Nikki McCormack

Set in Victorian London, with steampunk overlay. This is a young adult book with mystery, action and a tiny bit of romance.

Maeko is a street rat, has been for years, and makes her living as a pickpocket. Chaff is another street rat and Maeko's mentor.

While nearly getting caught in an heist gone bad, Maeko meets up with Mackac - a cat with a mechanical leg. Through Mackac she meets his owner and finds that he is in danger from his business partner. She also meets Ash, the son of muscians, one who may be a murderer. On top of this there is a conspiracy in the city that may tie the two problems together.

While Maeko is trying to solve the mysteries, she is also presented with two people who seem to have a great interest in her...Chaff and Ash. More complications!

The action keeps moving along with the searching for a solution.

It took me a while to get through this as it was on my Kindle and not a regular book. I seem to reach for a printed book quicker than my Kindle!… (meer)

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review. However, all opinions are entirely my own.

I loved this book by Nikki McCormack. Unfortunately, I wasn't drawn in when I first started reading the book. At the start, the book was a bit slow. For the first sixty or so pages, I found my self-falling in and out of the book. I would put it down and I had to make a very conscious decision to pick it back up, and I am so freaking glad that I did. Once, I started to actually become engaged in the book, I found that I couldn't put it down. It was a state of constant "Just one more chapter". I felt as if I was right there with Indigo, and I felt every moment of heartbreak, pain, and happiness that she felt. I actually read about 200 pages in a night. I especially loved how the author switched character point of views, which allowed us to see a deeper side of each character that we wouldn't have seen prior. However, it did take away from the shock factor. The switching between point of views allowed us to see things that would have most definitely been a great surprise. Personally, I would rather be surprised by betrayal than to already know it's going to happen. That helps to create an emotion inside the reader and it allows us to connect more with the story because we feel as if we've been betrayed too.

From the jump, Indigo was a strong character. She may not have been as strong when it came to her soon to be husband Jace, but she was strong in so many other ways. Honestly, I don't even think it was Jace that caused her not to be as strong but the society that she lived in. She knew that if she left him the backlash she would face would be devastating and to her, it just wasn't worth it I assume. Indigo honestly has a heart of gold that is sometimes tempted by darkness. Throughout the story, you get to see Indigo develop and become this powerful force to be reckoned with.

Honestly, I did not want this book to end. Yes, it may have had a bit of a rough start, but once you are sucked into Nikki McCormack's world you will never want to leave. Nikki McCormack leaves her readers begging for more by the end of her story. It is rare to find an author who isn't scared to put their characters in risky situations. I cannot wait to read the second book.

I'm giving this book four stars instead of five because of the way that the book missed that shocking factor that I mentioned above. I would have just personally not have wanted to know so many things before Indigo or other main characters. However, this book is more of a 4.5. I loved this book and it is something I would consider reading twice.… (meer)

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I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Clockworks? Check! Airships? Check! Orphans? Check! London? Check!

Diagnosis: Steampunk.

Maeko has been living as a street rat for years now. Her mother a Japanese prostitute and her father unknown, no one really cares about her except Chaff, the leader of a street pickpocketing and burgling gang. When Maeko meets a cat with a clockwork leg, she has no idea in what kind of conspiracy she finds herself...

I enjoyed this story, it was a nice and quick read. However, when I started to think about exactly why I enjoyed it, I couldn't really find things that stood out for me. So it was basically the setting in London I liked, and the story was probably just what I was looking for these last few day. Something not too complicated, but nice enough.

The story wasn't flawless. As I usually find in YA 'mysteries' the mystery was quite easy and it didn't took Maeko long to find new clues and everything. She's supposed to be very streetwise and almost seventeen, but when reading I'd guess she was around thirteen at most. And there's a *BRACE YOURSELF* love triangle! *sigh* There isn't too much romance it this book but why does it have to be a love triangle, again...

The setting was London, but a bit alternate. There's the Literati (upperclass and modern, from what I read in the book) and the Pirates (more like Luddite or just opposing the Literati). The problem is just that the story tells so little about this world that I don't really know what is going on. I understand that this is Maeko's story and she's neither Literati nor Pirate, but still, I'd like to see a bit more world building.

But still, I had some nice hours reading this book. And, if it happens not to be a standalone, then perhaps I'll find out more about the world in the next book...… (meer)