I thank the publisher for a free copy of this book, which I received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers programme. This is my honest review.

The story is told in third person, past tense, from the points of view of twin sisters Jacqueline/engineer and Angélique/artist/werewolf. The prose was generally tidy, with only a few typos catching my eye. Unfortunately, I tripped up on the first page when Jacqueline (the non-artist twin) seemed to learn the name of a strange artist without an introduction: making me think the twins were telepathic. That first impression took me a while to shake off.

What particularly drew me towards this book was the steampunk setting and hints of a mysterious international plot. I enjoyed the uncertainty over the (non-point of view) characters’ motivations and just whose side they were really on. The technical/logistical stuff was handwavy and convenient, but I was happy not to think hard about plausibility.

The characters didn’t make me feel especially invested in them. Both sisters felt “young” in their behaviour and decision-making. The amount of internal emotional processing was of a level I tend to associate with writing aimed at a Young Adult readership, especially with (tiny spoiler) the absent parent who shows up at the end. Those of you who’ve read my other reviews know I’m not interested in romance. So it won’t be a surprise that I found the (metaphorical, sometimes!) drooling over their love interests a distraction from everything else.

Overall, a fun steampunk mystery/romance with a good dollop of the mystical.