machinist, Leonardo Garibaldi, is not at all dead. He's out for vengeance; to see out his plan for domination, using his unnatural mechanical creations to find a way to bring him back to life.

But automatons can only do so much.

Emily is kidnapped by Garibaldi's machines, snatched away so she can utilise her mechanical genius to resurrect the evil fiend and 'transplant' him into a new body. Conflicted, Emily must somehow find a way to stop The Machinist from coming back to life and torturing those she loves...before the time runs out.

A clock can't function with a missing cog.

With Emily gone and The Machinist's power inching its way into the mortal coil, Griffin is clutching at straws, locking himself away in his study for long periods of time...and emerging drawn and weary. Finley worries that he's keeping some kind of secret - a secret that is slowly tormenting him, taking its toll on his sanity - but her concerns are rebuffed by the man in question, who insists he's just 'under the weather'.

It is imperative that they work as a team, if they are to save Emily, themselves and all of London. But with Griffin - the leader of their group misfits - struggling to remain focused, the burden falls on Finley to keep the group from falling apart...plunging Griffin and her new-found love into speculation and doubt.

Allies come from the most unlikely of places.

Whilst Finley and Co. turn to the notorious Jack Dandy for assistance, Emily discovers The Machinist's newest creation...a creation more human than automaton, a girl by the name of '312'. 312 is to be the host for The Machinist's consciousness - and if Emily succeeds in her task, 312 will be no more.

And The Machinist will be able to roam the gritty streets of London once more.

Love is a powerful and complicated thing...

Sam refuses to stop searching for Emily; trying every way possible to find her location, from mechanical creations and old maps, to Jack Dandy's theories and taking directions from a ghost. He has to find her - to tell her how deeply he loves her and what she means to him. He'd sacrifice the world for her.

He won't let her die...even if it means having to go through hell to do so.

...But is it strong enough to endure the biggest test of faith yet?

Finley Jayne and her friends must face The Machinist - both in the Aether and on the mortal plain - if they are to rid the world of his evil schemes and be free from his torment.

And kind-hearted Emily must steel herself, bar her conscience and harden her heart, if she is to discover what she is truly capable of and save them all from the twisted dreams of a man who wanted to play god.

So strap on your goggles and tighten your corset - the battle for London is about to begin!

***************************

My thoughts:

Dear Kady Cross:

You are a literary goddess.

True, your book distracted me from my pile of homework (privately nicknamed 'Everest'), but I would rather immerse myself in a tale full of steampunk magic, romance and adventure over typing up English analysis' any day!!

Please send me a Griffin. And a Jack.

Hugs,
Booknut.


I loved this book.

My only critique?

Sam needs a timing devices added to his inner mechanisms. Because interrupting Griffin/Finley time is not okay by any means!! After the first time it happens...dude. It's no longer a coincidence....or maybe he just has really karma :)

At the end of this book - especially after the last scene....! Hint: hot - I was in a catatonic state of fangirl bliss:



Thanks Kady for yet another brilliant book in the series - and a big thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for the opportunity to review this ARC.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Griffin's group of enhanced friends faces an old foe when Emily is kidnapped by Garabaldi's automatons. While she has a special power over machines, her captors have enhancements of their own rendering her power less effective. While a prisoner Emily meets Mila, a special girl whose fate is wrapped up in Garabaldi's plan to resurrect himself. Emily must figure out a way to escape with Mila.

I am really enjoying this series. I love the combo of steampunk and fantasy. I love that the female characters have as much, if not more, power and strength than the male characters. My one complaint is that Garabaldi/The Machinist seems to be too powerful, so it will be interesting to see how the group deals with him once and for all in book 4. I'm looking forward to it.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

THERE'S ANOTHER ONE ekkkkkkkkkk *fangirls*



MUST READ

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

**TO BE REVIEWED**

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 2 out of 5]

One and a half stars really. This book really, really disappointed me. I appreciate that the author tried to put in "Strong" female characters and a scene early on where Emily and Finley talk about monsters and the quest so that the book would pass the Bechdel test. All this however seemed like lip-service to the idea of female characters that were worth reading, just as a needless paragraph with Istley perving on Jasper I suppose is meant to establish "this is not a homophobic book" when every other part of the book is a veritable festival of heteronormativity. In many ways it made me think of Bob Whites of the Glen (Trixie Belden and the Mystery at Maypenny's) the way they all paired off with their "Special friend" and the attempt to resolve the triangle with Jack....but not fully resolve it yet using a gender stereotype to hold that one over for the next book when Garibaldi will tiresomely return I suppose.

