mrs_mander_reads
Written on Mar 30, 2017
In 1897 London, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one...except the 'thing' inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a fullgrown man with one punch. . . .
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help-and finally be a part of something, finally fit in. But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on-even if it seems no one believes her.
- ISBN10 0373210337
- ISBN13 9780373210336
- Publish Date 31 May 2011
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 8 February 2021
- Imprint Harlequin Teen
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 480
- Language English
Reviews
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Aug 21, 2014
There's a madman on the loose, stealing relics of Queen Victoria. He calls himself the Machinist and they've met him before - last time, he nearly killed one of them. Finley causes rifts in trust, but brings in an ally from the wrong side of the tracks. Maybe together, they can find and stop the Machinist once and for all.
The concept here is really interesting, but Finley Jayne is such a bummer. She constantly guesses at her own strength (think Jekyll and Hyde) and covers beneath the men all while telling them she's quite capable of taking care of herself, thank you very much.
The thing is - this book could be better. It could be so much better. The proof is in the text itself - The Girl in the Steel Corset includes a 100-ish page novella called The Strange Case of Finley Jayne. It's a prequel to the story, and it's really good. In the novella, Finley is strong, controlled, caring, and interesting. In the book, Finley is cautious, timid, silly, and frightened. Such opposites! WHY. If Finley's character had carried over from the novella, this would have been excellent.
As far as the story goes, it's interesting. The science built into the steampunk world is interesting and the ragamuffin group of misfits is interesting. I wish the characters were better explored and had a little more depth to them. They're all interesting, but we really focus on surface traits like anger and jealousy and (ugh) the two love triangles.
Overall, I can see why I wasn't particularly keen on this book after my first read. A lot of my opinions still stand - the dialect is a bit awkward, the female characters are very demure and self-effacing, and it just sort of drags on.
However, I do know that Kady Cross can do better with these characters. Because of The Strange Case of Finley Jayne, you can see all the potential. So I'm going to keep The Girl in the Clockwork Collar on my TBR and have hope.
lizarodz
Written on Aug 31, 2011
The characters were all so well developed and I really enjoyed the third person narrative because it allows me to get insight in all the characters and not just a few. You really get to understand them, care for them, and even love them. Finley was a kick-ass heroine, and I absolutely fell in love with Griffin. Sam, Emily, Jasper and even Mr. Dandy are flawed, incredible, amazing, smart, and bound by love and friendship.
The plot of The Girl in the Steel Corset was a little predictable, but enjoyable all the same. Two things that I really liked: We know almost everyone’s ‘secrets’ and abilities right away (no mystery and guessing), and it didn’t have an excess of narrative. By that I mean that sometimes, especially when a novel introduces a ‘new world’, so to speak, there are pages and pages and pages of description to ‘set up the scene’. The novel didn’t do this and I didn’t miss it either. Ms. Cross’ writing is flawless with a nice rhythm and pace.
The Strange Case of Finley Jayne is a prequel available in e-book (just got it for my Kindle for free!) I am looking forward to the sequel, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar that will be published sometime next year.
About the cover: The cover is so pretty, I don’t think is very representative of Finley or the story but it’s beautiful all the same.
Amanda
Written on Aug 9, 2011
I liked The Girl in the Steel Corset and read it in two days, so it held my interest easily. But I also figured out what was going on and who was behind it long before the characters did. For me to be able to guess so easily and be right means that a) I wasn’t engaged enough in the book to be swept up so much that I forgot about making a guess and b) it was predictable. However, the plot did not hinge solely on this aspect, and luckily there were other aspects that kept me reading.
