Ahoy there me mateys! This novel was a super fun read and a big ole’ mess. The beautiful cover and the fact that it was free drew me in. This is steampunk fantasy and apparently the author’s debut. I was looking for a silly book that was a quick read. I found it but a lot of me enjoyment was in how clueless our heroine was.

Aya Cogsmith life was ruined once her father died. He was murdered and she wants revenge. So when a member of the king’s court offers to help her for their mutual benefit, she agrees. Aya is snarky and that was what I loved about her character and was in the mood for. Otherwise she (and the plot) are disasters.

It is obvious who the bag guys are. I mean really someone should have known they were bad. I couldn’t help but be amused and horrified at how stupid everyone was. The “reasons” behind the evil were just so ridiculous.

It is obvious who Aya’s love interest is to everyone but her. And it's insta-love. She is supposed to be independent and strong-willed but seems to go along with almost everything without thinking things through. She just seemed lost. Plus her feminine wiles are what is supposed to help her get revenge and her technique as it were was ridiculous.

And yet I couldn’t help but want to know what happens next. Despite the one-dimensional characters, despite the lack of major world building, and despite the absurdities of the plot.

To be fair the concept of the world having been a desert with little water where once huge steamships sailed the seas made me happy. I liked a lot of the concepts but not the execution. For example I thought the cogsmith’s daughter would have awesome cogsmith skills and somehow use them to save the day. Alas!

Oh and characters were introduced because something was needed and then dropped out again conveniently. Aya also does nothing to help her supposed best friend who is in a crappy situation. I guess that was so book two can be about her.

Would I recommend this novel to anyone? I don’t think so. But I certainly was amused by it . . .

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