I think this was my fisrt encounter with steampunk and I ws expecting something more- I was expecting delicious dark twistedness like Nights at the Circus or The Hourglass Factory but with a blend of historical and fantasy elements. What I got was a mismash of ahistorical cosplay with anachronisms (2015 style neoliberal subjects- adolescents angsting about everything and even adding "propriety" to the mix as a nod to setting). I think the book was meant to be morally complex but it was simply incoherent with the angst around killing failing to hide a commodifying eye for everything (eg Emily reflecting that if it wasn't Sam she was performing the procedure on she would love to do it for the science of it...really????)

Finley and Griffin irritated me, I just wanted to pour a bucket of water over them. I don;t object to people feeling love, desire, even having sex in the middle of a dangerous plot but they had trouble thinking of ANYTHING apart from their awkward hormones. I was also disappointed because judging from the title and opening I thought the book would be about Emily (my mistake at coming in at the third book and not reading the others I guess) and it changed to Finley's lovelife as soon as possible and kept going there more and more as if the book was written by Finley or something (because who else would want to know her every mushy thought?).

Parts I particularly objected to- She would die for Sam but she wouldn't go bald for him (p241) she reflects that this is "girly" and "vain" of her...in a life-threatening situation. PRIORITIES (also young women get enough socialisation to value their appearance over everything)

on p191 Finley "was getting sick of herself" constantly mooning over Griffin which I thought was quite perceptive and reflexive of her, but sadly didn't lead to any change. The Griffin-Dandy-Finley triangle was tiresome, cliched and unnecessary.

The "magical" elements (alternative science if you like) was one of the strongest elements of the book and mainly had coherence though the stuff about having to "die" at one point lacked dramatic credibility, was a cliche and talking to ghosts is lazy writing too.

I thought the book started with a bang and I was fully strapped in to enjoy the ride. I was disappointed when they were just torturing a possibly rare species (and a baby one at that) "for science" but I had been enjoying Emily's strength and capability there. Other readers may enjoy the fact that this is essentially romance with corsets (unproblematised corsets) and psychological and social anachronisms.

Most of my critiques are about shallow understandings and superficial work done. With more thorough research and reflection on what the personalities reveal about their world view maybe there were some possibilities here. Wading through it as it stands was surprisingly (as I'd been saving it up as a reward read for finishing my paper) a chore.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series so it was great to pick up The Girl with the Iron Touch and catch up with Finley, Griff, Emily, Sam, Jasper and Jack. I love the way Kady Cross manages to give all the characters a chance to shine. This story gives both Emily and Sam a much larger role but we still get to see how the others are doing. Griff is struggling to cope after the events in the previous book, he has pulled back into himself and is keeping secrets from the others which is worrying everyone and upsetting Finley in particular. Finley is desperate to find out what is happening with him and she's scared that she's losing him. Jasper is also struggling after everything he went through, he isn't his usual fun loving self and we see a lot less of him in this story but I'm hoping he'll have a bigger role to play in future novels. Jack is also a little on the scarce side in this story, we see more of him than Jasper but I'm such a huge Jack fan that I wanted more.

Emily has always loved Sam but she worried he would never forgive her for making him part machine to save his life. Sam has resented what he is ever since the first book but we finally saw him start to accept himself in the previous book and I was pleased to see that change continue here. Sam loves Emily too but because he couldn't accept himself he was never able to begin a relationship with her. It was so lovely to finally see them start to get closer again, unfortunately they don't get much time to decide what is happening between them before Emily is kidnapped. Sam is desperate to find her and will risk everything if it means getting her back with them but Emily is facing a dangerous enemy, one who could kill everyone she knows if she isn't smart enough to outwit him. I don't want to say too much about what actually happens with Emily but I loved seeing her use her brain to get out of the situation, she has some fun abilities that really come into play in this book and it made for a lot of edge of your seat reading.

The Girl with the Iron Touch is an action packed instalment to the series and I enjoyed every minute of it. It introduces us to a particularly interesting new character who I think will be the star of the next book and I'm definitely eager to dive back into this world again to see how things play out.

[Tasneem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I CANT WAIT for this book!!
The girl in the Clockwork Collar was totally awesome and the ending was just perfect.
But i just cant get enough of Griff and Finley and was hoping for a third book :)

June 2013 is too far away! I hate waiting for books to come out

OMG!!!! It has a cover!!
And its absolutely GORGEOUS!
Im totally in love with this book already
**squeal**

Review after reading:

The girl with the iron touch is the third book in the steampunk series.
It had a great plot, was written very well and gave us a more in depth view of the relationships between all the characters. I would have given this book 5 stars but it sadly didnt live upto expectations like the first two did.

[Deniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a piece of Steampunk heaven right there!
I love this series, and Cross definitely delivered beyond my expectations. The world-building is again deliciously mechanical and slightly Goth, just like I like it. It was fun to return to the much liked characters and watch them evolve and grow. Exciting to battle old evil nemesis. And this is definitely the most romantic one of them all.

