CI was at BookCon in NYC at the beginning of the month, and I happened across author Dana Fraedrich’s booth. Noted as being similar to “Pride and Prejudice,” but with a steampunk twist, I was immediately intrigued. Upon reading the first few pages, I was drawn into the Broken Gears world, and proceeded to return the next day, in order to buy the rest of the titles that she was selling.
Set in the Broken Gears world, Lenore has fallen upon hard times. Having lost both her parents to the law, she is forced to live as a thief on the streets. In a town where law and punishment is held to the strictest degree by the police (Enforcers), getting caught means almost guaranteed death. However, one unlucky, but lucky, day, Lenore is caught by the Allen family. Rather than turning her in, they make a deal: Live with them, and start anew. At first overjoyed with the opportunity to restart her life, Lenore begins to find he familial past catching up with her, and a mysterious figure with an unquestioned bond to her is seeking her out.
I absolutely loved this book. The steampunk aspect of the book is well-balanced with the plot and the characters; not overpowering the rest of the story. In addition, I liked how the world is created in the book. Not all the rules are introduced at once. Rather, aspects of this world that differ from our reality are introduced when they happen to Lenore herself. As such, this world’s workings is not fully outlined until about a third of the way in. For me, this writing style kept me intrigued to read more, and propelled me throughout the story. Lastly, I was very pleased with the way that the character development was created. For all the characters in the story, there is growth, as well as a trajectory of their mindset and emotions. While the story takes place mostly from Lenore’s perspective, to ensure that the reader understands the other characters, Fraedrich switches perspectives to all the other main/secondary characters. In doing so, she allows us to empathize with all the characters, including the ones that are not so nice.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes adventure and romance, wrapped in a layer of steampunk. There is a sequel, called “Into the Fire” that I am excited to start soon!
Dana Fraedich can be found here, on Tumblr, @danafraedrich I definitely suggest checking out her site, and other books!
