Steel Lily

Title:Steel Lily
Author:Megan Curd

AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life. Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.…Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

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 The dystopian genre is one of my favorite genres that I normally like to read but sometimes i feel like it's over done and lately the genre leaves me feeling meh about it in general So when I was sent an email asking if I'd check out Steel Lily I was wary but when I saw it was a steampunk/dystopian mix I was all for it cause Steampunk isn't a genre i normal check out but on occasion when i do I enjoy it.

Steel Lily is a dystopian young adult novel, set in the future. Avery Pike, a water elementalist is required to produce steam in dome three to support life inside the dome. We quickly learn that everyone knows what she's capable of and because of her ability, everyone wants a piece of it for themselves. The stories filled with pretty likable characters from Avery the main character who's  snarky and bit annoying but overall a feisty character that just trying to figure out the good guys from the bad guys. Then there's Avery’s best friend Alice she is just as adorable and a friend till the end Then there's Jaxon who's behavior gives me whip lash but overall he i loved his sarcastic and charismatic personality. The bad guys are just perfect,that's all i'm going to say about them..

There are so many awesome things going on in this book, from corrupted governments, seedy experiments, resistance movements, and so much more but to be honest Steel Lily was a bit of a let down. The synopsis had me intrigued then as I read the book so did the world Avery lives in, the various mysteries and plots but overall the book fell flat and kinda cramped and rushed, with no flow and no build up to, well, anything.It's not like I didn't enjoy the book it is just that I was expecting more,Ill probably check out the sequel to see what happens next though.Don't just take my word on Steel Lily though give it a read and form your own opinion. 2/5

Corsets & Clockwork

Title:Clockwork&Corsets
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Published:April 26,2011

Dark, urban fantasies come to life in the newest collection of Steampunk stories, Corsets & Clockwork. Young heroes and heroines battle evils with the help of supernatural or super-technological powers, each individual story perfectly balancing historical and fantastical elements.

Throw in epic romances that transcend time, and this trendy, engrossing anthology is sure to become another hit for the fast-growing Steampunk genre!

This collection features some of the hottest writers in the teen genre, including: Ann Aguirre, Jaclyn Dolamore, Tessa Gratton, Frewin Jones, Caitlin Kittredge, Adrienne Kress, Lesley Livingston, Dru Pagliassotti, Dia Reeves, Michael Scott, Maria V. Snyder, Tiffany Trent, and Kiersten White.



The Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe by Frewin Jones - Silka is a young lady (if you could call her that) who lives with a man who kidnapped her mother.  She goes to London to seek her true love. This story was one of my top 3 favorite stories from this book. It was dark,edgy and a bit disturbing.

Wild Magic by Ann Aguirre - Pearl Magnus is part of a very strong line of important lords and such. However, she has the ability to perform magic. She buys a picture of a rough looking boy and that's were her life starts to change.It's a love story full of surprises. I thought this one was incredibly sweet and like all good short stories it ended to soon.

Deadwood by Michael Scott - Scott's short story is by far the least romantic. Martha and JW meet on a plane of some sort and when it stops in a strange town it up too them to save everyone. Despite the fact that it wasn't the most romantic story this was one of my favorites.

Code of Blood by Dru Pagliassotti - This short story is set in Italy when the French invade. She meets Pietro who is an appretince to an alchemist. Both Chiara and Pietro are elementals. They control their own elementals. The story is of how Chiara rescues her country and falls in love.

The Clockwork Corest by Adrienne Kress - Imogen is a young girl who was rasied by her father who treated her like a boy untill she was a teen.Her best friend is Rafe, who is an orphan who lives as an apprentice in Imogen's home to a clock winder. Imogen and Rafe vow to never grow up, but that doesn't stop time.. This short story reminded me alot of  Disney's Mulan.


Under Amber Skies by Maria V. Snyder - Betrayal is the worst sort, especially from your own parents. Zosia experiences betrayal from her mother. Set in Northern Poland during World War II.I didnt know what i was expecting when i read this story but the ending was intense.


Tick, Tick, Boom by Kiersten White -Favorite story about a girl who does not believe in what her father does and she just wants to build her bombs to sabotage her father's factories and avoid her fathers favorite suitor Franklin whos just a snob  little does she know they may have more in common then she thought. :)

The other stories in the book are just as good but the ones above are the ones i really enjoyed.


The cover is what drew me its gorgeous with a lovely girl and gears and things around her face.I honestly had no idea what steampunk was so if your like me who didn't have a clue then i would recommend this book to get an intro to the genre. 3/5