The storyline is in somewhat similar keeping as the previous books. There is a mystery going on, and one of the crew gets into trouble- this time it's Emily. The crew sets out to rescue her. What sticks out in compare to the previous books, the romantic entanglement between different parties have become more intense, a thing I wholeheartedly approve of. So it's all there, the technical inventive Steampunk, mystery, action and romance.  This is really well paced, loads of stuff is happening but it doesn't feel rushed. Cross spends just enough time on the emotional part and on the action scenes, so one can relate to the characters but still get a kick-ass read out of it.


The character building is probably the best of the entire series. Revisiting the crew of misfits felt like revisiting old friends. But in this book, we got to explore their insecurities and how the try to come to with their abilities and past actions. Throw in there the wonderful sense of humor Cross displayed in the previous book with great dialogues and you get great characters, that seriously grow on you and make you laugh as well.

"What do you have in mind?"he asked, Oh, she had a list. But he was talking about rescuing Emily, so she put her mind to that instead. 

It was girly of her. Vain, too, but while she'd die for Sam, she would not go bald for him unless she absolutely had to.

"Yes, you should have know. After all, you're omnipotent." He shot her a narrow glance in the light of their torches. "You know, sarcasm can be a very unattractive trait.""So can being a martyr."

And we have a return of the Mechanist, he is even creeper than before. Jack Dandy also makes a return after an absence in The Girl With The Clockwork Collar. I am totally on team Jack- and was rather pleased he made a return. Even more interestingly we've been given more insight into his past. Again Cross slowly shows more sides to this character, which makes him not only more endearing but also more interesting and mysterious.

The world building of these series has been phenomenal. It's straight classic Steampunk and I love all the gadgets Cross comes up with. Being a geek girl, i savor those passages! Cross uses several modern inventions and add her own Victorian twist to it. Which makes them rather believable actually, very clever indeed.

A question that has stuck with me though; What has happened to Jasper during his absence? Will we hear about that in the next book? I really wanna know!
I guess there isn't much i can do to find out- except wait. For an unannounced time period! There hasn't been a release date set for the next novel in the series.
The good new however? The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy is set to be released on July 1, 2013. A must read for all Jack fans, it's set before the Girl with the Iron Touch.  And yep, I shall be reading it as well, already pre-ordered it!


ARC was provided by Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Novels On The Run · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle 15th MARCH 2013 :

RATING : 4.75 JACK & GRIFFIN ARE MY ADDICTION STARS!!

Kady Cross always entertains me with her motley crew of characters in this YA series.

The story leapt off the page with a fantastic first chapter. LOL! Not in a million years will you guess what happens, very random, exciting and creative. I could just see Kady sitting at her computer thinking how am I going to start book 3, light bulb moment, oh this will be fun!

I got quotes a plenty and ......*sigh* lots of our loveable Jack Dandy and Griffin the Duke of Greythorne.

Finley and Jack have a connection.

The door opened. On the other side of it was Jack, clad in a black silk dressing gown. It was open at the neck, giving her an eyeful of his naked, muscular chest. She couldn't help stare. No girl alive would be able to resist that temptation.
"Are you done objectifyin' me, Treasure?" he asked drily. "I don't mind , o'course, but I don't fancy 'aving all of Whitechapel taking a gander at me ankles. A bloke 'as to 'ave some secrets, right?'


"I won't keep you from your beauty rest for long, Jack," Finley shot back as she strode into the drawing room. She loved that room with its dark wood and deep red fabrics. It looked more like something from a high-class bordello than someone's home - not that she had much experience with bordellos.
"I should 'ope not, luv. It takes a lot of rest to be this gorgeous."


Just because I adore you don't mean you get all my secrets, Treasure......"



Finley and Griffin have a connection.

Was he going to kiss her? Because she would like that, very much, even if she did have the faint whiff of chamber pot about her from the river.

Kady is certainly making my mind up for me when it comes to my lads. I still love them both dearly, but she has drawn a line in the sand.

*waggles eyebrows*

What a choice!


The velocycles are ready to ride and you may be surprised who is riding pillion with whom.

Emily has got herself into a bit of a pickle in this installment , but she is a tough nut to crack and she is always thinking about her next step. For a little thing she sure has a tough intelligent exterior. Emily has some skeletons in her own closet that she may tell you about.

Sam has actually decided to smile and things may be afoot with Emily and Sam. Sam also makes for some bad timing when he barges into a certain room....ALL THE TIME!!!

The thought of losing you....” Sam’s gaze locked with hers. “I can’t live in a world without you in it.”

Oh. Oh . A few pretty words and her heart melted. Her resolve, however, didn’t waiver. “You’re going to have to accept it, boyo, because I can’t wait here for you to return, wondering if I’ll be able to put you back together again. You’re not going without me.”

