The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy

The Steampunk Chronicles #2.5

by Kady Cross

Before he makes his appearance in The Girl with the Iron Touch, Jack Dandy had an adventure of his very own. Learn how his actions set the plot in motion in The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy, a short teaser story from author Kady Cross’s Steampunk Chronicles.

Jack Dandy didn’t become prince of the London underworld at barely twenty-one by being softhearted, even if a certain girl in a steel corset has wormed her way into his affections of late. He knows how to manipulate, charm and rob people blind.

And if his criminal activities embarrass his aristocratic father, so much the better. So when a friend of Jack’s father hires him for an underhanded job, Jack is happy to oblige—for an outrageous fee, of course. Delivering a mysterious crate seems like an
easy task—until Jack realizes just what is inside...

Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Romance

44 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 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

[Veronica Morfi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5

I love Jack Dandy he reminds me so much of Jimmy the Hand at any Raymond E. Feist's book. Jack could possibly be my favorite character on this series and I was really sad we didn't get to see much of him in the second book, but I am realy glad for this novella. It gave us an inside look into Jack's mind and past. It made me love him even more. Even though he is a criminal.

In this novella Jack is accepts a job from a wealthy employer to get and deliver a crate. From the very beginning it seems like this job is not as easy as it sounds and when Jack finally gets the crate he is chased by both humans and automatons. The most weird thing is what's inside the crate and what Jack finds will haunt him.

I think I made very clear my love for Jack so I can't say much more without making this review longer than the novella. I just can't wait to get my hands on the 3rd book to see how Jack's story ends.

[Bec (Aussie Book Dragon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

More shenanigans at Ransom Reads

MAJOR SELLING POINTS:
Jack bloody Dandy



Jack is one of my favourite YA guys. He's one of those bad rakish ones that make me laugh. To have an opportunity to get in his head more and learn stuff about him, I was getting this novella no matter what.

Amazing Steampunk Series



THE DARK DISCOVERY OF JACK DANDY is set just before THE GIRL WITH THE IRON TOUCH, but you don't need to read it to follow the plot in IRON TOUCH. The series is fine without it. But I wanted to because I love this series and this world and I want to see as much of it as I can.

SWASHBUCKLING:



This novella fills in a little about Jack's past and his character. The best part was finally discovering some of his drive and past, which is eluded to in THE GIRL WITH THE IRON TOUCH, but here we have confirmation. I can't wait to see where Jack's story goes in future novels, and how much his discover will change him.


LINGO:



This is Jack's novella. It's pretty much gauranteed to be hilarious. I snickered a lot at his observations. The writing of Jack himself and the way he presents himself adds to the mystery surrounding his character. He's really intriguing and I am spending a lot of time gushing about him, aren't I? Anyway, moving on. Cross' writing and descriptions is also good and give you a clear idea of what's going on. You can picture surroundings, action scenes get your adrenaline going, and little clues and mysteries slowly revealed leave you puzzled.

CREW:
Jack Dandy



If you haven't figured out what I think of Jack by now you mustn't have read all this review. I loved sarcastic criminal Jack from the very first book. He is a really intriguing character with a lot of mysterious past and motivations. The novella showed how much development he has done since we first met him, and showed that he really is a smart and decent bloke. Which only made me love him more.

SWOONABILITY:



I feel weird including romance as a section. Because there isn't any. Well, it does sow the seeds of my latest OTP, but my shipping as established in THE GIRL WITH THE IRON TOUCH. So really nothing happens here.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although he's appeared in the first two books of this series, we don't know a whole lot about Jack Dandy. We don't know his past or his point of view of everything that's happened. When he's offered a lot of money to take a mysterious crate from one place to another, he can't help but look inside. And he didn't not expect to see what he saw.

He finds a half-human half-automaton girl inside the crate. She has a metal skeleton, but has skin growing around it. He becomes attached to her, and when he has to drop the crate off, he can't help but worry what's going to happen to her.

