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sirensaria's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book well enough, I guess. I just wasn't that impressed with it as a whole. There were parts of the book that were absolutely amazing, and some characters (*cough* Micajah Hawke *cough*) that were simply too good not to love, but the whole thing didn't really pop out to me. The worst part of the whole book, was the start and stop action. You'd get some action, and then it would slam on the breaks, and then the next parts would be filled with complete randomness, leaving me going, "What the hell just happened?!" I realize that Cherry St Croix, the main character, pretty much led two lives. That does NOT mean the plot has to be rather jerky in its flow.
I liked most of the characters. They were very real and believable. I honestly have to say, Fanny drove me NUTS, but that was her personality. Cherry St Croix was a very believable, real, actual character. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, she wasn't the smartest out of the bunch, she was just a rich girl who no one in society (save one weirdo Earl) really wants to associate with. And she has faults up to wazoo. I LOVE that she has faults, and that she really owns up to them. She's straight out with using opium and laudanum (which technically is partially opium). The only reason why she hides using it from her staff is because she doesn't want to worry them. AND, she doesn't take it for the reasons most people did, she took it to be able to sleep without nightmares. All in all, I love that Cherry is a very raw character that has more than her fair share of faults.
The whole premise of the book was very interesting. It had a bit of Mary Shelly-ness, if that's really what I should be calling it, with the bits of galvanism. I also love the rather AU-ish aspects, so that Karina isn't quite tied down with the "it's not scientifically possible" shebang. And yet even with the AU-ness, it's still very realistic, which amazed me. I have to give Karina credit, she really can write a book.
Like I said, I liked the book, but there were aspects that were lacking. Not sure if I will read the sequel or not yet, but I'm considering it. I guess I might read it for Micajah Hawke, who totally stole my heart.
I liked most of the characters. They were very real and believable. I honestly have to say, Fanny drove me NUTS, but that was her personality. Cherry St Croix was a very believable, real, actual character. She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, she wasn't the smartest out of the bunch, she was just a rich girl who no one in society (save one weirdo Earl) really wants to associate with. And she has faults up to wazoo. I LOVE that she has faults, and that she really owns up to them. She's straight out with using opium and laudanum (which technically is partially opium). The only reason why she hides using it from her staff is because she doesn't want to worry them. AND, she doesn't take it for the reasons most people did, she took it to be able to sleep without nightmares. All in all, I love that Cherry is a very raw character that has more than her fair share of faults.
The whole premise of the book was very interesting. It had a bit of Mary Shelly-ness, if that's really what I should be calling it, with the bits of galvanism. I also love the rather AU-ish aspects, so that Karina isn't quite tied down with the "it's not scientifically possible" shebang. And yet even with the AU-ness, it's still very realistic, which amazed me. I have to give Karina credit, she really can write a book.
Like I said, I liked the book, but there were aspects that were lacking. Not sure if I will read the sequel or not yet, but I'm considering it. I guess I might read it for Micajah Hawke, who totally stole my heart.
jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
An intriguing steampunk world, and a feisty heroine with real reasons for rebelling against the social restrictions of her day. Cherry is a bit on the whiny side, though, and rather ineffectual to be a great kick-ass heroine, at least in this first volume of the series. This book lays out a lot of potential love interests, as well as a central mystery about who is really the villain, which should keep readers coming back for more. Wish there weren't so many lose ends, and that Cherry didn't have to keep being rescued by men...
masquerader888's review against another edition
2.0
This review also posted at A Bookish Compulsion
I very much wanted to like this book, and in the end was saddened by disappointment. The entirety of this book seemed more of a set-up for future volumes than a story in and of itself. I also found the plot proposed by the cover blurb to be a bit misleading in regard to the personal goals of the protagonist. Instead of being motivated to gain funds for scientific experiments what we witness throughout the book is motivation spurned from an intense opium addiction; the money needed to buy more of this drug in its various forms. While I do not have a problem with this as a basis of motivation, and indeed it was even somewhat compelling thought this work, it was not the story I was lead to believe that I was going to read.
There were some strong elements to this book; the world itself I found truly fascinating. The idea of a steampunk world having air pollution is nothing new, but the concept of building up and having a London above the drift of smog, fog, and other unmentionables was intriguing, as was the societal split of above and below the drift. However, the sporadic integration of elements ranging from London fashion to scientific experiments to magic just didn’t gel for me.
Sadly, as I had to actually force myself to finish this book I can only give it two stars.