“Stubborn wench.”

“Thick-skulled jackanapes.”



“Gadzooks. You like it when he’s all scowly and thumping his chest.”


She took his big hands in each of hers, lifting them to kiss his slightly scarred knuckles. When she lifted her gaze to his, she caught him looking at her as though she’d hung the stars and the moon.

Griffin is keeping secrets and Finley wants in on them.

Griffin was the first bloke - the only - that had ever made her contemplate doing something rash, scandalous.

Sam and Finley are having some fun moments.

“Dandy?” Sam was full-on scowling now. “What the hell does that scoundrel want?”

Finley returned his dark expression with one of her own. “You shouldn’t use words you can’t spell, mutton head.”

Jack my gorgeous Criminal Underworld Lord, you come out with the best lines in this book. Why do I still not fear you? I know you are the dark one, but when you use those endearing nicknames I just want to snuggle up to you. I want to get myself an endearing nickname that you call me.

“You’ll be waitin’a long time if you fink she’ll give in first, mate,” came a familiar voice from the door.

Finley didn’t have to look. She’d only ever met one person who spoke so atrociously and eloquently at the same time. “Jack!”


“Jack manipulates with charm and power. He doesn’t lie so much as wrap the truth in temptation.”



He gave her a squeeze before setting her back on her feet. “A right lovely sight are you as well, Treasure. Glad so see your sojourn to the colonies done you no lasting ‘arm.” His dark eyes surveyed the room . “Where’s ‘is pompousness? I’ve come to speak with ‘im.”


“Don’t get your drawers all knotted up, Goliath. If I wants to court trouble I never ‘ave to leave Whitechapel. I’ve come into possession of some information the likes of which I believe would interest Monsieur le duc.”


“Talk first. Eat later, Jack.”

His gaze narrowed , but there was a twinkle in his eye. “You’ve become cruel, Treasure. An ‘eartless minx what delights in denyin’a man ‘is proper tea. A little suspense is good for the digestion.”


I love when Jack lets his guard down and he loses his Cockney.

“My mistake ,” Jack conceded, his voice soft. “Tea would be lovely, thankyou.” It wasn’t the first time he’d dropped that awful affectation of his in front of her.

I really want to see Jack when he is bad and dark. I am wondering due to errr the possibilities from this here storyline that we could have the potential of seeing that??? I may be waaay ahead of myself here. I do like where Kady may be leading us. It kind of puts my mind to bed with my lads. I do so adore both of them.

Their host took a sip of his whiskey. "Right. 'Ad that 'appen a few times meself. Some blokes you got to hit with something a bit 'arder than a roof."


This book went all mad scientist and in a very Frankenstein steampunk way.

It’s aliiiivvveee!!!!

Me thinks a certain somebody may be ...errrr....well, I can’t say!

The group must work together including bringing Jack into the fold to find ‘the little ginger’ and set things right.

The villain is in a manner quite gross and quite the master mind of his plot to pull out all stops to ensure his evil plan will not be foiled.

But will it?

Jasper has found his Wildcat...or she found him and he has his own intrigue which I am rather intrigued about. I was most pleased to see Wildcat make an appearance ...well, before the intrigue J

Now I know we are all assuming that it is Emily on the front cover....but is it really??? When you read this book you will understand my hesitation to assume. Mei was on book # 2.

With one of their own in danger and Sam on a mission , Griffin getting all hot under the collar and Finley quite possibly also getting hot under the corset, plans are in flight for ‘the little ginger’ to be rescued and the evil villain and his errr....minions put on the scrap heap.

That was one long sentence.

I am hoping there is another book in this entertaining series , I get the feeling there will be as well Jasper has his own intrigue. I am sure he will want to tell us about it....


...... I am intrigued :)


The Discovery of Jack Dandy #2.5
Release Date: 1st July
Publisher : Harlequin Teen

A teaser ebook novella will give you a glimpse into events before The Girl with the Iron Touch from the perspective of everyone’s favorite underworld criminal, Jack Dandy. The story will conclude in The Girl with the Iron Touch.

Yay, this makes me happy to see Jack getting a novella.


Michelle

[Jess (The Cozy Reader) Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post will go LIVE on 05/21/2013 :

http://thecozyreader.com/2013/05/revi...

Procurement
eARC via NetGalley

MY GRADE
Plot: 5
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Romance: 5
OVERALL: 30/30 PERFECTION!
Title/Cover Bonus: 5

OVERALL
A perfect installment to the Steampunk Chronicles.

Trailer
None at time of review.

First Line
A giant tentacle slapped the front of the submersible, driving the small craft backward in the water.
–eARC edition

Most Memorable Scene
When Jack Dandy shows up on Finley’s balcony in the middle of the night.

