I really liked this book; great plot, interesting and flawed main character. It lost part of a star for some spelling issues that should be have caught by a good editor (it's a "vial" of laudanum, not "vile", for example, though laudanum and opium really is a vile habit) that really pulled me out of the book several times.

Still, a great tale. I'll be continuing on to the second book.

The story starts out with Lily Stargazer, female racing airship captain, being accosted after a race by a harlequin who gives her a mysterious kaleidoscope before jumping to his death. She follows the trail and discovers a hidden cult and dangerous antiquity hunters who would kill for the long-lost treasure she's after.

I loved the plot. It was fast-moving and was just about the right pacing. There was the mysteries of the kaleidoscope to intrigue, and once that is resolved, the mystery of Lily's past that is slowly revealed through the book. I will admit that I found the romance a bit tacked on, and the love triangle between Lily, Sal, and Lord Byron (yes, that Lord Byron) less interesting than I think the author intended. I did appreciate that Lily was allowed to cuss, have sex, do drugs, and drink like a fish. She wasn't perfect and was actually pretty damn broken on the inside, and hid that brokenness through opium and alcohol. I like that she was a flawed character but that at the end, she realized her flaws and worked to overcome them. ( )

A beautifully written story set in Karsak's steampunk fairytale universe - fast paced and action packed. I love how the character develops though I'm surprised she hasn't managed to catch some funky disease yet. ( )

The mystery and archeological search where fun, but I could have done without the multiple affairs. ( )

This book surprised me.
It begins with a suicide, opium addiction, absinthe, sex involving pain and drawing blood, a hangover complete with vomiting and yet another lover all in the first 3 chapters.
But if you can get past all that dark set-up the rest of the book gets better and better!
An unusual mix of steam punk, historical romance and mythology, this novel captured my attention and I read it all in one sitting. The romance part of the ending was a little rushed but all in all the book was satisfying and worth reading. I enjoyed it very much and though I didn't expect to like it so well as I did, I admit to being pleasantly surprised. Loved how the backstory explains so much of what is happening in the present and how the stories and characters all intertwined to come together into a fun read. ( )

Hah! Lily is such a mess, my dear reader! She drinks too much absinthe, smokes way too much opium and doesn't know what to do with her love life. At the same time she is refreshing as hell, and I can't help but have a weakness for flawed heroines like her (Cherry from Karina Cooper's steampunk series comes to mind, and I'm not even mentioning Chess from Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane).

Her love life is also spicy. She's got freaking Lord Byron himself as her friend and caring lover (slightly rough BDSM relationship) and an older Italian tinkerer Sal who genuinely loves her and ends up going on adventure with our heroine in this book. I personally rooted for Byron, but it was a tough competition, peeps.

Lily is an airship captain, a very talented and reckless one, full of adventurous spirit and favoured by the skies. When she comes second in a London race, a clown from cheering crowd shoves a strange kaleidoscope in her hands, urges her to go to Venice, and then plunges to his death.

Intrigued, spooked and mostly inebriated, Lily shares the tale with Lord Byron, who suggests to her to go to Venice and supplies her with funds to do so. Lily's instincts are not wrong though because once in Venice, she finds out about her family ties to a mysterious ancient cult and is charged with a mission to save their relic from greedy hands of English collectors who will try their damnedest to find and destroy our heroine in the meantime.

Expect spirited adventure, gadgetry and lots of trouble. Innovative and enjoyable read, and very much recommended to all lovers of steampunk fantasy.

( )