I very much wanted to like this book, and in the end was saddened by disappointment. The entirety of this book seemed more of a set-up for future volumes than a story in and of itself. I also found the plot proposed by the cover blurb to be a bit misleading in regard to the personal goals of the protagonist. Instead of being motivated to gain funds for scientific experiments what we witness throughout the book is motivation spurned from an intense opium addiction; the money needed to buy more of this drug in its various forms. While I do not have a problem with this as a basis of motivation, and indeed it was even somewhat compelling thought this work, it was not the story I was lead to believe that I was going to read.
There were some strong elements to this book; the world itself I found truly fascinating. The idea of a steampunk world having air pollution is nothing new, but the concept of building up and having a London above the drift of smog, fog, and other unmentionables was intriguing, as was the societal split of above and below the drift. However, the sporadic integration of elements ranging from London fashion to scientific experiments to magic just didn’t gel for me.
Sadly, as I had to actually force myself to finish this book I can only give it two stars.
bookloverchelle's review against another edition
4.0
A really good historical romance steampunk read. Cherry St. Croix is leading a double life, as a young woman on the fringes of high society and a bounty collector in the lower levels. For years she's been able to keep her worlds apart but a new bounty is putting her secret in jeopardy. Will Cherry be able to save her friends below the fog while still maintaining her tentative position in society? I really enjoyed the twists and turns to this read. Semi-resolution of the story but a bit of a cliff hanger so be ready with book two. Good read!
_camk_'s review against another edition
3.0
I must say the girl on the cover is really creepy looking and looks much too old represent 20 year old Cherry St. Croix (an awesome name, no?).
Cherry St. Croix is more than meets the eye. If you met her during the day, you would see her as a wealthy red-headed socialite orphan who lives above the drift. However, if you met Cherry St. Croix at night, you would see her as Ms. Black, a collector or also known as a bounty hunter, with blackened hair, and often mistaken for a man. Cherry is too young to receive her deceased parent's inheritance and has no interest in marriage. She spends her allowance which she receives from her elderly guardian on scientific research and opium. To supplement such habits, Cherry collects for Menagerie, a organization with ties to the 'Karakash Veil', a Chinese originated crime circle. What matters to Cherry though is her bounty.
When some of the female workers of the Menagerie turn up dead, Cherry is approached by her friend, Zylphia, who also works for the Menagerie to catch the killer, but what Cherry unearths is something bigger than she could ever imagine.
Tarnished is a novel set in a Steampunk world. Cooper has created a new, unique version on London. High class London society has been altered and sits above the unclean air known as the drift and the lower class civilians, literally. I found this a little tough to imagine so I had a hard time picturing everything that was going on while I was reading.
Cherry is an interesting character. She is independent in a world where women were seen as nothing but property with no interest in marriage, much to her carer's, Fanny, sadness. Cherry is also smart and cool. She has a sharp wit and she can take down the average man easily.
Someone who also finds Cherry interesting is Lordship Cornelius Kerrigan Compton. He seems to have Cherry in his sights, much to his mothers dismay. As a character, Compton is the average handsome man with his own secrets. However, what annoyed me was how Cooper wrote him in, to only diminish his presence with no real answer.
Tarnished also holds some steamy (Yes, pun intended) aspects which gives the book a well needed kick in the romance department. So, be warned, this book is for mature YA readers. It also has a lot of murder as well as action, and some lesser interesting parts that all happen when Cherry is above the drift.
Final Thought.
Give it a read. The plot has twists and turns and is one of those books where you should expect the unexpected.
Cherry St. Croix is more than meets the eye. If you met her during the day, you would see her as a wealthy red-headed socialite orphan who lives above the drift. However, if you met Cherry St. Croix at night, you would see her as Ms. Black, a collector or also known as a bounty hunter, with blackened hair, and often mistaken for a man. Cherry is too young to receive her deceased parent's inheritance and has no interest in marriage. She spends her allowance which she receives from her elderly guardian on scientific research and opium. To supplement such habits, Cherry collects for Menagerie, a organization with ties to the 'Karakash Veil', a Chinese originated crime circle. What matters to Cherry though is her bounty.
When some of the female workers of the Menagerie turn up dead, Cherry is approached by her friend, Zylphia, who also works for the Menagerie to catch the killer, but what Cherry unearths is something bigger than she could ever imagine.
Tarnished is a novel set in a Steampunk world. Cooper has created a new, unique version on London. High class London society has been altered and sits above the unclean air known as the drift and the lower class civilians, literally. I found this a little tough to imagine so I had a hard time picturing everything that was going on while I was reading.