Plot
The issue at hand is a continuation from the previous book; therefore, I feel like I will not be able to talk too much about this. Let is suffice that the plot was great. Lots of action, mysteriousness, a few new automatons and characters.

Setting
The group is back at Greythorne with Griffin King playing host. Nothing too new is expressed other than the main setting that Emily discovers herself in, which was described brilliantly.

Writing
Gosh, I love Kady’s writing style. I love that she switches back and forth between the characters with no guessing who she’s going to be viewing the scene fro next. I especially loved Emily’s point of view and Griffin too.

Originality
As far a steampunk paranormal goes this is probably one of my favorite YA series with these elements. The main plot proves to show Kady’s creativity and her skill of expressing it perfectly to her readers. I was always pleasantly surprised to discover the next invention of Griffin’s or Emily’s and the other not so nice character.

Characters
Emily and Sam are too cute for words! I loved seeing their relationship evolve. Sam is awesome and Emily is dear.

Griffin and Finley also had their fair share of relationship evolution, to say the least. They have gone through so much and I’m pretty certain it is only going to keep going. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Jack Dandy is one of my most favorite characters. EVER. He played a vital role in this book and I can’t wait to see more of him!

Romance
The sexual tension is tangible in this book! I am not sure which relationship had more Emily and Sam or Griffin and Finley. There were more than a few meetings rudely interrupted!

Title/Cover Bonus
The title is perfection. Of course the title is talking about Emily. The girl on the front of the cover certainly has red hair like Emily but she doesn’t look as gentle as I picture Emily. Either way, it’s a great cover.

Ending
Boy, the last few pages are amazing. I wanted a better ending scene between Emily and Sam but Griffin and Finley’s ending scene was…….perfection.

Series
This certainly can’t be the last book because there’s totally some unfinished business. However, I can’t find any information on the next book yet.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross so of course I broke into my book happy dance when Harlequin Teen sent me this ARC. I am happy to say, I wasn’t disappointed, The Girl with the Iron Touch ROCKED!

This is Emily’s adventure and in Kady Cross style the whole gain came out to play. Emily gets kidnapped by automatons to transplant Leonardo Garibaldi brain into a newly created sentient automaton. Of course Emily doesn’t want to resurrect Machinist since he is pure evil and their nemesis but Emily also has developed feelings for this new being called 312. Threatened with the well fair of her friends, Emily must use all her wits to escape or hold on until her friends find her.

Griffin is being tormented and since he is unused to sharing hardships he tries to handle the situation on his own. He doesn’t share his difficulties until they become life threatening.

Together they pool their resources to find Emily, Finely even goes to Jack Dandy for help.

Things are definitely heating up between Sam and Emily as well as Finely and Griffin. Each character has issues that they must overcome but I was thrilled with the character’s progression.

I loved this book. It was fast paced, action packed. I found the plot exciting and mysterious. I enjoyed the steampunk flare. But I think my favorite part was the seriously hot headway on the relationship front all around. I am thrilled with the turn of events and the new characters that came into play. I can’t wait to see what role Jack will be playing and the impact from their secretive American visitor.

Don’t miss this brilliant young adult steampunk story by Kady Cross. The Girl with the Iron Touch is a drop everything and read into the wee-hours kind of book.

This ARC copy of The Girl with the Iron Touch was given to me by Harlequin Teen in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication May 28, 2013.

[Nicole D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

When automatons kidnap Emily the team thinks they know who is behind it. The Machinist might still be alive. While the team rushes to find her Emily faces challenges that might change her forever and finds something that will change everything.

This book opens with Emily’s PoV, which I was so excited to finally get.You also finally learn about what happened in Emily’s past and why she came to work with Griffin. Not surprising Emily’s past is heartbreaking and truly everyone’s worst nightmare. I love how big a role Emily had in this book. Jack’s back and he shows up early to tell the team about what he found in the novella The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy which I highly recommend you read before you read The Girl with the Iron Touch. Griffin is having a lot of problems in this book with his power over the aether. He also feels a lot of guilt for killing Mei. Jasper is so different in this book after what happened with Mei. He is not really himself anymore and hope that he recovers from his heartbreak. Griffin was very secretive this book with everyone and I was getting just as angry at him as Finley. I am happy the love triangle between Finley/Jack/Griffin is resolved in this book. But really in book 2 it became very obvious who Finley loved romantically and who she loved as a friend. I loved the scene where Finley takes care of Griffin. It is so sweet and really showed Finley’s tenderness and depth of feeling for Griffin. But then again I love all of Griffin and Finley’s scenes together.Sam will go to hell and back to find Emily. In fact in this book I fell in love with his character. His devotion to her won me over.