I am not sure whether I simply don’t have enough experience with the steampunk genre or if it was not explained well enough, but there were times that I was confused by the world, like I was missing out on information that I should have already had. I also felt like the characters were under-developed. And both girls had their own little love triangle? Yeah, no thanks. I hate love triangles, though I will admit that Finley’s attraction to Jack and Griffin was a nice reflection of her two sides and actually made the most sense. The ending gives a pretty good indication of what the next book might have in store, but I can’t say that I have a burning desire to know. Would I read it if the book is placed in front of me? Heck yes. Would I go out and buy it? Probably not.
notajammiedodger
Written on Aug 1, 2011
The characters throughout the story were very strong, I like strong and complicated characters, it makes them more interesting and relatable. I enjoyed reading from everyone perspective and that the story wasn't just about Finley and Griffin, it was also about Sam and Emily and Jasper and Jack.
Finley is a very strong female lead, something I also enjoy very much. She is strong and independent and always sticks up for herself.
This book is sort of like X-men meets Batman meets Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde set in the 1800's. X-men because of the powers, Batman because Griffin is out for revenge on the people who killed his parents and trying to rid the world of evil, and Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde because of the very interesting Finley Jayne. So if that sounds like your cup of tea then you should definitely go and pick it up :)
This review is also on my blog The Confessions of a Book Nerd :)
rakesandrogues
Written on Apr 18, 2011
- Vibrant characters; I love the secondary characters more than Finley and Griffin!
- No passionate romance in this one, but there are two love triangles!
- Fantastic world-building
First of all, can you say cover love?! I absolutely love the cover for THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET. It truly captures the feel of the book: great outfits, a kick-ass main character, and of course the steel corset.
In THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET, the Machinist, an – of course – evil villain, has been committing random crimes throughout London. Main character Finley and gang are trying to uncover the mastermind while juggling control over their supernatural powers. Finley is struggling with her alter ego: a violent girl with brute strength. Cross describes this book as a mix between The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and X-Men. A mix of steampunk with a blend of superpowers, you get THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET.
The plot was intriguing, but did not really captivate me while I read. To be honest, I did see where the plot was going and I guessed who the bad guy was way before the Finley and friends did. While this gets me bothered sometimes, I didn’t mind at all when I read STEEL CORSET because getting to the end was just so fun. Despite its predictability, Cross had me hooked with her fantastic characters and beautiful world-building.
STEEL CORSET is just so full of vibrant characters. While Finley has some charm to her, I have to admit that I absolutely love the secondary characters more than Finley and love interest, Griffin. Emily and Sam top my list of favorites. I love that Emily is the mastermind behind all the operations. She is the one who deals with the machines and comes up with the inventions. I love reading about such an intelligent and compassionate girl. She is so well-respected by the other characters because of her brains. On the other hand, I was immediately drawn to Sam when I heard about his predicament. I guess I’m just a sucker for tortured souls. I find myself constantly cheering for him, despite the fact that he’s full of self-hate.
The romance in the STEEL CORSET is unfortunately very subtle. It’s there, but it’s not the main focus. Well, there is an evil Machinist roaming through the streets of London so I guess it’s alright. If you’re looking for some passionate confessions of love, move on and come back to STEEL CORSET when you’re more in the mood for butt-kicking action. Despite the fact that romance takes the backseat in this novel, there are two love triangles going on! The first is between Finely, Griffin, and the notorious Jack Dandy, and the other is between Emily, Sam, and Jasper. While the book ends with the girl choosing one guy over the other, I’m curious to see how the character dynamics play out in the later novels.
Kady Cross is now one of my favorite world-builders because her version of Victorian England is just fantastic. I’ve read a handful of steampunks and I have to say that Cross’s version is just so much fun to read. She really takes the time to explain these gadgets and the science behind them. Not too much that they are boring, but enough that I get an understanding of how they work. The Organites, or the “wee beasties”, that play such a crucial role in this world are just fascinating.
Overall, THE GIRL IN THE STEEL CORSET is a fantastic YA debut from author Kady Cross. I am so looking forward to the next books in the series! If you are a fan of steampunk, definitely pick this one up. I look forward to reading more of Cross’s work, and I may even check out the adult novels she’s written.