Captain Grimm has commanded his own private vessel, the Predator, since leaving the Fleet under questionable circumstances. Unfortunately, a recent battle has left the Predator stranded in Spire Albion in need of repairs he can't possibly afford. Meanwhile, also on Spire Albion, Bridget Tagwynn, Gwen Lancaster, and Benedict Sorellin-Lancaster are involved in training where they think the worst thing they'll have to deal with are the endless runs and the protocols and rules between the various Houses. An enemy is coming... will they be ready?

THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS is the first book in The Cinder Spires series and wow, what an amazing introduction to the world and the characters! Not only are the main characters fun, but secondary characters such as Folly, Efferus Effrenus Ferus, and even Mister Journeyman are quite memorable. Folly is my favorite human character with her penchant for talking only to her beloved crystals but I must admit that it is the cat Rowl who completely won me over. I love Rowl's complete disdain for humans other than his beloved Bridget (affectionately known as "Littlemouse"). Rowl's heroics are just sheer fun to read and I look forward to seeing more of him as the series progresses.

And oh, speaking of cats, I would be remiss if I didn't rave about all of the brilliant cat scenes in THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS! It was all I could do not to skip the scenes with humans just to see what these feisty cats would do next. I love how Jim Butcher shows us a world within a world as we see an entire structured society of cats hidden from human eyes.

Jim Butcher has long been a favorite author of mine as I absolutely adore his Dresden Files series. While I haven't really delved into his fantasy series, I couldn't resist the allure of a steampunk series. And boy, am I ever glad I gave THE AERONAUT'S WINDLASS a shot as Jim Butcher sets a new standard for steampunk. Jim Butcher has me hooked as I can't wait to see what will happen next!