Blog Tour: The Girl in the Steel Corset - Kady Cross - Tens List

Today, Kady Cross is here with a couple of top ten lists courtesy of the Teen Book Scene blog tour for her book, The Girl in the Steel Corset. Thanks for being here today, Kady! If you would like to follow along with the tour, you can do so here, or by clicking through the banner. Enjoy!

What are your ten favourite steampunk reads?

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Soulless by Gail Carriger

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook (this is an adult romance)

Bone Shaker by Cherie Priest

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Steampunk (comic book) by Joe Kelly

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Changeless by Gail Carriger

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (very dark comic book!) by Allan Moore

Journey to the Center of the Earth by H.G. Wells

Give me your top ten reasons why the "steampunk" era would be a good time period to live in.

- It has the coolest clothes

- I'd have an airship

- Automatons would do my bidding

- I could keep a brain in a jar as a pet

- I could communicate with the dead through the Aether

- Tesla. Tesla. Tesla.

- I could be a brilliant inventor, or a dashing adventurer.

- Women could wear pants -- and a top hat!

- I could drill to the center of the earth and not be melted

- My characters live there. :-)

What are ten of your favourite quotes of all time?

"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue."

— Dorothy Parker

"I don't care what is written about me so long as it isn't true."

— Dorothy Parker

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

Oscar Wilde

"Be excellent to each other."

- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.

- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Life is like a box of chocolates.

- Forrest Gump

"I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying."

— Oscar Wilde

As usual, there is a great woman behind every idiot.

- John Lennon

Everybody loves you when you're six foot in the ground.

- John Lennon

You can fix everything but a blank page.

- Nora Roberts

I love these lists, Kady! So many good books and quotes!! Thank you again for being here today! 

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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: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

Synopsis taken from goodreads.

The Vyne: Mystery of the Hidden Ember - Daniel Walls - Blog Tour Review

For as long as he can remember, Asher has possessed unexplainable abilities, which his widowed father has forced him to keep hidden. But when an elusive girl named Scar enters his village, Asher's life is forever transformed.

Bound by despair, the teens plot to run away. However, when a mystical medallion finds its way into Asher's hands, they soon learn that running is not an option, it's imperative. Asher is thrust into the pursuit of a legendary treasure, believed to possess the power to save the world from the prophesied apocalypse. And the key to unlocking this power lies within the secret of his curse.

While hunted by dark forces, Asher realizes that Scar has secrets of her own; she is not the girl he thought she was. Time is running out as he struggles to find the strength to let go of his feelings and summon the courage to embrace his destiny.

A chilling, heart-wrenching tale of colliding worlds and forbidden love, The Vyne reinvents steampunk-fantasy for a whole new generation.

(Synopsis taken from Amazon.)

Title: The Vyne: Mystery of the Hidden Ember

Author: Daniel Walls

Genre: Young Adult, Adventure, Steampunk, Fantasy

Publisher: Two Harbors Press

Publication Date: January 3, 2011

Format: Softcover

Source: Received from Teen Book Scene as a traveling blog tour book. Many thanks goes to Jessica from Teen Book Scene for sending me a copy of this book for review through the Teen Book Scene ARC tour system. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review. You can follow along with the tour here.

Look for it: Amazon, Book Depository.

My rating: 4/5

Ash thinks that he is never going to get out of his town and that he'll work for his aggressive and somewhat abusive father for a long time to come. When he rescues a girl, Scar, from those who would take her captive, he doesn't realize that she may be the one person to propel him away from the town he thought he'd stay in forever. With Scar's appearance, Ash's destiny becomes more clear even as it becomes more obscure. When a medallion of ancient and legendary power falls into his hands, he realizes that he might not be who he thought he was. He'll have to stand up to the forces of evil to fulfill the prophecy that the medallion brings with it, all the while fighting to survive the evil encroaching its way across the land. 
Within the first few pages of the book I found myself immersed in the storyline especially when we first start reading about Scar and her dangerous ploy at retrieving a valuable object from one of the most daring and corrupt pirates to roam the high seas. Scar adds an element of uncertainty to the novel as we are left to wonder who she is working for. With Scar's identity in question, and most of the port decimated, Ash is left to defend her to his colleagues and friends. He doesn't know who or what she is, though he can't help but feel drawn to her. He is coming to realize that he might not be as normal as he thinks he is, and when he finally gets some answers he realizes that there might be more to his past than he originally thought. This in turn sets him up to realize that his skills will be needed if they are to survive the war threatening to rip apart the world. 
Though he and Scar are written beautifully, I found that the romantic element between the two fell a little flat. I found the action scenes more believable, and didn't find there was any lead up to anything that Ash did concerning his feelings towards Scar, especially when he kissed her. It seemed to come out of the blue though this aspect didn't detract from the read too much. 
Another character that I thought was illustrated and fleshed out brilliantly was Xavier. I couldn't help feeling both sad and happy for him. Especially since he managed to play both sides of the field. I think many readers will have a love/hate relationship with him as he shows the dual sides to his personality, and the reader will have to decide what side Xavier is actually playing. 
All in all, a great debut with good bones. With a main character who needs to step up to fulfill his destiny, and a diabolical villain, readers will be waiting with bated breath to find out who will prove the stronger candidate. The side characters are just as memorable, and I can't wait to see what's in store next for Ash. Fans of fantasy, and steampunk will like the steampunk elements mentioned in the book. The action doesn't let up in this one, and I think a lot of teens will enjoy this one for that reason, as well as for all of the characters that they will become acquainted with in this brilliantly envisioned world. 

