corsets & clockwork review (part two)

There are people who can’t stand an anthology. I think a lot of them read my blog. And you know what? I get it. For a long time, I hated the short story form. It was too brief, too unfinished, too…shallow. But now that I have the attention span of a gnat, I really appreciate short stories. I don’t have to stay up until 4am to finish the book. It’s there and then it’s not. Similar to how I can now eat mushrooms without gagging. Weird! It’s almost like I’m grown up or something (shhh…if we don’t tell anyone, it never happened).

In yesterday’s post I did mini-reviews of the first six stories in Corsets & Clockwork. Today I present you with the final seven. And also encourage you to check out steampink. And my steampunk giveaway!

“The Airship Gemini” by Jaclyn Dolamore

Take Siamese twins, put them on an airship over the Atlantic, and stir in a shapeshifter hoping to separate them. Result: a quirky tale just on the wrong side of believable. Part of the trouble undoubtedly lay in the length of the story (too short), but the combination of fantastical elements didn’t help either. Not without merit, but not essential.

“Under Amber Skies” by Maria V. Snyder

Snyder crafted a story of a technologically advanced Poland on the verge of World War II. While an engaging premise and mystery drive the plot, the dialogue felt forced and at times the heroine succumbed to TSTL syndrome (that’s Too Stupid To Live for you newbies out there). Partially redeemed by its twisty nature.

“The King of Greenlight City” by Tessa Gratton

A charming and surprising story that grabbed my attention and didn’t let go. It reminded me that magic is dangerous AND wondrous (which is the best sort of realization). Definitely an example of the kind of tale that takes you somewhere you didn’t expect to go, and teaches you something new about the world.

“The Emperor’s Man” by Tiffany Trent

A lovely little romance, this one. The author wove a dream-like fairy story, with just a touch of darkness for good measure and realism. Very light on steampunk, but entertaining regardless.

“Chickie Hill’s Badass Ride” by Dia Reeves

Oh. Dear. Me. Dia Reeves’ contribution took strange and turned it sideways. Not steampunk, but all sorts of weird and remarkable. I’m not sure I liked it or understood it completely, but it certainly made me sit up and notice. Bonus Factor: minorities in YA fiction!

“The Vast Machinery of Dreams” by Caitlin Kittredge

Bizarre, science-fictiony, and ultimately opaque. Written as a series of explanations of reality, this tale wasn’t straight-forward (sometimes a plus), but it also left one with a sense that they never truly knew any of the characters. If you’re here for enigmatic mysteries, this one’s for you.

“Tick, Tick, Boom” by Kiersten White

Girls dressing as boys in Victorian London? It’s becoming a cliché in steampunk circles. Thankfully White’s creation is something more than cliché. Although the romantic portion of the story feels a bit contrived, the feisty heroine is a genuine article and she (and her inventions) manage to pull off fun rather than boring. Good stuff.

As you can tell from today’s entry and part one, this collection had its moments. It was uneven, but when it was brilliant it was quite good. Frewin Jones and Tessa Gratton get A+ marks. I’m happy to report that steampunk has ARRIVED, and that I found several new-to-me authors through this short story excursion. Well worth my time, and yours, loves.

Recommended for: fans of YA paranormal romance, especially of the Clockwork Angel variety, steampunk devotees and neophytes, fans of light sci-fi, and anyone with a taste for historical fiction.

I received a finished copy of Corsets & Clockwork for review from Running Press.

corsets & clockwork review (part one)

How can you tell that a genre has ‘arrived?’ Specifically, how do you know that steampunk has arrived? I got a clue when I heard that a young adult steampunk anthology was on its way, and that several bestselling authors contributed stories to it. Way to go, steampunk! You’re all grown up and fabulous.

The anthology I’m talking about is Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances, edited by Trisha Telep and published by Running Press in April of this year. I’ll be breaking up my review into two parts over two days for steampink (and because there were THIRTEEN stories, and my blog posts, while long, usually aren’t quite that long). Without further ado: Corsets & Clockwork!

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White.

“Rude Mechanicals” by Lesley Livingston

This first in the collection is a little tale with many references to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, much like Livingston’s other Bard-influenced fairy adventures. However, it suffers from too-flowery prose and too little charm. It is either saccharine sweet or I am a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic (or all of the above).

“The Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe” by Frewin Jones

A disturbing and darkling thing, this yarn…and yet full of allure and mischief as well. Contains both fairy tale and steampunk elements to good effect. Entertaining and elusive, just as a short story ought to be. Probably my favorite of the collection.

“Wild Magic” by Ann Aguirre

A classic forbidden romance between classes, which also pits magic against technology, and disenfranchised natives against privileged invaders, is the foundation of this entry. Predictable and sweet, it’s sure to please fans of YA paranormal romance.

“Deadwood” by Michael Scott

Old West, meet steampunk. This tale introduces two characters in an adventure too brief to do them justice. It feels a bit like the film Wild, Wild West, and skimps on personal development to describe a world that we might like better if we had more time in it.

“Code of Blood” by Dru Pagliassotti

A rousing adventurette set in Venice in the time of Napoleon, this story mixes steampunk with alchemical and magical elements. The third person narrative is a bit clunky, but the main characters are feisty and the result is fairly pleasing.

“The Clockwork Corset” by Adrienne Kress

A funny little story, in more than one sense. It’s slightly comical, and also a bit strange. Not sure what to think, but I do know that the privileged girl falling for lower class boy trope is getting a solid workout in this anthology!

Takeaways from this adventure in review writing: 1) READ “The Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe” if you don’t read anything else in this anthology. Totally awesome. 2) If you haven’t already, enter for a chance to win this book! 3) Check out steampink, and come back tomorrow for my mini-reviews of the rest of Corsets & Clockwork!

I received Corsets & Clockwork for review from Running Press. I have not been compensated, except that I got to read a fun story collection. Hurrah!

steampink and giveaway winners

Twice I have had the opportunity to participate in steampink, an event hosted annually by Velvet at vvb32reads. We’re coming up on the third anniversary, and steampink is still going strong. What’s steampink? It’s steampunk with a feminine twist – steampunk books, activities, and all sorts of other goodness featuring a female protagonist or theme. Thus the PINK instead of punk.

This year steampink will run from June 1-4, and I’ll be participating with a book review or two (and a giveaway). If you’d like to get in on the themed fun, head over to V’s blog and sign up! If you’re not sure about the whole steampunk thing, you can still stay tuned for a chance to win a book.

In the meantime, congratulations are in order for:

Bee of Dreamcatcher’s Lair

and Orchid of The Haunting of Orchid Forsythia

These two lovelies have each won a copy of Corsets & Clockwork in my blog giveaway! Happy reading!

corsets & clockwork giveaway

I kind of have a thing for steampunk. It’s a little on-off, but it’s been in the background (and sometimes the forefront) of my reading life for almost two years now. And I DEFINITELY have a long-standing relationship with young adult literature. When you mix the two genres, there’s a lot of…chemistry. [side note: i just made my reading lineup sound like my love life. wrong?]

I first heard about a new collection of YA steampunk short stories from Kiersten White’s blog. White, of course, is the awesome author of Paranormalcy. I knew right away that this anthology had my name written all over it, and the publisher (Running Press Books) has been kind enough to offer me a chance to give away a copy of Corsets & Clockwork to one of my US-based readers. I am going to chip in with an additional copy for my international friends. To recap: awesome story collection, two winners, anyone can enter!

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements. Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing steampunk genre!

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White.

To enter:

Fill out the FORM. Giveaway is open internationally, and will end on May 1 at 11:59pm EST. I will notify the winners via email.

Good luck!