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Mutants and Modified #1
Metal and Bone: A steampunk Cinderella story
A Steampunk Cinderella story.
Midnight could be the beginning of a dream or shatter it forever.
Eliana Steelhaugh’s life and the lives of her friends depend on secrecy. By day she plays servant to her stepmother. By night Ella is forced to use her unusual talents and body modifications in a ‘secret identity’—a thief known as Cinder. Much of her time is spent at St. Drogo, a sanctuary for modifieds, to atone for her mother having poisoned the Thames. She has little time for dreams, let alone love.
Second son, Prince Aerysleigh Highridge, is a dedicated airship commander on the front lines. Then the death of his brother and the poisoning of the King forces his return to a life he hates. To relieve his boredom, he works with the Scotland Yard to capture Cinder. The chase leads him to the gritty world of St. Drogo, where a beautiful smith who is more than she seems convinces him settling down may not be all bad.
Attending the Prince’s Ball and claiming his love may be the only way to stop Ella’s stepmother from taking over the country…but can the Prince love a thief and a monster?
Midnight could be the beginning of a dream or shatter it forever.
Eliana Steelhaugh’s life and the lives of her friends depend on secrecy. By day she plays servant to her stepmother. By night Ella is forced to use her unusual talents and body modifications in a ‘secret identity’—a thief known as Cinder. Much of her time is spent at St. Drogo, a sanctuary for modifieds, to atone for her mother having poisoned the Thames. She has little time for dreams, let alone love.
Second son, Prince Aerysleigh Highridge, is a dedicated airship commander on the front lines. Then the death of his brother and the poisoning of the King forces his return to a life he hates. To relieve his boredom, he works with the Scotland Yard to capture Cinder. The chase leads him to the gritty world of St. Drogo, where a beautiful smith who is more than she seems convinces him settling down may not be all bad.
Attending the Prince’s Ball and claiming his love may be the only way to stop Ella’s stepmother from taking over the country…but can the Prince love a thief and a monster?
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 25, 2019
11 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 4, 2020
3.5 Stars. It was a fun interpretation of the Cinderella story with a steampunk twist.
I would have given it 4.5 stars if it wasn't in desparate need of a proofreader and editor. (I read the paperback version, not an eBook version, so perhaps the digital edition has had corrections made.) Sentences were cut off, words were misused, spellings of period words were incorrect, and to have the very last word of the book be a typo is pretty bad.
Hopefully future editions will be corrected because the story is a good one, and the action scenes are very well done. A fun, fantasy adventure with airships, automatons and evil step-mothers. Oh, my!
I would have given it 4.5 stars if it wasn't in desparate need of a proofreader and editor. (I read the paperback version, not an eBook version, so perhaps the digital edition has had corrections made.) Sentences were cut off, words were misused, spellings of period words were incorrect, and to have the very last word of the book be a typo is pretty bad.
Hopefully future editions will be corrected because the story is a good one, and the action scenes are very well done. A fun, fantasy adventure with airships, automatons and evil step-mothers. Oh, my!
March 14, 2023
I had been craving a steampunk book for a little while now, and this one has just hit the spot.
I will say, however, if you are turned off by poor editing and grammar, this book is riddled with it. Aerysleigh is such a sexy awesome character, and Ella was pretty great too, not to mention their stories intertwining (with a bit of mystery to boot!) The history twists and turns into gas light and gears, and its just wonderful.
I was very hestitant within the first 80 pages or so about reading further, because of the poor editing (and I mean words being used incorrectly or just straight up being cut out from sentences.. and I am by no means educated for editing... but that's what I mean by bad). But I'm so glad I overlooked that. It is very Cinderella-esque, so if you're not into fairytale retellings in a new light, then I might suggest you look for something else. This was just enough steampunk/history/flirtatious encounters, that I didn't think about the "Cinderella" aspect much.
But if you enjoy a story with lots of awesome environment detail, witty banter, history, flying airships, and two people who experience some sexual tension, then I say give this book a shot!
I will say, however, if you are turned off by poor editing and grammar, this book is riddled with it. Aerysleigh is such a sexy awesome character, and Ella was pretty great too, not to mention their stories intertwining (with a bit of mystery to boot!) The history twists and turns into gas light and gears, and its just wonderful.
I was very hestitant within the first 80 pages or so about reading further, because of the poor editing (and I mean words being used incorrectly or just straight up being cut out from sentences.. and I am by no means educated for editing... but that's what I mean by bad). But I'm so glad I overlooked that. It is very Cinderella-esque, so if you're not into fairytale retellings in a new light, then I might suggest you look for something else. This was just enough steampunk/history/flirtatious encounters, that I didn't think about the "Cinderella" aspect much.
But if you enjoy a story with lots of awesome environment detail, witty banter, history, flying airships, and two people who experience some sexual tension, then I say give this book a shot!
April 26, 2019
The imagery in Metal and Bone jumps out at you from the first page. The gritty fog, the whine of gears, combine with the last vestiges of Victorian England to create an irresistible setting. In the backdrop of a world at war comes an unlikely heroine. Part aristocrat, part thief, part modified, CinderElla finds herself as divided as the war torn nations which surround her. The already complicated tightrope she walks becomes even more dangerous when a handsome prince is suddenly thrust in her life. But will he discover the thief...or the woman which finally captures his heart.
September 10, 2024
I'm a HUGE fan of Steampunk, so I bought this book based on the cover alone. When I saw it was a Cinderella retelling, I got even more excited. Overall, it was a great little story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was hoping for a less shallow romance, but it is a very YA coded book so understandable. Absolutely loved the MMC. His description alone in the first few chapters had me hooked. Enjoyed it enough to order book 2, so I'm looking forward to seeing what else this steampunk fairytale universe has!
July 21, 2024
Reimagining of Cinderella story with a steampunk twist
This is a good love story that echoes the Cinderella theme in a war-ravaged London hellscape. The typos and misspellings, as well as the sometimes lame metaphors were distracting, but in spite of the writing and proofing errors, the idea was a good one. Probably more young adult than I am usually drawn to.
This is a good love story that echoes the Cinderella theme in a war-ravaged London hellscape. The typos and misspellings, as well as the sometimes lame metaphors were distracting, but in spite of the writing and proofing errors, the idea was a good one. Probably more young adult than I am usually drawn to.
September 2, 2020
Great alternate version of a classic tale. Very much looking forward to the next book.
December 24, 2023
The premise of the book and Cinderella retelling was very promising. However, I had difficulty getting into the book and fully relating to the characters until near the end which was a bit rushed. I wish the book would have been more detailed about Cinder's automaton limbs and we could have dove more into her work. Instead, everything was rather surface level and quick paced.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews