Review: Hearts of Smoke and Steam

Superheroes and steampunk come together in 19th century New York. Sir Dennis Darby has been murdered, the Automaton has been destroyed, and Sarah Stanton has turned her back on a life of privilege and comfort to try and find her way in the unforgiving streets of New York. But Lord Eschaton, the villain behind all these events, isn't finished with her yet. His plans to bring his apocalyptic vision of the future to the world are moving forward, but to complete his scheme he needs the clockwork heart that Sarah still holds. But she has her own plans for the Automaton's clockwork heart-Sarah is trying to rebuild her mechanical friend, and when she is attacked by the Children of Eschaton, the man who comes to her rescue may be the one to make her dreams come true. Emelio Armando is a genius inventor who had hoped to leave his troubles behind when he and his sister left Italy for a life of anonymity in the New World. Now he finds himself falling in love with the fallen society girl, but he is rapidly discovering just how powerful the forces of villainy aligned against her are, and that fulfilling her desires means opening the door to a world of danger that could destroy everything he has built. The Society of Steam takes place in a Victorian New York powered by the discovery of Fortified Steam, a substance that allows ordinary men to wield extraordinary abilities and grants powers that can corrupt gentlemen of great moral strength. The secret behind this amazing substance is something that wicked brutes will gladly kill for, and one that Sarah must try and protect, no matter what the cost.

I loved the first in the series and when given the chance to read the next book, I could not pass up the offer. I am so glad I dove into this book; I was not able to put it down until I had turned the last page of the book. Well of course I had to eat and use the restroom but you know what I mean.

Plot: The book left off right where it ended in the first book and immediately we are put into a scene of action where we are introduced to the main character once again. This book was one that didn’t lack in the area of action and adventure but neither did it include too much of it either. It had the right blend of them plus a little bit more of other things.

Characters: Sarah is I think of mine favorite feminine characters that are in a book. I felt that even though some people don’t have much faith in her and I feel that the lack of faith is what motivates her to prove everyone wrong. I feel that she doesn’t go by what the society has in store for her and with that she proves that she is a headstrong young woman who is ready to face fears at every second. Besides her we are introduced to returning characters as well as some new characters that play a crucial role in the story and bring the action.

Romance: I felt that Sarah is starting to feel something for one of the characters that I hope goes somewhere and I will be keeping my eyes peeled for more scenes where they show that they obviously care for one another and sooner or later they will hopefully get together. So I guess we will just have to see.

Woman’s Role: I feel that this is an issue that I must discuss in this review that is brought up multiple times throughout the book. I feel that this is the perfect example of how women were treated in the past and how even today women are not given the respect that they deserve. A woman should have every opportunity that men are given and with that this shows Sarah’s character when she stand up and fights against the society norm of how women should act.

Overall this book was one that brought action and excitement on every page. I feel that this could be one of my favorite steam punk series of all time and I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for the next book in the series.

I give this book 4 bites!