This series has always been exciting, but the race to find Emily made this book even more so. Some parts of this book are told from a new character’s PoV named Mila. I don’t want to say too much about her as I don’t want to give anything away. I loved that Cat. Jasper’s ex from New York showed up and can’t to find out why in the novella The Wild Adventure of Jasper Renn. I loved the ending and I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series.This book had me on the edge of my seat from page one. If you love action, romance, passion, friendship, and unique characters this is the book for you.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Content Rating: PG-13

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! It was so much fun to be back with Finley and her gang of misfits. What a wonderfully well written engaging and creative story. The characters I love them all, they are so well developed and interesting. Just can't get enough of them, especially Jack Dandy and Griffin,heheh. This story caters to Emily and I was really glad because she is one of my favorites, she is small, large in spirit and passion, intelligent, creative, hurt, flawed, sweet, tough, you get the picture she is pretty amazing. Really the whole gang is. We finally get more glimpse into the emotional and romantic side of our favorite couples. Hurray!!! It is nicely paced through out the story line and I was so happy......finally!
This book takes off about two weeks after they arrive back home from there trip to America. Everyone is feeling a little strained from there adventure and loss of Jasper's friend. Griffin has isolated himself to his rooms and claimed he is "under the weather" but his good friends feel that there is more going on than meets the eye. Finley is especially feeling all sorts of confusion after all their kissing and now nothing. I don't blame her I would be confessed too. Griffin needs to make things right and quit being so secretive. He needs to let his friends who love and care about him help carry his burdens.
While amiss the calm comes the storm. This misfit gang is not allowed much time just to enjoy life they get thrown into the fire right from the first pages. Remember that awful machinist Garibaldi that we all hoped was dead when the roof caved in on him.....well he isn't and he wants vengeance. Emily is unaware that he plans to have her help restore him, weather she wants to or not. As we know Garibaldi has a way with getting his way......
There are many wonderful moments with and Jake Dandy and his roguish self. Griffin and Finley as the share their hearts with one another, with Sam and Emily as they sort out their feelings for each other.
Loved, Loved, Loved!!! We also get an unexpected hint that there could be another book, I hope so. Really a beautifully crafted story with lots of creativity and heart.

[Gunjan (NerdyBirdie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating 3.5

It kind of feels as though this book is the same as The Girl in the Steel Corset. The Machinist comes after someone in the gang, and then the goose chase starts up. Only this time it’s Emily. And another added love interest for the Griffin-Finley-Jack-and now Mila love triangle/square.

Can’t wait to read how that goes… (P.S. this is sarcasm)

There was an odd sense of pacing in this book, and the sub-plots and the main plot felt kind of choppy.

Exhibit A:
Emily is in danger? Oh yeah, how about Finley and Griffin make out, and we’ll have Sam and Emily fight off automatons!

Exhibit B:
Mila runs away and finds Jack to tell him that Emily is in danger? Oh wait, how about Mila step inside and have tea with Jack to tell him her story!

Like, what are these people doing? Jasper wasn’t even in here for half of the book!

Finley is always concerned about Jack living with someone else or doing something with someone else, because even though in clear, concise words it’s stated that she’s “chosen” Griffin, she still wants Jack to want her. This is probably what I don’t like about these books the most: forced and unnecessary love triangles. There’s no legal requirement to put love triangles in books so stop forcing them in!

These books could honestly be a lot of fun if there was something beyond The Machinist. Maybe something like a new adventure every book (kind of like The Girl in the Clockwork Collar). Because after a while it starts to feel a tiny bit repetitive. But these books are light and quick to get through, so that’s fun!

[Sandra (LadyGrey Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

2016 Book Awards

(more information about these awards on my blog)

Definitely an improvement from book #2 - I love Emily and I love her relationship with Sam and there was a lot of stuff building up to the final novel, which makes me excited to read that. However I felt like everything in this book happened incredibly fast. There was no real development in each individual event - it was just event after event after event without that many details.

But yes; better than book #2. Where that book was a weak 4 star book, this is a strong 4 star :)

[Cassandra]

Kady Cross please keep writing more books just love The Steampunk Chronicles!

Excited for The Girl with the Iron Touch.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been ages since I've read any of the books in this series and I'm excited to have gotten back to it. It didn't take me long to jump back in with these characters though. The stories are a lot simpler than I remember, but the characters really jump off the page and I enjoyed the entire group. I've always really loved Emily and I liked that this book was more focused on her.

Of course our arch enemy is back in action and out to get revenge. I enjoyed how the steampunk elements played into making the aetheric elements more believable as well. The line is crossed in this story between was is real and what is machine. The aether has allowed for the idea of sentient machines, the Pinocchio story, though in this case a real girl.

I love the collection of characters in this story and I look forward to reading the final book. It'll definitely have me reading the last novel without the long delay.