Blog Tour: The Vyne - Daniel Walls - Guest Post

Daniel Walls is here today, as part of his book tour for The Vyne courtesy of Teen Book Scene. You can follow along with the tour here, or click on the banner and it will direct you to the tour details. 

Which authors inspire you?

JRR Tolkien set the tone for the genre of fantasy. In my opinion, The Lord of the Rings trilogy is to fantasy as The Bible is to the Christian church.

Naturally JK Rowling is another source of great inspiration as she truly continued to carry the torch of supreme intelligent writing, delicately woven with wit and thrill.

Michael Crichton’s smart and highly conceptual plots would have never been recognized had he not had such a knack for being able to simply tell a story. His writing was always so visual and his stories seemed to advance chronologically in real-time. In some ways I relate to his writing style more than anyone.

I love your answers, Daniel! These authors are all definitely inspiring! Thank you for being here today!

Some more about the book...

For as long as he can remember, Asher has possessed unexplainable abilities, which his widowed father has forced him to keep hidden. But when an elusive girl named Scar enters his village, Asher's life is forever transformed.

Bound by despair, the teens plot to run away. However, when a mystical medallion finds its way into Asher's hands, they soon learn that running is not an option, it's imperative. Asher is thrust into the pursuit of a legendary treasure, believed to possess the power to save the world from the prophesied apocalypse. And the key to unlocking this power lies within the secret of his curse.

While hunted by dark forces, Asher realizes that Scar has secrets of her own; she is not the girl he thought she was. Time is running out as he struggles to find the strength to let go of his feelings and summon the courage to embrace his destiny.

A chilling, heart-wrenching tale of colliding worlds and forbidden love, The Vyne reinvents steampunk-fantasy for a whole new generation.

(Synopsis taken from Fantastic Fiction.)

Sounds good, eh? ;)

Scourge - David H. Burton

Two dads, five siblings, and goggles!

Grim Doyle has always known his life was not exactly "normal", and things get even more curious when he discovers a set of stones that sweep him and his family to the fantasy, steampunk world of Verne - a place they had escaped from years ago. Now that they've returned, Grim and his siblings hide from the evil Lord Victor and his minions. And while learning about Jinns, Mystics, and the power of absinth they try to discover who is trying to kill them with the deadly Scourge.

Scourge is the first novel in the Grim Doyle Adventure series by author, David H. Burton. He can be found online at http://davidhburton.com

Title: Scourge: A Grim Doyle Adventure

Author: David H. Burton

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Steampunk

Published by David H. Burton

Publication Date: November 29, 2010

Source: Received from author. Many thanks goes to David H. Burton for sending me a copy of his book for review. I received this copy free of charge in exchange for an honest review. 

My rating: 4/5

In Scourge, we meet Grim, and his family of 5 siblings and two fathers. Though life can't be defined as normal, it hasn't been too off the wall either. That is, until Grim discovers another world beyond his wildest imagination. He is full of questions about this new world, but is forced to put them aside when his family is attacked. With their enemies closing in on all sides, Grim's family is forced to flee to the new world of Verne. Along the way, Grim learns that his family originally came from Verne, and now that they are back, they will have to go into hiding again until they can find out who is trying to kill them. 

Scourge is such an action-packed and adventure-ridden book. I think middle graders and certainly young adult readers will love this book. I loved how Burton tackled the world of Verne and how it affected Grim and his family. Though there was a lot of information to process it didn't feel overwhelming in the slightest. Grim is the oldest boy in the family, and is second only to Rudy, his sister, who is older than him by a mere 10 months. They will have to look out for the rest of their siblings when they are sent into hiding at an orphanage. When they arrive at the orphanage, they are put straight to work. I loved the characters they met while they were in the orphanage, and I loved the sense of mystery throughout. The varying range of illustrious characters just adds more to the book. They made some new friends, and some new enemies, and I loved reading how Grim handled things with both groups. The inflection used in some of the voices was hilarious, and definitely kept me engaged as well. I honestly thought I had the book figured out, and then Burton would throw in another twist. It was a refreshing read and it kept me guessing, which is always a good thing. 

All in all, this is an exciting and thrilling read. Though we are left with some questions, I was really happy with the ending and did have some closure. I can't wait to find out what is next for Grim and his family as this is just the beginning. This was a truly refreshing read, and I liked the aspect that it focused on the mystery and not on a romantic subplot. Once I started reading, I was hooked. I hope you will be too. Those who like a little steampunk in their reads are sure to enjoy Scourge.

Important Links

Scourge is available on Amazon Kindle as of today. This link will send you to the Amazon page.

The print edition will be available in two weeks time. 

David is also offering a personalized ebook version of Scourge on his site. It comes with an autographed dedication page as well as a fun feature where he will alter the name of one of the minor characters in the story with the name of the purchaser. 

The link to purchase a personalized copy is located here: http://davidhburton.com/?page_id=4113