The Friday Society

This is quite a romp. Each chapter has quite a bit of action. It felt like a screenplay, with a ton going on visually, and very little character development. Serious steampunk fans will not enjoy it, because it misses its mark there. The setting, the idea of the weapons, and the clothing are correct but it is to steampunk as The Wild Wild West is to steampunk. That said, it is still a good adventure story if one does not mind the Gossip Girl feel of it. Some deeper, more interesting ideas are presented but not really explored, ie, when someone helps you in life, how much do you owe them in return? Cora, Nellie, and Michiko are all indebted to men who “saved” them in one way or another and now two of them are deeply devoted to their (owners?) patrons. Adding the Eastern element to the mix was genius and refreshing. Kress also adds a muddled Middle Eastern element in the mention of the magician. There are plot holes the size of Texas, (why is Raheem importing uranium?), secret lairs in the tunnels of the London underground, airships, and grave robbers. What's not to like? If you can get past the sheer girly-ness of the story (Nellie is a hard pill to swallow) and like the characters for what they are trying to do (save London) instead of what they are wearing (tons of glitter!) then it is a fun read. I would hand this to a teen or tween who likes any YA series with pastel covers and who wants to try something new.