The Girl in the Steel Corset

Harlequin Teen

The Girl in the Steel Corset
Kady Cross
2011

The Summary
"In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one...except the 'thing' inside her.

"When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back.  And wins.  But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full grown man with one punch.

"Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them.  The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets, against the wishes of his band of misfits.  And Finley thinks she might finally be a part of something, finally fit in--until a criminal mastermind known as the Machinist threatens to tear the group apart..."

The Good
I enjoyed The Girl in the Steel Corset.  It's not quite fully formed, like I could have wished for a little more depth, a little more detail in some of the descriptions and a little more of...something; however, it's a decent teen novel.  I liked it and, truthfully, I found it to be a fascinating little YA book, but I probably won't pursue any more of the series.

I will point out that I did like the concept of the Aether.  It adds a complex, supernatural undercurrent to the story, besides, of course, the obvious (i.e. Finley Jayne and her supernatural strength, reflexes, and speed; Griffin with his unnatural psychic abilities; Sam with his inhuman strength; Emily and her incredible intelligence; or Jasper, using an unrivaled speed and dexterity with a gun.  Take your pick.).

I also liked the unexpected science behind the era, the experiments and technology that seem to run wild with newer, more interesting inventions appearing each chapter--courtesy of the ingenious Emily, of course.  It's a fun series, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

The Bad
I found The Girl in the Steel Corset to be a little lacking.  I can't quite put my finger on it, but it was missing something that could have made it great.  It had an intriguing plot, especially with its references to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and other classic literature, and it created a fascinating world of Victorian culture and futuristic technology.

However, I didn't sink into the story as I would have liked and I wasn't enamored of the characters as I hoped.  I did like Emily and Jack Dandy managed to make me grin, and I thought the Machinist made a fascinating villain, but, overall, I wasn't enchanted with The Girl in the Steel Corset.

The Ugly
Ugh.  Love triangles.

Have I mentioned that I hate love triangles?  Apparently, any YA novel worth its salt will fabricate a complex (and entirely unnecessary) network of romantic relationships.  For Twilight, it was Edward and Jacob; for The Girl in the Steel Corset, it's Jack Dandy or Griffin King.

Seriously.  Just pick one already.