Tag Archives: steampunk

Review: Beauty and the Clockwork Beast

Posted on by

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast
by Nancy Campbell Allen
4 stars

When Lucy Pickett goes to stay at Blackwell Manor to care for her ill cousin Kate, she’s surprised to learn that her recently wed cousin may be cursed.  Women who marry into the Blackwell family tend to die mysterious deaths, including Kate’s brother-in-law’s late wife and sister.

Miles, the lord of the manor, is concerned for his new sister-in-law, but also has other issues to worry about.  Ghosts are haunting his guests, vampires have been reported nearby, and he has a dangerous secret of his own.  Not to mention his attraction to his most recent guest, Lucy.

Lucy and Miles work together to try to figure out what’s happening at Blackwell Manor and bring peace back to the family in this steampunk romance.  I haven’t read many steampunk titles before, and I really enjoyed this one.  There’s definitely a lot going on, which sounds a bit chaotic when describing the story, but Nancy Campbell Allen makes it all work together.  It doesn’t hurt that it’s a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales.

Read-alikes

Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine

The Water Witch by Juliet Dark

The Kiss of the Spindle by Nancy Campbell Allen

Review: The Kiss of the Spindle

Posted on by

The Kiss of the Spindle: A Steampunk Sleeping Beauty
by Nancy Campbell Allen
4 stars

In The Kiss of the Spindle Nancy Campbell Allen gives the reader a delightful Sleeping Beauty tale with a steampunk twist. Our heroine, Dr. Isla Cooper, has been cursed by a powerful witch so that she goes into a deep, nearly dead, sleep at the stroke of midnight each evening and cannot wake for six hours. The curse will end after a year…with her never waking up at all. As the year mark draws near, Isla’s on a quest to track down the witch, who is the only one who can reverse the curse, to a Caribbean island. To gain transportation from England, she blackmails shipping magnet Daniel Pickett to take her along on his airship (yes, this is steampunk!) to the island. Unbeknownst to her, Pickett is secretly transporting illegal shapeshifters who can be free in the Caribbean. And Nigel Crowe, a government official who wants to eradicate shapeshifters, forces himself along for the ride, too. Isla, who is an empath for shapeshifters, and Daniel join forces to protect the shapeshifters from Crowe. And Daniel pledges to help Isla on her quest for survival. Packed in between all that drama, a sweet romance (read: no explicit scenes) emerges between Isla and Daniel. I’m not a huge steampunk fan, but Nancy Campbell Allen’s world is wonderfully developed, and she has a knack for developing the relationships amongst her characters. A fun, quick read!

Read-alikes:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Beauty and the Clockwork Beast by Nancy Campbell Allen

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

 

 

 

Jules Verne & Steampunk

Posted on by

Join us for our next Teen After Hours Lock-In (Friday, March 24th at 5pm) as we explore the classic works of Jules Verne (including Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea) with games, crafts, and the power of your imagination.  There will be running, there will be laughing, there will be snacks, and general merriment had by all.  Registration and a signed permission are required and available in the teen room!

If you don’t know much about Jules Verne (I didn’t before planning this program), then you might not know that his works are considered to be among the earliest examples of steampunk. Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that has a historical setting, usually nineteenth century, and typically features steam-powered machinery. There are fun gadgets, fancy dresses, and always crazy adventures! A few famous steampunk movies you might know are Wild Wild West (starring Will Smith), Atlantis, and Hugo.

Here’s a list of my top ten favorite teen steampunk novels!

For more steampunk recommendations, check out the new display in the Teen Room!