Series Review: Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio

Girl Genius
story by Phil and Kaja Foglio, drawings by Phil Foglio, colors by Cheyenne Wright

Genre: Steampunk / Science Fiction / Alternative / WebComic / Graphic Novel / Young Adult

Ages: 13 and up

Description:

The Industrial Revolution has become all-out war! Mad Scientists, gifted with the Spark of genius, unleash insane inventions on an unprepared Europe. For centuries, the Heterodyne family of inventors kept the peace, but the last Heterodyne disappeared twenty years ago, leaving their ally Baron Klaus Wulfenbach to maintain order with his fleet of airships and army of unstoppable, if not very bright, Jaeger Monsters.

At Transylvania Polygnostic University, Agatha Clay dreams of being a scientist herself, but her trouble concentrating dooms her to be a lowly minion at best. When her locket, a family heirloom, is stolen, Agatha shows signs of having the Spark in a spectacular, destructive fashion and captures the attention of the Baron—and the Baron’s handsome young son, Gilgamesh.

Swept up to the Baron's Airship City, Agatha finds herself in the midst of the greatest minds of her generation, as well as palace intrigue, dashing heroes, and an imperial cat. Agatha may be the most brilliant mind of her generation and the key to control of the continent, but first, she just has to survive.

My Thoughts:

This is so freaking awesome! This series was recommended to me many times, first by my brother and then by multiple online friends, so I finally gave it a shot. I'm not usually big on comics or graphic novels, but I went through this whole series in four days. Ten years worth of mad scientists, zany monsters, romantic hilarity and more squished into ninety-six hours with at least fifteen cups of coffee...It's a wonder my brain didn't start leaking out of my ears...oh, wait, what is that grey stuff on my shirt?...Sorry, I shall endeavor to be serious. It is difficult, since I only finished the last page a couple of hours ago and I'm still drinking too much coffee.

Okay...(a few hours later with time to calm down)...now I can get to the serious review. A-ha! They posted a new page! Sorry, I must go for a minute...Ok, I'm back. This is turning into the most peculiar review. Anyway, so, first of all, I love the characters. I had to have fallen in love with the Jagers first, then everyone else nearly as quickly. I love the bantering interplay between them all, particularly when Gil and Tarvek meet...oh, yeah, that was way too much fun. Agatha is brilliant, first as she comes to terms with her sudden lifestyle changes and then as she starts to truly enjoy herself. She comes to enjoy herself just a little too much at times...

I love the bizarre tangents the story runs off in so frequently, I love the sheer quirkiness of any given page, I love the explosions, the gadgets, the Big Awesome Plant...what isn't to like? Plus there's the fact that you can read the ENTIRE thing online without taking any breaks, staying up to ridiculous hours until your eyeballs start to dry up like raisins and drinking coffee until you twitch at any sudden noise!

The art is lovely, full of fascinating details if you look at it closely enough. I enjoy reading the signs and labels scattered around. The outfits are so lavishly odd that sometimes you just have to sit there blinking at them for a bit. Most impressive. Not to mention the hats.

I would recommend this to lovers of steampunk, silliness, graphic novels or just plain fun. It was enervating, it was unnerving, and it was completely marvelous. Go here for the first page. You won't be able to stop.

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).

Profanity:
I would rate it a 3.10 for mostly mild swearing.

Sexuality:
I would give it a 3.10 for quite a bit of innuendo that was for the most part harmless.

Violence:
I rate it a 6.10 for quite a bit of cartoon violence, most of which is shown with bright red blood.

                           Lieder Madchen

Book Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
by Kady Cross

Genre: Steampunk / Young Adult / Adventure / Alternative History

Ages: 13 and up

Book 2 of the Steampunk Chronicles, sequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset.

I received an advance e-copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Description:

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

My Thoughts:

I just love steampunk. I can't get enough of the genre, and Kady Cross is a master of the gadgetry and the atmosphere that makes it so wonderful. I loved The Girl in the Steel Corset (I've read it three times), so I was ridiculously excited to get this one and it did not in any way whatsoever disappoint. 


All of the characters from the first book were as wonderful as ever, and it was so much fun to see more of Jasper. Finley gets to let her wild side out, Griffin gets to work a little bit of romance on her... ;) You also get to meet some marvelous new characters from Jasper's past. The lovely, endangered Mei who carries a bad attitude and many secrets.Wildcat, whose heart was broken by Jasper (I really, really want to see more of her). Then you've got Whip Kirby, the lawman who may not be entirely what he seems.


The story was fantastic, full of blackmail and intrigue and, of course, it wouldn't be steampunk without a hefty dose of peculiar gadgets. These books make me happy. :)

Rating System: Profanity, Sexuality and Violence 
1 (mild) through 10 (extreme).
 
Profanity:
I rate it a 4.10 for mid-level language.

Sexuality:
I give it a 2.10 for hints and references to prostitution.