We learn that he gets around with lots of women, so even though he does have feelings for Finley, they aren't as strong as I thought they were. We also learn that his father was a rich man who is embarrassed by Jack, but still paid for him to get a good education.

Overall, this is a great little filler between the second and third books. I can't wait to read the third book and see if the automaton girl reappears!!

For this review and more, go to my blog Lizzie the Sarcastic Blonde

[Nicole(thereadingrebel) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this very short novella told from the PoV of Jack Dandy the king of the criminal underworld in The Steampunk Chronicles. I loved learning about Jack and his past. I just want to give him a hug. I understand now why he became a criminal and finally know how he feels about Finley and Griffin. This is a great follow into book 3. It ends in a cliffhanger and with all new questions.

[Melanie Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story gives a view on the events before the third book. I liked it to get into the Steampunk Chronicles again and loved reading about Jack Dandy even if I think it did not portray him as we know him from the main books. He mentioned his luck way to often and somehow I found it irritating how he thought about his father. We know from the books that he despise him. But it seemed a little bit artificial on those few pages.

Nevertheless: the mentioning of Griffin made my happy and now I want to read the Steampunk Chronicles again... I need so much more reading time!

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the character of Jack Dandy! He is half low-down, dirty villain and half respectable white knight, if the two can ever be combined as well as Kady Cross has done. This short story was a fabulous read!

[Andrea Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these short stories in addition to the series!

[Duchess of Snark · Rating 1 out of 5]

i have in the past described books as "if lord voldemort's vomit gained sentience" but this book is what you would get if the darkling, the onceler and darth vader had some sickening love child, then it barfed on the sidewalk in a small, closeminded town in the deep south and the vomit turned even more rancid, sprouted legs, then as it was walking away a vulture swooped down and ate half of it.

this "novella" was only 44 pages long, and was mostly just body horror and descriptions of the main character's outfits a la my immortal. As always Jack dandy's horrid faux cockney dialogue was enough to make this in a whole a sickening read. if you enjoy indigestion I would most certainly recommend. maybe the author should write "Alias Kate" a horrible hypothetical parody of next. i would love her unique take on canadian and irish accents.

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Jack Dandy is one of the most interesting characters in the Steampunk Chronicles trilogy, because up to the very end of the series his origins are a secret, yet throughout the three books (five, if you count the two novellas), he is so dynamic. Even as a secondary character, readers were able to witness his growth from being just Whitechapel's top cold-hearted villain to someone who finally, and truly, cared for someone - Finley.

With The Discovery of Jack Dandy, we finally get a glimpse of his parentage, and inner workings of his emotions and mind. He rose from being an obscure, interesting character in my mind to someone I wish could have his own sequel. Okay, okay. I wish the Steampunk Chronicles would have more books. Period.

The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy should have been read prior to the last book, The Girl with the Iron Touch, but I read this last so I already know what the plot is. If you're like me, an eager beaver for the last book, maybe you're wondering if you should still read the book? Oh yeah, definitely. Because it gives insight to Jack Dandy, and you'll finally know what he really thinks and feels for Finley. It made me go weak in the knees just a wee bit. Also, it helped me understand his actions in The Girl with the Iron Touch more, and why he went to Griffin King for help.

I give this four and 1/2 stars because while it was definitely too short for my taste (it's a novella after all), it did give me a glimpse of Jack, and almost all my questions (and I bet Griffin's as well) about his parentage were finally answered. But it lacked just that little bit more to get me truly ecstatic about the book, and I didn't finish the book with crazy eyes and raving about how marvelous it is. You get the idea, I trust. Still, The Discovery of Jack Dandy is definitely a good one for me.

[Jessica (a GREAT read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little late to discover that Kady Cross had written this novella, The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy! And anything to with Jack Dandy and The Steampunk Chronicles I am very much interested in reading!!



