OF SILK AND STEAM by Bec McMaster is London
Steampunk book
number five, a marvelous piece. Enjoyment of this book
will
be enhanced by knowledge of the prior books, although I
think this book could be read as a standalone. We see all
the characters from the prior books, the members of the
Echelon as well as the rebels in the rookeries, all of
whom
have a part to play in this final stand against the
corrupt
powers in the Ivory Tower.
Lady Aramina is the only blue blood female in the Empire
infected with the craving virus, a virus that makes her
faster, stronger, and near-indestructible along with a
craving for blood, but will eventually turn her into a
ravening vampire. Mina killed her brother to become the
sole heir of the duchy of Casavian. When her father the
Duke was assassinated, Mina swore to revenge herself
against the Duke of Caine for her father's death. While
my baldly stated facts make Mina sound cruel and cold, in
reality she is vibrant and fascinating, although she must
bury her true self deeply to survive.
I love Leo, who is bold and determined. Leo Barrons is
the
Duke of Caine's heir, until he is revealed as
illegitimate. Leo is Mina's nemesis, a rival she has
sworn
vengeance against even though she is tempted by him as a
man. When Mina discovers Leo's bastardy, she gains
leverage over him that he prays she will not use. Leo is
condemned to death for deceiving the evil prince consort
and the Council of Dukes, but he escapes by holding Mina
as
a hostage. Mina and Leo struggle back and forth for
freedom and ascendancy, and the reader's knowledge about
which side Min and Leo are on while they don't adds a huge
dollop of excitement and suspense to the already volcanic
plot.
The action is fairly constant throughout the whole of the
book, with secrets and political infighting making the
civil war tale that much more fantastically convoluted. I
had an incredibly hard time putting this book down to work
and sleep, because I was so caught up in the adventure and
mystery. The romance is utterly sigh-worthy, with sparks
flying between Mina and Leo from chapter one.
McMaster has called OF SILK AND STEAM the end of the first
arc of London Steampunk, and I eagerly await what
arc two
will be- I merely know I will have to get my hands on it
the minute it is released, as McMaster creates a world I
don't want to leave.
ENEMIES. ALLIES. LOVERS.
When her beloved father was assassinated, Lady Aramina
swore
revenge. The man responsible is well beyond her grasp, but
his dangerously seductive heir, Leo Barrons, is fair game.
When Mina obtains evidence proving that Leo is
illegitimate,
she has the means to destroy both the killer and his son,
a
man who troubles her heart and tempts her body.
A woman of mystery, Mina's long driven Leo crazy with
glimpses of a fiery passion that lurks beneath her icy
veneer. He knows she's hiding something, and he's
determined
to unravel her layer by silken layer. He just doesn't
expect
the beautiful liar to be the key to overthrowing the
corrupt
prince consort...or to saving his own carefully walled-off
heart.
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