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This is one of those books I run up against every once in a while that make me really stop and think about what I want to say. There were parts of the story that I really liked and found interesting. Other elements were confusing and disorienting; I had to reread some sections repeatedly to figure out what was happening. There are parts I still don’t understand, but I liked everything else enough to keep reading the series to see if I get some answers. I give Lilith Saintcrow high marks for writing a novel in which the leads are not romantic interests (or at least that’s how it looks for the time being). Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare definitely admire each other and respect the other’s abilities, but their partnership is grounded in more practical concerns (saving the empire and furthering their careers). I liked the imagery in the book, too, but wish it had been a little more show and a little less tell. I didn’t get very clear mental images, especially in the sorcerer’s duels and some of the more important battle scenes, and wish there had been a little more development in these areas. This is why this book gets a 3-star rating from me, with the caveat that I am excited to read more.

This book has fantastic language and imagery for fans of Steampunk, but it can be difficult to create the mental pictures of the large variety of machines presented (and, just to quibble a little teensy bit, there doesn’t seem to be any steam-driven technology; it seems to rely more on hydraulics and electricity). This is a Victorian alternate history in which a large part of the population is altered (one or more mechanical body parts), coaches are powered by mechanical horses, and there even seem to be mechanical rats running around. Yet, this is also an alternate history in which it is fairly common for the populace to have minor magic at their disposal that helps them in everyday tasks. Some people are particularly gifted in magic and, like Emma Bannon, serve the crown in particularly prestigious magical capacities. On the other hand, there are ‘mentaths� like Archibald Clare who use logic to solve complicated problems. One of these complicated problems involves a logic engine, another major problem is the rise of the machines, which are impervious to magical forces. This is a world of uneasy alliances, and some of Steampunk’s biggest themes of man versus machine, the role of women, and the impact of technology on the world are right at home in this narrative.

This being said, I just couldn’t visualize or understand some of the core elements of the narrative. In some of the largest and most important battle scenes the description seemed limited to the barest sketch of what the mecha robots look like, with slightly more attention paid to what they actually do. This holds true for the descriptions of the magic Bannon uses: In many parts of the book Bannon says something and the reader is just left to imagine what that spell looks like or does. The reader has to imagine a bloody and gritty battle with no explanation as to what the magic is actually doing. Likewise, the explanations of what makes Clare important as a mentath are less than useful. Apparently, he thinks really hard. If he thinks too hard his brain turn to mush; if he doesn’t think enough, his brain turns to mush. I kept waiting for him to make a connection I didn’t already see coming, and it never happened. It seemed like a lot of fuss over something that doesn’t seem that special, and this is possibly one of the least successful parts of the story for me. In some ways I had to turn off my brain and just get on with the narrative.

Saintcrow has done an interesting job with her alternate history: She not only created a different reality, but a vocabulary and naming practices. It’s close enough to be identifiable, but different enough to reinforce the idea that this is a different place. London becomes Londinium, Queen Victoria is Queen Victrix, and St. James is St. Jemes. In this alt history Queen Victrix is the human host for the immortal spirit Britannia, and saving the queen is much more about saving a single person or a piece of land. If I’m perfectly honest, the renaming of so many places was a little disorienting (and possibly not really necessary) but it does serve to establish that this is not London like we would recognize it. There are gryphons, dragons, and magic flingers, and it would be really difficult to try to fit all of this into real history.

The most intriguing part of the book (and the reason I intend to keep reading) is the characters. Emma Bannon is complex: She’s an incredibly powerful sorceress, a ‘prima�, out of the most misunderstood and scorned of the three branches of magic. She’s constantly on guard, and like an animal that has been beaten one time too many, she never fully trusts that anyone in her world won’t turn against her at any moment. She’s an ambiguous character who keeps her own counsel, even when surrounded by people she really can trust. Mikal is Emma’s ‘shield,� a warrior responsible for protecting her while she is mentally engaged and unable to defend herself. Mikal killed his previous charge to save Emma when she was ambushed, and she lives in fear of the day he will turn on her (though he has given absolutely no indication that he will). Their relationship is difficult to label in any way, but it could be romantic…possibly�.someday. It also doesn’t help that Mikal is something possibly not quite human, though what he is will have to wait for future books. Clare was interesting: He’s a mixture of Robert Downey, Jr. in Sherlock Holmes and Peter Falk’s Columbo. He’s very trim, but muscular. Somewhat attractive, but with thinning hair. He’s a walking computer who is performing mental calculations to the extent that it keeps him from interacting normally with others and makes it difficult for him to develop relationships (though I would argue that he did just fine). I enjoyed his deductive reasoning and analysis of the very strange situations he encountered after being recruited by Emma as the sole surviving unregistered mentath in Londinium (all the others having been murdered), but I didn't always 'get' what he was doing and how it affected him.

I have to give this 3 stars because it was flawed in some ways, but in others a very good book. I will continue this series with the hopes I will be enlightened on some of the world-building particulars and to explore more of Emma, Clare, and Mikal, and not to mention, Supernatural Victorian Great Britain.