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Corsets and Clockwork 13 Steampunk Romances Trisha Telep Books

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Corsets and Clockwork 13 Steampunk Romances Trisha Telep Books

Wow, it's been a while since I've actually finished a book! Anyways, Corsets and Clockwork (C&C) was a delightful collection of steampunk tales with a romantic twist. I actually started this anthology several months ago, but lost interest about 25% into the collection . . . I guess that's the danger of short story collections, no? You lose interest with one story and then rather get distracted by other books (*cough Game of Thrones cough*) and it may be a couple days or weeks (or months!) before you return to the book.

Either way, I was glad I decided to pick up C&C after my brief dip of interest because there definitely were some hidden gems. Some of the stories that I really enjoyed are:

"Wild Magic"
"The Airship Gemini"
"Under Amber Skies"

But my top two favorites were definitely "The Clockwork Corset" and "Tick, Tick, Boom."

First of all, you know I'm sucker for strong FMC who have the tendency to get in trouble, which is exactly what Imogen offered in "The Clockwork Corset". In a way, this story reminded me of a steampunk retelling of "Mulan" if you replaced Mulan's father with a certain love interest of Imogen. Also, the fact that Imogen had common sense (oh my goodness you will not believe how little common sense some FMCs . . . or even MMCs . . . can have in steampunk/Victorian era stories) really upped my approval factor. And also, the bitter sweet ending was quite satisfying--just the right combination of tragedy, love, and a little mechanical engineering magic.

Perhaps the plot (or should I say "character"?) twist in "Tick, Tick, Boom" was its highlight. Just when I thought I had all the characters figured out BAM a secondary character I thought to be shallow (spoiler alert!) turns out to be another secondary character I thought was pretty awesome. (So yes, there was a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on.) Also, a protagonist who is a kick ass engineer and also happens to plotting against the demise of her father's business empire? Sign me up!

Granted, as there were the highs of C&C, there were also the lows. I know I could've skipped over the less than engaging stories, but then I wouldn't have the satisfaction of saying "I read this whole book!" (I know, I know. Shallow of me, but it's the little things in life, no?) I can definitely think of one story that just seemed to drag on forever. BUT, in the end, I'm glad that I read C&C. It's hard to infuse the same amount of depth in a short story compared to a novel, and so I thought the authors did an excellent job overall with creating relatable characters. (Though it would've been fun to read some stories from a MMC's POV, as each story had a FMC!)

Cheers and happy readings!


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Corsets and Clockwork 13 Steampunk Romances Trisha Telep Books Reviews

Let's get one thing out of the way I like novels, not short stories. Short stories frustrate me, because one of two things always occurs while I read. 1) As I read I think, "What on earth is going on?" and then it's over. 2) As I read I think, "Wow this is getting really good - " and then it's over. Either there's not enough time for proper worldbuilding and character development and nothing makes sense, or the story really captures me and then ends too soon.

The problem is that every two years or so I forget this and go and pick up a new anthology of short stories, like this one, Corsets and Clockwork. Oh, well...

All of the stories are steampunk, and have some elements of romance as well, which causes a massive outbreak of instalove! throughout the collection. Many take place in some sort of England, although others feature the Wild West, pre-WWII Germany, and fantasy environments. At least 10 of the stories mentioned corsets. Many of them had clockwork as well. In fact, there was even one story called "The Clockwork Corset."

If you've survived being whapped in the face with all the blatant steampunk-ness, we'll move on to the stories themselves. I tried to read all of them, I really did. However, old instincts and library due dates took over, so a few I either put down or skimmed. As for the ones I did read...

The best

Code of Blood by Dru Pagliassotti - I read this author's Clockwork Heart earlier this year and really enjoyed it, and her short story here does not disappoint. In an alternate 19th century Venice, a nobleman's granddaughter has to save the city from French invaders. Pagliassotti's worldbuilding is well-done in a short span of time, with elementals, steamboats and a blood sacrifice.

The Airship Gemini by Jaclyn Dolamore - I can't remember having read a story with a Siamese twin as a protagonist before. Airships are always good, too (see the Airborn Trilogy by Kenneth Oppel - one of my all-time favorites). I really like Dolamore's novel Magic Under Glass and this story is intriguing. However, I feel it really could have been a full novel instead of a story especially since the ending is a bit of a deux ex machina.

