Waiting on Wednesday - Sisters of Salt and Iron by Kady Cross

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine,  that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating or books that are in our TBR pile.  This week’s “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is

Summary (By Goodreads)

Wren Noble is dead—she was born that way. Vibrant, unlike other dead things, she craves those rare moments when her twin sister allows her to step inside her body and experience the world of the living. 

Lark Noble is alive but often feels she belongs in the muted Shadow Lands—the realm of the dead. Known as the crazy girl who talks to her dead sister, she doesn’t exactly fit in with the living, though a recent suicide attempt and time in a psych ward have proved to her she’s not ready to join her sister in the afterlife. 

Now the guy who saved Lark’s life needs her to repay the favor. He and his friends have been marked for death by the malevolent spirit of a vicious and long-dead serial killer, and the twins—who should know better than to mess with the dead—may be their only hope of staying alive.

Kady Cross is an author whom I admire. She wrote the Steampunk Chronicles and gives her characters so much spunk and spirit.  This is a bit of a new theme from her previous work.  I'm always curious to see how an author handles a completely different genre.

- Christinabean

Same Book, Second Look - The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Published: May 2011

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 473

Copy Provided by: Library

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

In 1897 England, 16-year-old Finley Jayne is convinced she's a freak. No normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch. Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special . . . that she's one of "them."

Review:

 

My first introduction to Kady Cross was with a free prequel found on Google Books.  I initially gushed about this author here.  After reading The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, I was pumped to start reading The Girl in the Steel Corset.  Miss Jayne was such a character that I wanted to read more about her.  It is not often that I do this but I actually read The Girl in the Steel Corset (book #1) and the Girl in the Clockwork Collar (book #2) at the same time (gasp!  the horror!!).  You can catch my review of book #2 in a future post.

 

So imagine discovering that you have some kind of superhero strength that you cannot control.  It is like there is another part of you, a darker part of you, that takes over when you aren't looking.  Welcome to Finley Jayne's world.  She definitely is an unusual character. Lucky for her, her world collides with another band of misfits who want to help her...at least most of them do. 

 

The Girl in the Steel Corset features a great kick ass heroine who struggles to trust herself and not succum to her darker side (maybe she should pass on her advice to a certain Anakin Skywalker...).  But take heed, she is not just the muscles in the group, she has a seductive feminine side that likes to flirt with handsome men, both good and bad.  This was another fun read for me.  I loved watching Finley stand her ground and use her feminine wiles to tempt the bad guys to do her bidding.  I just hope Mr. Dandy doesn't place too high of a price on the favors she's asked of him.

 

I have read very mixed reviews on this title.  I think part of it is what you are expecting.  While the author wanted to create a mix of X-Men and League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, you have to remember that this is not a graphic novel.  There is a steampunk edginess to this series and a potential on-going romance and action/adventure.  Have fun with it!

 

 

 

 

Strange Case of Finley Jayne - Kady Cross

Published: May 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 76

Copy Provided by: Kobo e-books

Summary: Goodreads

Summary:

Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined...

An ebook exclusive prequel to The Steampunk Chronicles.

Review:

This was such a pleasant surprise.  I came across The Strange Case of Fiuley Jayne while perusing the Kobo  catalogue on my phone one day and it was free!  The author kept me glued to the "screen" and I have to admit, 76 pages was not enough for me.  Kady, you are some heck of a saleslady because you had me at page 5.  

Finley Jayne is such an admirable girl.  She has spunk and spirit and in the midst of it all, she is trying to find herself. You look at girls going through puberty and Finley is certainly experiencing some superior growth changes.  She has a talent for becoming a superhero steampunk character and I can't wait to pick up The Girl in the Steel Corset and The Girl in the Clockwork Collar now.  I was intrigued by the names and the gorgeous covers before and now that I've had a "taste" of what's in store and a bit more background to the main character, I'm convinced this is a series I'd love.  

On a side note, I would love to see more authors do mini introductions such as these for their audiences.  I have found a few e-book publications from Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers series) and Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (Beautiful Creatures series) but I would like to see more.  Now that the book industry is expanding to e-books, offering up a free or cheap version should be easy.