This one takes place prior to The Girl with the Iron Touch, a book I read months ago as an ARC, so my memory is a little poor--who'd thought memory gets worse when you read so much! But luckily, I remember that conclusion fairly well, so knowing the true ending to this little novella was great! But if you haven't read The Girl with the Iron Touch (TGWTIT) and plan to, I recommend reading this one first!

Basically, in this one we get to know the mission or job Jack performed that led to the events of TGWTIT. Jack is to deliver a large crate to a train station and that's it. The task is a little more difficult than it seems when he gets chased by humans and a few automatons as he's leaving!

While not much really happens in this one, we do get a little more insight to the man that is Jack Dandy. His feelings regarding Finley. A little bit of his past and relationship with his parents or lack thereof.

We also get to see what he thinks of the "item" that was in the box. I don't want to give it away in case some of you have yet to read TGWTIT. But it definitely makes me swoon for Jack a little bit more, if that's even possible! I am very much looking forward to the next book in the Steampunk Chronicles! Also, according to Amazon, there's to be another novella releasing in November, The Wild Adventure of Jasper Renn! That's bound to be another quick and intriguing tale!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack Dandy is definitely a criminal lord you'd want on your good side. This short novella depicts a friend of Jack Dandy's aristocratic father coming to Jack for help to deliver a crate containing some rather...illegal contents.

We get to see Jack's personality and facade right from the beginning. His backstory is teased at, and we're given the bare minimal information about his miserable upbringing for us to get the sense of Jack's desire for revenge. One thing that really amazed me was how Jack conducted himself differently in order to charm--or intimidate--his way to getting what he wants. Jack hides his history extraordinarily well, being able to imitate a ruffian accent in order to make people underestimate him, or, when need be, absolutely terrify people. His thought process for his deliberate actions are brilliant, as he's able to read people and know what he needs to do to get his way.

The ending of the novella--what he finds in the crate--sets up the beginning of his main part in The Girl With the Windup Heart, and we begin to see a change in heart as he realizes he's done the same thing his father has done to him. The beginning of his character arc in regards to abandonment is hinted at, which bridges his rough and seemingly uncaring ways in the first few books in the series to the final book, where we see his true side, and his good heart.

If you're a fan of Jack Dandy, definitely give this one a read. It's a quick dark and smart read, one where you can't help but love him for all his dark ways.

Original post at Books, Stars, and the Pages in Between.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Jack Dandy’s one of my favourite characters in the Steampunk Chronicles series (perhaps even my favourite) and certainly one of the most interesting ones, so having a story told from his point of view is great. Jack has a complex, darting mind, though much of what comes through in this short story is his resentment towards his father and the insecurities about his illegitimate status and low station in life that he tries desperately to hide.

Sadly, as with most short stories, it suffers from the limitations of the format and despite a good start which promised exciting developments to follow, it quickly descends into a mad rush of action which ends in an incoherent climax and a disappointing non-ending. I strongly believe that short stories should be able to stand as complete, structured wholes even if it fits into the context of a series/bigger plot, so there’s nothing that annoys me more than enjoying the proceedings only to be left abruptly in the middle of nowhere with a brief “catch the rest in the following book” postscript. I’m not sure I like the direction in which the series is heading, either – particularly the rather obvious and contrived manner in which Jack’s interest in the new mechanical girl was manufactured. Really? He looks at her and she reminds him of Finley and just… stayed in his mind, awakening his previously unknown vestiges of conscience? That he has virtually no chance with Finley is clear by this point, but is it really necessary to force a new romantic interest out of the blue?

[Stef · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sooo this was a disappointing read especially when the summary doesn't really engage the reader about what the novella is about enough. I would suggest reading this before the third book of the series as it does further explain Jack's attitude towards what was inside the crate. However, when reading, it took me a long time to actually finish it and I felt bored with how much Jack mentioned Finley. His dream however was interesting, but the whole time I felt the lack of love I had for Jack as a character drain which is so sad!! His disregard of womxn was also infuriating to read 🙄

[Heidi Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't you bother trying to psycho-analyze me when you see me giving this little short story a higher rating just because it features Jack Dandy. I'll come right out and tell you I do prefer the rake Jack to the perfect gentleman Griffin. Although I wouldn't want Finley to chose Jack over Griffin. She's better off with Griffin.
But Jack as a character - ah, he's multi-faceted. I mean, if I were Finley, I'd stay with Griffin too. But as a reader, I chose Jack anytime.
So this one is all about Jack; we get to see what forces shaped him so and we get to follow him on an adventure that should be dealt with in its fullness in Book 3....

[⚜️XAR the Bookwyrm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked the character of Jack Dandy, so when the rest of the series went on sale recently, I grabbed this book as well. I found it to be a very short but interesting look into the life of Jack Dandy! I liked how he wasn't just the self-made King of the Underworld, but someone truly worth knowing. His style was impeccable, and I liked how he took up a cause, despite not seeming to care about anything or anyone in previous stories! All in all, an entertaining extra addition to the series!

[Jacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick novella, that is a set up for The Girl with the Iron Touch. It was interesting to get a little more background on Jack. It's also a very small glimpse into his work. There is a very weird twist to the story. And the fact that Jack thinks he'll have to get Griffin involved causes enough intrigue to want to know how things play out in The Girl with the Iron Touch.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Jack Dandy. After the previous book, and spending some time away from him in it, I couldn't really remember what Finley had found so appealing about Jack. But I do now!

In this novella, Jack is hired to steal a crate from one place and deliver it elsewhere. I can't say
much more without giving away the entire novella.

Suffice to say, I hope to see lots of Jack Dandy in book three.

[Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really quite liked this, I do like to see the other side and we haven't yet seen inside Jack's head, so this was extra exciting.
It was nice to see that my assessment of the dreaded triangles was correct and interesting to see the intro to the next book as well as a little more about Jack himself.

[Karlyflower *The Vampire Ninja, Luminescent Monster & Wendigo Nerd Goddess of Canada (according to The Hulk)* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Dandy is one of my favourites from the series. Dark and twisted, he is a self made man notoriously known for his nefarious deeds.

I'm really lucky I have a fondness for characters like this in text rather than real life.

A cute little prequel to Cross's The Girl with the Iron Touch

[Stacy Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a little adventure, obviously, setting us up for a bigger story. I enjoy the character of Jack Dandy and this story gives us more of his history and motivations.

A criminal with a bit of hero in him. Who wouldn't like that?

[Arie ☂ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for Jack Dandy ♥

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short story, even though I wasn't Jack Dandy's biggest fan in the previous books. Will be interesting to find out what happens next in the next book.
6.5 out of 10

[ReadRightMeow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blech! 🤮 Without the perspective of the other crimes against literature, this book is so bad you can practically smell it. Compared to the other Steampunk Chronicles, this one was actually handleable. This means very little though.

It starts out with a heteronormativity parade filled with quotes such as “…so he’d know what young ladies really wanted in a man” and”all the young ladies must find him so very attractive.” Furthermore Cross and/or Jack Dandy are/is (a) creep(s) for this quote “Jack eyed walking stick and wondered if jabbing the blade up his nose and into his brain pan might take away the image of the two of them [ Abernathy and his housekeeper ] trying to put their parts together around their notable middles.” Please excuse me while I vomit in the corner.

It also has random italics which drives me crazy!

Dandy is such a loser. He is obsessing about Finley the entire book! His main character trait is Finley. He lives Finley; he breathes Finley; he is Finley. (okay maybe not that last one. But that would actually be interesting unlike this). Also, he is creepy to women! He says “Listen, woman.” And Cross does not challenge this!

It also needs trigger warnings (tw , cw) for some fairly graphic stuff. Body horror? Exposed organs? Implications of death? Slapping? Violence? Misogyny (not challenged)?