Under Amber Skies by Maria V. Snyder - I swear that it's a coincidence that my three favorite stories were by authors that I had already read things by! I honestly wouldn't have recognized this story as being by Snyder, but come to think of it, Poison Study was very dark and so was this story. Set on the cusp of World War II, Nazis are looking for Zosia's father, an Polish inventor who disappeared months ago. Quite good, with a killer twist!

The one to avoid

Cannibal Fiend of Rotherhithe by Frewin Jones - I knew Jones for the uber-frothy Faerie Path series (I mean, look at the covers!). I think he was trying to break away from that formula, because his story here is nothing like the faerie books. There is implied rape. There is main character who is a cannibalistic half-mermaid. There is general weirdness. Skip this one.

The rest of the stories were pretty mediocre. Some were entertaining (Tick Tick Boom by Kiersten White) and some were just confusing as all get-out (The Vast Machinery of Dreams by Caitlin Kittredge). The three favorites listed above were worth the read, but I would not recommend going out of your way to read this anthology.

Rating 3 out of 5 stars.

Cover & Title As mentioned before, the title is...fitting. The cover is pretty, though they could have done something more imaginative than Generic Female Face Close-Up.

Where I got the book Local library

Read more reviews by clicking on my username and visiting my blog, Back to the Bookshelf.
I was very disappointed in the story. I thought it was going to be a lot better than it wss, more romance.It was a lot shoporter book than I thought it would be. I finished it very quickly and was very dissatified with the book. I would not recommend it to anyone.
Such a great intro to Steam Punk. I really enjoyed many of the stories. If it's a new genre....go for it.
Some of the best writers in YA have contributed to this collection and I loved it. Each author has their own style and voice and they worked together brilliantly to form an entertaining read all fans of Steampunk should add to their libraries.
I really enjoyed this book. Ever since Kiss Me Deadly, edited by the same person, came into my life, I've been a huge fan of anthologies, and this one was by far my favorite. I liked all almost all of the stories, but my favorite was the story by Frewin Jones, about a beautiful half mermaid girl. I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves anthologies, fantasy stories, or steampunk. 5 stars. (It also shipped quickly-I got it within three days and it came a day earlier than expected. Thank you so much!)
Wow, it's been a while since I've actually finished a book! Anyways, Corsets and Clockwork (C&C) was a delightful collection of steampunk tales with a romantic twist. I actually started this anthology several months ago, but lost interest about 25% into the collection . . . I guess that's the danger of short story collections, no? You lose interest with one story and then rather get distracted by other books (*cough Game of Thrones cough*) and it may be a couple days or weeks (or months!) before you return to the book.

Either way, I was glad I decided to pick up C&C after my brief dip of interest because there definitely were some hidden gems. Some of the stories that I really enjoyed are

"Wild Magic"
"The Airship Gemini"
"Under Amber Skies"

But my top two favorites were definitely "The Clockwork Corset" and "Tick, Tick, Boom."

First of all, you know I'm sucker for strong FMC who have the tendency to get in trouble, which is exactly what Imogen offered in "The Clockwork Corset". In a way, this story reminded me of a steampunk retelling of "Mulan" if you replaced Mulan's father with a certain love interest of Imogen. Also, the fact that Imogen had common sense (oh my goodness you will not believe how little common sense some FMCs . . . or even MMCs . . . can have in steampunk/Victorian era stories) really upped my approval factor. And also, the bitter sweet ending was quite satisfying--just the right combination of tragedy, love, and a little mechanical engineering magic.

Perhaps the plot (or should I say "character"?) twist in "Tick, Tick, Boom" was its highlight. Just when I thought I had all the characters figured out BAM a secondary character I thought to be shallow (spoiler alert!) turns out to be another secondary character I thought was pretty awesome. (So yes, there was a Jekyll and Hyde thing going on.) Also, a protagonist who is a kick ass engineer and also happens to plotting against the demise of her father's business empire? Sign me up!

Granted, as there were the highs of C&C, there were also the lows. I know I could've skipped over the less than engaging stories, but then I wouldn't have the satisfaction of saying "I read this whole book!" (I know, I know. Shallow of me, but it's the little things in life, no?) I can definitely think of one story that just seemed to drag on forever. BUT, in the end, I'm glad that I read C&C. It's hard to infuse the same amount of depth in a short story compared to a novel, and so I thought the authors did an excellent job overall with creating relatable characters. (Though it would've been fun to read some stories from a MMC's POV, as each story had a FMC!)

Cheers and happy readings!