[Dark Faerie Tales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.

Quick & Dirty: A romantic and odd conclusion to the Steampunk Chronicles. Really, this book just ties up loose ends, but it still leaves some hanging.

Opening Sentence: A giant tentacle slapped the front of the submersible, driving the small craft backward in the water.

The Review:

In the possibly last installment of the Steampunk Chronicles, Finley and the gang have just gotten back from America and are recovering from the disaster there. Only not everyone seems to be recovering. Griffin holes himself away for hours and sometimes days at a time inside his room, and every time he comes out he looks more frail and exhausted. He won’t talk to anyone, not even Finley. Meanwhile Emily and Sam have finally let each other know how they feel about each other, and it seems to be all fine and dandy when out of the blue Emily gets kidnapped. Now forced to either watch her loved ones die or build a host body for the evil – barely alive – Machinist (see first book). While everyone tries to hunt down who could have possibly taken Emily and for what reason, Emily has discovered a phenomenon that would shock the scientific community – and cause the Machinist to come back healthy and new. This epic conclusion (or is it?) of the Steampunk Chronicles is one of a kind – intriguing you while at the same time creeping you out.

I wouldn’t say that this book is predictable – far from it. This book however goes into some randomly strewn about plot points that are sometimes hard to follow and unnecessary to the main character arc. These random and far-fetched plot points drew out the book and lulled this potentially fast-paced book. For example: the Machinist?? Really? He was dead. Period. Robots could not have kept him alive this long. Another example: Jasper? As much as I love the character, he really wasn’t necessary. His story arc doesn’t even conclude and all of his actions are vague and unimportant. (This is where I see a novella coming out about him, describing all of his shenanigans while the rest of the crew were hunting for Emily.)

Now on to the good stuff. The romance. The machines. And the heroines. At long last everyone has admitted their feelings for each other and now the only problem is commitment. Since the very beginning of the series these romances brewed (and every now and then boiled), never in the lime light until now. Well done Cross for creating such developed character/romances. The machines have always been a favorite part for me. There are always multiple clever contraptions that make their way into the books, and I have always enjoyed how this steampunk world grows and develops. Also, the heroines (Emily and Finley) can kick butt as much as (if not better) than the guys in this book. Strong-willed and stubborn, both girls have what it takes to tear down a mastermind’s plans by themselves.

For a so-called ending to the Steampunk Chronicles, I would have been satisfied with the ending. There are still pieces unfinished and could possibly be great for novellas, the way the book ended all of the major plot lines were wrapped up and tied neatly in a bow. For those of you who like the odd and strange, this series is perfect for you.

Notable Scene:

She walked up to him and placed her hands on either side of his face so he would be forced to look at her. “I might take Jack soup if he was ill, maybe even sit with him. I would not bathe him. I would not wash his hair, and when I look at him I do not think about kissing him.” Impulsively, she traced the bow of his

lower lip with her thumb. “There’s only one mouth I think about kissing.”

Griffin’s gaze warmed beneath his heavy lids. He had a way of looking at a girl that made her want to toss propriety and virtue to the wind. “Whose mouth

is that?” His voice was low and rough as his fingers hooked into the front lacing of her corset and pulled her closer.

“Yours, you great daft article. Not Jack’s, only yours. Will you stop being jealous of him now?”

“He’s rich, handsome and dangerous. You like that.”

She smiled at the uncharacteristic lack of self-confidence in his tone. “My dear duke. You are rich, handsome and dangerous.”

His lips lifted on one side. “I would never describe myself as dangerous.”

“Could you maybe stop talking? I’d like to kiss you but your lips won’t stay still.”

FTC Advisory: HarlequinTeen provided me with a copy of The Girl with the Iron Touch. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[Snakegoddess716 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need.
Need.
Need.
Need.
Need.
Need.

Why? Why did it have to be my little Irish girl I freaking love her and she is freaking kidnapped. Damn.

Although I am dying for this freaking love triangle Like who will she pick?

Well for one Griffin is the rich Duke but with serious emotional baggage, we cant forget about that part. Total turn-off but rich does help ;)

Dandy on the other hand Dandy make Finley feel alive and makes her heart beat out of her chest, But sadly criminal who with one word can have The duke killed.

Ok moving away from the love fujcked up triangle.

Lets look at Sam the big oa who is in love with are gracius little red head who is proabally dying inside.

But what about Jasper I need my Jasper! Where is are cowboy going to come into this story?
he will proabally have more emotional bafggage then Griffin(which is saying something)
But how will he feel when the girl he deeply cares for (or one of them) is taken. What I am confused on does he have feelings for Finley?

Because remember in The girl with clockwork colar that he loved finley for not leaving him? Well what kind of love and remember how he was confused to think he could love three people? (Emily,that bitch and now Finley?)

