This is the first book I’ve read by the author. I picked it up because of the steampunk setting and promise of unusual adventures.

Karen narrates with a distinctive voice and in first person. It took me a few pages to get used to her style, and then I settled in. The plot moved at a good pace. There was plenty of action and peril. Karen and her allies were all distinctive. Though I admit, I got the members of the opposing team(s) a bit muddled in my head.

Unusually for me, I very much enjoyed the descriptions. They enhanced the strong sense of environment. There were intriguing steampunk-y inventions. Gratifyingly, they weren’t just cosmetic, although the technology was handwavy rather than convincingly laid out. Which is fine—Karen’s not an engineer, and explaining the speculative elements would have unnecessarily slowed the pace.

Overall, a fun, fast-paced steampunk adventure.