This is also too short for a novella. It should have just been a part of the book.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack Dandy fascinates me. He is the stereotypical ‘bad guy’, wearing black, acting charming, but running a cut throat (literally) business. Yet, there is obviously some kind of relationship with Finley throughout the rest of the Steampunk Chronicles books. Reading a novella that not only thinks about this relationship from Jack’s point of view, but also opens up the storyline for the next novel was incredibly enjoyable.

Jack’s heritage and history are finally brought to light in this great novella. Even the reasons for his almost courtship of Finley, and his work with the criminal underworld are shown. His petty attempt at revenge and strike back at the class system of 1800’s England help to further create a multi-dimensional image of this complex character.

I really enjoyed not only the short journey that Jack goes on throughout this story, but how Cross is able to build up on one of her secondary characters throughout it. Now I just can’t wait to delve into The Girl with the Iron Touch.

[Mr. Rendon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so mad at this author. I bought book 1 because of the beautiful cover and the awesome prequal Novella. But book 1 and 2 were a let down, so full of exposition that made reading a chore. I gave them horrible reviews and only kept on reading because I jumped the gun and bought the entire series based on how much I enjoyed prequal book 0.5.

This little novel makes me so mad because it once again shows me what this series could have been. Gosh, these 4 chapters from Dandy's perspective are a million times better, smoother, and more engaging than book 1 and 2 combined. Imagine if book one and two were like this? Sigh, Honestly I want to recommend this little novel as is, but then I'd be going against what I wrote in my review of book 1 and 2 where I warned people against this series.

You're a confusing author Kady Cross.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 Stars

His own mother had told him he looked like Lucifer himself - a beautiful angel forever denied the embrace of heaven.

I usually don't like all those fantasy series short stories, but this one had a major selling point: Jack-Fucking-Dandy, so I just couldn't help myself, and I regret nothing!

The story is a tease, or a prologue, to The Girl With the Iron Touch. We get the story from Dandy's perspective and a little background on the Prince of the London Underworld. I love how sketchy he is, and funny! I chuckled a lot during this one. I mean...

And now he felt bad for being rude to the housekeeper, as well. Damnation. He was going to have to cheat at cards and seduce a married woman just to get his equilibrium back.

If you're a Jack Dandy fan - read it! If you're not - read it anyway, you will be! It convinced me to read the next book in the series, and I really REALLY hope to see a lot more of Dandy in it.

[♥ I’d Rather Be Reading ♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A prequel to The Girl with the Iron Touch, which I haven't read yet. It's from Jack's perspective and is about a job he takes on involving a mysterious crate that a lot of people seem to be after.

Like I said in my review of The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, I can't remember much from the first two books in this series, but I do remember I liked Jack so it was fun to be in his perspective. I'm not exactly sure if this story is necessary to read before reading The Girl with the Iron Touch, but my guess is that it's probably re-capped in the beginning of that book if the story goes in the direction it seemed to be going at the end of the novella.

So this was okay, but not as fun of a novella as The Strange Case of Finley Jayne in my opinion.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite quote possible from this book is:

"He was going to have to cheat at cards and seduce a married woman just to get his equilibrium back."

Me too, Jack, me too.

That aside, I did really enjoy this novella as I've wondered for a while what his backstory is and it was nice to get a glimpse of his business dealings and where Jack comes from and does the things he does.

[Doodles R · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this short story and loved getting a glimpse into our beloved Dandy. It was intriguing to see the world through his eyes just a teensy bit and get a glimpse of the motives for his actions. I like him even more now.😂🤦‍♀️ Very eager to keep reading the series and see what happens with "this girl".

[Kenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this series would benefit from being a collection of short stories rather than full-length novels. There isn't time for the repetition of things when every word counts. Initially, I wasn't completely sold on continuing the series but after reading this, I admit, my curiosity will probably bring me back eventually... I wanna know what happens with the girl.