Das Mädchen mit dem Stahlkorsett

When I started this, I kept thinking, “this is the steampunk version of Twilight.” A good, fun read, but nothing to get too excited about. But as I read on, I started thinking that less and less. Maybe because it was getting better, maybe because I just got into the story fully. Doesn't matter.

Midly predictable plot, but entertainingly told. The characters are engaging and frustrating (in a way that serves to underline how much you like them). The steam-tech is fun and well thought out. The whole super-power thing? Very well executed. Super Powers and Steampunk? That's some peanut butter you can get in my chocolate, anytime.

Fun, fun, read–with a good jump start to the sequel.

There are not a lot of steampunk titles for YA, so I was super glad to hear of this new series. Finley Jayne has a monster inside of here and the strength to throw a man through a wall. In Victorian England, a rag-tag band of “extraordinary” teens join forces to fight The Machinist-a mad man bent on creating horrors of the cyberman-kind.
Overall, this was a really great adventure story! I think the writing was good, but I never got fully sucked into the story. There is not one, but two love triangles. What I really enjoyed was the technology mixed with the real aspects of the time. Some of the inventions were Jules Verne-worthy, and the details were fun. Jack Dandy, for example, is a real figure and not just a style of dress.
Picture Jekyll and Hyde mixed with Hellboy and you have the picture. So far, my favorite characters are Emily and Jack Dandy.
I think it belongs on the shelf of any steampunk enthusiast, and I cannot wait for the next book in which it appears we will be heading to New York.