Well I am totally confused now. How will this book be beats me but I really can't wait

(EDIT)
Okay did I like seriously read over the part were Finley and Dandy kiss. I was just completely oblivious to this? If so anyone and I mean ANYONE who has read this book dammit tell me what page that is on!!!

AM I not understanding? What just like I was looking forward to this and...Never happened. Zip zadda nothing. I am really pissed about this so anyone has read this and has seen this part by god tell me where it is what page what chapter. I am slowly dying from this small disappointment.

But I Will say the ending scene with Finley and Griffin. Nearly made up for it. Close but no cigar. So please help me.

Also this book came and made me love this series once again after my love for them decline by the last one. But this was absolutely amazing.

And coo-dos for the author on keeping Jasper's and Dandy's (fake) accents going. They really make you believe the character outstanding.

[Bec (booktineus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my instagram, @booktineus

The Good Things
+ My reread of this nostalgia inducing series continues! This is probably my favourite book in the series so far overall.

+ It’s a YA steampunk/ historical fantasy by the way.

+ We got so much Emily in this one! Her relationship with Sam is my favourite (but I think they might be beaten by a couple in book four soon).

+ It explored that really interesting concept you see in sci-fi about what makes a human vs a machine. Mila is going to be a very fascinating character to follow.

+ I liked that there were darker themes in this one. Not only did we have the return of some morally grey characters and villains, but the characters were facing some interesting moral dilemmas.

The Not So Good Things
- It feels like we barely scratched the surface of some of the themes, especially those involving Mila’s plotline. I wish it was longer so we could have seen more development as the characters developed new relationships.

- I cannot figure out what the pacing with Finley and Griffin’s romance is supposed to be. It feels like things are progressing quickly, but then they’ll suddenly be angsty and feel like they’re still pining for a relationship.

- Jack and Jasper like to keep disappearing to have adventures off page. We do get novellas about what they’ve been up to, but I wanted more of them in the book (especially since I no longer have my old kindle that had their novellas on them).

TL;DR:
This is my favourite book in the series so far. It introduced some interesting plot points and character points. I wish it had been longer so we could explore some of the relationships and plots in more depth. I’m excited to see how everything wraps up in book four!

[Kirsty (Amethyst Bookwyrm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and my other reviews can be found at http://amethystbookwyrm.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for giving me this book to review.

Ever since coming back from America, Griffin has been distant from the group and seems to be tormented by something to do with the Aether and this is starting to worry the group of misfits, especially Finley who is worried that he does not tell her because he does not care about her as much as she does. However, they have to put their worry aside when Emily is kidnapped by automatons and find out how to save her before she is harmed. Emily finds out that she was kidnapped to resurrect their thought dead enemy into a unique automaton who is more human than machine.

The Girl with the Iron Touch is an enjoyable third book in the steampunk chronicles and is the standard of book you have come to expect from Kady Cross, although it did seem to be missing something compared to the other books. I found the blurb a bit misleading but it has non-stop action and also a good romance plot. One thing I found annoying is that the characters do not speak like turn of the century people from London, one example is a characters refers to “p*ssed off” as meaning angry but I am fairly sure this is a resent usage of this word which comes from America.

The characters are the same people we have grown to love from the first 2 books in the series who are totally different from each other but you can relate to each of them. I did miss Griffin’s point of view in this book as I missed knowing what he was thinking, however, I did like that Jack was back in this book unlike the last.

I really liked this book and I can’t wait to see what happens next to Finley and the group of misfits. I would recommend The Girl with the Iron Touch to people who enjoyed the first 2 books in this series or YA steampunk novels.

[Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The only reason why I persevered in finishing this book (even though it was damn hard) was to find out what was going to happen... yes, even though it was pretty obvious what was going to happen - you knew it as soon as the story started (okay, not quite, but almost!). I wanted to make sure what I expected to happen would happen or maybe be surprised by it having a huge plot twist and I'd be like "omg! no way!" (sadly not the latter).

Besides the utterly and infuriatingly slow scenes between the couples, I disliked the continuing semi-love triangle between Finley, Griffin, and Jack. She's made her choice and yet she still flirts with him (cruel), as well as think Jack as "hers"? >_< Let the poor guy go! Geebus, you already have someone, stop being so greedy and needy for attention.

I'm all for developing the characters' relationship, but it was just done rather clumsily and really pulled the pace down to a glacial crawl.

On top of all that, I personally just despise love triangles (I think Sara Douglass' The Axis Trilogy completely ruined them for me). I could not stop rolling my eyes at Finley; this book definitely made me stop caring about and less interested in her... and her friends.

I was considering not continuing on with this series but The Girl with the Windup Heart actually sounds interesting... Damn it.