The Girl with the Windup Heart (Steampunk Chronicles #4)
In 1897 London, a final showdown is about to begin.
London’s underworld is no place for a young woman, even one who is strong, smart and part-automaton like Mila. But when master criminal Jack Dandy inadvertently breaks her heart, she takes off, determined to find an independent life, one entirely her own. Her search takes her to the spangled shadows of the West End’s most dazzling circus.
Meanwhile, taken captive in the Aether, Griffin King is trapped in an inescapable prison, and at the mercy of his archenemy, The Machinist. If he breaks under the hellish torment, The Machinist will claim his powers and control of the Aether itself, and no one in either world will be safe-especially not Finley Jayne and her misfit band of friends.
Finley plunges headlong into the Aether the only way she knows how, by temporarily dying. But she cannot parry The Machinist’s maneuvers for long. To defeat him for good, Griffin will have to confront his greatest fear and finally come face-to-face with the destructive power he wields.
~ Goodreads
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The Girl with the Windup Heart‘s wonderful world, and that of the Steampunk Chronicles was just as rich as I might have hoped. All the steampunk & paranormal elements were beautifully entwined and made for a captivating world I’d never want to stop exploring, from the Aether, to the fantastical beings living in London.
Characters: Finley, Griffin, Jack, Mila, Emily and Sam, even Jasper and Cat gained a special place in my heart. They’ve all evolved and grown as character throughout the series, and I thought they showed it very well in this last novel. Their love and loyalty, unwavering and taken close to the point of wholehearted self-sacrifice was touching, humbling and inspiring.
Since it’s the end of the series, I felt we got some special extra treats and got to know characters we haven’t yet, some that we hated from book #1 (Lord Felix *grrrr*) or that we thought about but never got to see (us or the novel’s characters either). I’m not spoiling it for you, but you’ll be in for some interesting surprises.
All the romance stories got their happy endings, and I was thrilled that Jack got his ’cause he deserved one. I’ll admit he was always my favorite of the bunch, all brooding and naughty and delightfully strong and kind of manipulative…or should I say, persuasive? 😀 Much love!
The Machinist was a worthy adversary, and I felt he played the role of the villain very well. The fact that at the end of the series he’s well and truly defeated feels right and is yet another example of those series ‘loose ends’ that get tied up in The Girl with the Windup Heart.
Favorite Character: Jack and Mila xD
Plot: The story was awesome, bringing beautiful closure to the series, to each of the stories that has some “pending” sort of status – which also means there was a lot of tension, emotions ran high and I was squirming and biting my nails pretty much all through. Loved it!
Writing: Third person, past tense narrative, from a few important POVs (Finley, Griffin, Jack, Mila). As always, loved Kady Cross’s writing.
Curb Appeal: Fab cover, hooking blurb, instant-buy author name – total impulsive buy material.
All in all, this was a great read and the well-done ending to a fabulous series, which I’ve enjoyed a great deal. If you’re into Young Adult stories with quirky and fun characters, proper action and awesome characters, dig in! I totally recommend the whole series, and have enjoyed it so very much!
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Will read this soon, make it one of my steampunk sundays. I may have to reread book 2 and read 3 & 4 back to back. Glad to see it’s a great ending, I hate it when a good series ends bad.
Braine Talk Supe recently posted…Loved It: Celestial Blues Trilogy by Vicki Pettersson
God, yes, totally hate it when it happens!! *flashes back to Sookie Stackhouse & cringes*
It does sound like a series I would like to try..maybe even get the library to get it
blodeuedd recently posted…Dead Man’s Hand Anthology
I couldn’t get into this series but I am happy the series worked out for you. The cover are great though.
Jennifer Bielman recently posted…Guest Post: Don’t Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein (Blog Tour & Giveaway)
Aww, bummer 🙁 Definitely awesome covers, agreed!
when different genres are perfectly mixed it’s just so good! I saw this one a few times and I keep hearing great things about it. At first I thought it was just a historical romance novel but I’m so mistaken. I really need to try it too, I’m sure I could love it.
Melliane recently posted…Compelled by Shawntelle Madison
Steampunk awesomeness, you should give it a try especially if you like YA 🙂
So excited to see the 5 butterfly rating. I loved the novella and first book but sadly have put this one on the back burner for whatever reason. I really want to read the rest of the series though because I know it will be fabulous.
kindlemom1 recently posted…Review: Don’t You Forget About Me by Kate Karyus Quinn
Hehe, definitely worth getting back into, IMO 🙂
Ack! How have I not seen these before? Must find the time to read them. It really sounds great! And oh man I love that cover!
anna@herding cats & burning soup recently posted…Honor Reclaimed (HORNET #2) by Tonya Burrows
Much cover lurve for sure 😀
I LOVED the first book in this series! It was one of the first steampunk novels where I didn’t get totally bogged down in the gadgetry and the plot took the forefront (and this book had the most fun outfits!). And then . . . nothing. I know, I have no excuse. Especially now that the series is finished. I’ll get one that.!!
Jessica @ Rabid Reads recently posted…Review: Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
Am I evil for enjoying the fact I FINALLY have the lead on a seires? Lol!! I have to play catch-up with so many that you’re up to date with, sigh.
Lovely only 4 books in the series – now I’ll have to jaunt out and snatch up the first one!
Tabitha (Not Yet Read) recently posted…That’s a Wrap! – May 2014