Cherry is an interesting character. She is independent in a world where women were seen as nothing but property with no interest in marriage, much to her carer's, Fanny, sadness. Cherry is also smart and cool. She has a sharp wit and she can take down the average man easily.
Someone who also finds Cherry interesting is Lordship Cornelius Kerrigan Compton. He seems to have Cherry in his sights, much to his mothers dismay. As a character, Compton is the average handsome man with his own secrets. However, what annoyed me was how Cooper wrote him in, to only diminish his presence with no real answer.
Tarnished also holds some steamy (Yes, pun intended) aspects which gives the book a well needed kick in the romance department. So, be warned, this book is for mature YA readers. It also has a lot of murder as well as action, and some lesser interesting parts that all happen when Cherry is above the drift.
Final Thought.
Give it a read. The plot has twists and turns and is one of those books where you should expect the unexpected.
callistolexx's review against another edition
2.0
I'm having a hard time thinking about what to write regarding this book. In short, I must say that it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The book was exceptionally well written and the world building was excellent. I loved that part of it. I was looking forward to reading it because the description--essentially society miss with a secret identity as a bounty hunter--was interesting. I don't know, maybe my expectations for it were just too high. I just felt like the book could have, I don't know, done more or something.
Or perhaps just the constant yammering about opium just wore at me. I get that was a part of who Cherry was, regarding her past and dependence on the drug, and maybe that's just not that interesting to me. I just kept finding myself thinking "just shut up and get over it already!" Yeah, I guess I just didn't like the heroine that much. There were times I almost did, then the opium was brought up. It just felt like constantly getting bludgeoned by the addiction.
I will say that I did love Micajah Hawke, however. I would love to read more about him. Especially since the other romantic interest--Earl I-Can't-Remember-His-Name-Offhand--I found to be a bit of a tool and, literally, a son of a bitch. Really, his mother's a bitch! Hawke was really the most interesting of all the characters, in my mind, and I wish there had been more of him in Tarnished.
I really don't think I'll be continuing with this series, unless a future re-read of this book has me liking it more, or at least enough to continue to explore the world. I will say that, despite my issues with this book, I would still be willing to read the first book in Cooper's other series, because she does write very well.
The book was exceptionally well written and the world building was excellent. I loved that part of it. I was looking forward to reading it because the description--essentially society miss with a secret identity as a bounty hunter--was interesting. I don't know, maybe my expectations for it were just too high. I just felt like the book could have, I don't know, done more or something.
Or perhaps just the constant yammering about opium just wore at me. I get that was a part of who Cherry was, regarding her past and dependence on the drug, and maybe that's just not that interesting to me. I just kept finding myself thinking "just shut up and get over it already!" Yeah, I guess I just didn't like the heroine that much. There were times I almost did, then the opium was brought up. It just felt like constantly getting bludgeoned by the addiction.
I will say that I did love Micajah Hawke, however. I would love to read more about him. Especially since the other romantic interest--Earl I-Can't-Remember-His-Name-Offhand--I found to be a bit of a tool and, literally, a son of a bitch. Really, his mother's a bitch! Hawke was really the most interesting of all the characters, in my mind, and I wish there had been more of him in Tarnished.
I really don't think I'll be continuing with this series, unless a future re-read of this book has me liking it more, or at least enough to continue to explore the world. I will say that, despite my issues with this book, I would still be willing to read the first book in Cooper's other series, because she does write very well.
mmmmmmmbooks's review against another edition
I know it's set in like 1800 England, but I'm so beyond "women wearing PANTS?!"
debjazzergal's review against another edition
2.0
Decided to go outside of my comfort zone and try steampunk. Didn't really enjoy this book. Book just seemed to end without any resolution.
lizzy_22's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, I wanted to like this a whole lot more than I did. The setting and rich descriptiveness of a steampunk London both below and above 'the drift' didn't make up for characters that felt shallow to me.
While we get quite a bit of background on Cherry herself the rest of the people who surround her were curiously underdeveloped. There isn't much romance to keep things humming and the nature of the relationships she does have with the men in her life were disappointing, well with one exception, but darnit was that almost predictable and uninspiring since I never got to know him well enough to feel something.
Good plot and setting will bring me back for the second book, Gilded, but I hope for 'more'.
While we get quite a bit of background on Cherry herself the rest of the people who surround her were curiously underdeveloped. There isn't much romance to keep things humming and the nature of the relationships she does have with the men in her life were disappointing, well with one exception, but darnit was that almost predictable and uninspiring since I never got to know him well enough to feel something.
Good plot and setting will bring me back for the second book, Gilded, but I hope for 'more'.