Violence:
I rate it a 4.10 for several fights, none disturbingly graphic.


                         Lieder Madchen

Switching from Port to Starboad - A Guest Post from Claudia Gray

Hi! Today it is my great pleasure to have Claudia Gray visiting as part of a blog hop for her wonderful historical paranormal romance Fateful (Quite the mouthful of genres). She has an entertaining and informative post to share. :)

Switching from Port to Starboard - From Vampires to Werewolves

by Claudia Gray

When I first thought of writing something on the Titanic, I was still finishing up AFTERLIFE, and beginning to plot BALTHAZAR. So my natural first idea was, I’ll put a vampire on the Titanic!

Only later did I realize this was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea.

First of all – in the EVERNIGHT world, as in many traditional legends, vampires find it extremely tough to cross running water. They can do it, but it’s difficult, and it hurts them, and if they’re above (or in) water for too long, they become completely incapacitated.

The Atlantic Ocean = running water.

Would it have been possible for a vampire to board the Titanic? Well, sure. Back in those days, if you were going to travel from Europe to North America, you weren’t going to be able to do it any other way. But EVERNIGHT vampires would feel sick as soon as they got on board. They’d immediately go to their cabins, lie down and pretty much pass out. Someone would ultimately wake them when they got to port, at which time they could stagger off the ship, take a few deep breaths, and feel all better (and probably quite well rested.)

Vampires napping = not a fascinating, drama-packed adventure.

Also, as we know, the Titanic would not peacefully make port. She sank in the North Atlantic. Would the vampires even wake up during the sinking? Maybe not!

Napping through the sinking of the Titanic = just sad, really.

Instead, the vampires would probably wind up coming too when they were no longer above running water, but actually on the ocean floor. They’d still feel rotten (running water all around), but they’d probably at least come to. And man, would they be ticked off. Their cabin is wrecked. Their luggage is ruined. There are tons of dead humans around, but their blood is too cold to drink. And they’re still hundreds of miles from where they want to be.

And then there would be the thrilling conclusion, in which a vampire in a bad mood trudges through the silt on the ocean floor and walks to New York City, there to clamber up on the pier and mope while soaking wet.

Yeah, I wasn’t going there.

But then I thought – werewolves.

You see, a werewolf would have a serious problem aboard the Titanic. Whether you are the kind of werewolf who is trying not to eat people, or the kind of werewolf who is trying not to get caught eating people, you have one big priority: Privacy. You need to be alone to change. You need to be contained while you’re all wolfy. And you need your secret to never, ever come out.

But on the Titanic, privacy would be hard to come by. Those cabins were all right next to one another – and even in the finest accommodations, like the promenade suites taken by John Jacob Astor (in reality) and the Marlowes (in FATEFUL), neighbors would probably be able to hear. Yet, once again – it was the fastest way to make that trip, if it had to be made.

So now I not only had a great supernatural creature to work with, but I had plenty of suspense to sustain the story. And fun questions to answer as I looked at ship blueprints, like, “If I were a werewolf, what rooms on the Titanic would I try to lock myself into?”

Yes, it was time for the switch, and I never looked back!

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Here are all of the Fateful Blog Hop Tour Guest Posts!

The Book Heist: Sinking Into Titanic Research 

Hippies, Beauty and Books Oh My!: Tip of the Iceberg: Climax Themes and Challenges 

Songs and Stories: Switching from Port to Starboard – From Vampires to Werewolves 

Live to Read: On Board with Tess Davies 

The Book Cellar: On Board with Alec Marlowe 

Bellas Novella: On Board with Secondary Characters 

Mundie Mom's Book Reviews: More on the Unexplained: Why Claudia Gray Always Loved the Titanic

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Fateful

A novel by Claudia Gray

Eighteen-year-old maid Tess Davies is determined to escape the wealthy, troubled family she serves. It’s 1912, and Tess has been trapped in the employ of the Lisles for years, amid painful memories and twisted secrets. But now the Lisle family is headed to America, with Tess in tow. Once the ship they’re sailing on—the RMS Titanic—reaches its destination, Tess plans to strike out and create a new life for herself.

Her single-minded focus shatters when she meets Alec, a handsome first-class passenger who captivates her instantly. But Alec has secrets of his own. He’s in a hurry to leave Europe, and whispers aboard the ship say it’s because of the tragic end of his last affair with the French actress who died so gruesomely and so mysteriously. . . .

Soon Tess will learn just how dark Alec’s past truly is. The danger they face is no ordinary enemy: werewolves exist and are stalking him—and now her, too. Her growing love for Alec will put Tess in mortal peril, and fate will do the same before their journey on the Titanic is over.

In Fateful, New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray delivers paranormal adventure, dark suspense, and alluring romance set against the opulent backdrop of the Titanic’s first—and last—voyage.

AUTHOR INFO 

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If you would like to read my review of Fateful, go here.