Lady of Devices

I recently checked my 2015 reading plan on Goodreads and realized that I'm five books behind schedule. Yikes! This summer, I'm hoping to make some extra time to get caught up and hopefully find some good books to indulge in. I also am making a goal of writing and sharing more reviews of the books I enjoy. I recently finished 'Lady of Devices' and decided to share my thoughts on the novel.

I have never read any books from the steampunk genre, so when I found out about Shelley Adina's 'Magnificent Devices' series, I became curious and decided to give the first book a go. I am pleased to say that 'Lady of Devices' was a delightful read, and I look forward to digging into the rest of the books!

My Review:

Lady of Devices 

by Shelley Adina

The story takes place in  London, 1889. Seventeen year old Lady Claire has always had an interest in experimenting with chemicals in the lab at school, or learning how to drive her family's Landau. After graduating high school, she has high hopes of furthering her education in engineering. However, her mother has different plans. While Claire tries to persuade her mother into letting her attend University, her mother forbids it, hoping instead to find Claire a suitable husband.

But after Claire's father dies, their family discovers he had gambled their estate away on the combustion engine, leaving his company bankrupt. As Claire's mother and brother move to the country, Claire stays home, hoping to find employment. But when an angry mob who had invested in her father's company, riots her home, she is forced out on the streets. She soon encounters a gang of thieves, no older than children, and ends up caring for them, all the while, hoping she might still find employment somewhere, and eventually attend University.

She uses her knowledge with devices and also her training in etiquette, to turn around the lives of these children who had never been taught the difference between right or wrong.

This story was really fun and exciting to read! I absolutely love Claire and her spunky personality. She has a mind of her own, knows how to look out for herself, and doesn't give up on what she believes in. While there wasn't exactly romance in this, I believe something might blossom between her and a young scientist in the next books. The writing was well structured, the plot exciting, and as I said before, I can't wait to begin the next in the series!