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Steelhands (2011)

by Jaida Jones(Favorite Author)

3.92 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0553807706 (ISBN13: 9780553807707)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Spectra

series

Havemercy

review 1: I really enjoyed this entry in the series. At last I was interested in hearing the story from all four POV characters. Even the rabbity ones had some awareness of their oddities (unlike Thom) so I didn't find them tiresome. The understated humour of Laure and Adamo was also a treat. Most of all, praise be, the characters actually talked to one another instead of dragging things out by keeping secrets (unnecessarily).While this was a complete story there is scope for more and I hope we get them one day (soon).
review 2: Well-plotted YA of the reverberations of war and conspiracy, with a fast-moving chatty tone reminiscent of some first-person urban fantasy, and Steampunk! Dragons! [return]It’s the fourth volume in the Havemercy series, but it works just f... moreine as a stand alone – the authors do a creditable job of weaving in enough back story to understand motivation and some action. [return]The four main characters - Toverre, a gay scholarship student from the country; Laurence, Toverre’s female fiancé and fellow scholarship student; Adamo – a former sergeant and dragon rider now serving as a professor; and Balfour “Steel Hands”, a gentle survivor of the disbanded dragon corps -- are engaging enough, but reveal the first of several severe problems with this work. [return]Ostensibly, the narrative is a rotation of each of the four characters’ point of view. Yet the four voices sound exactly the same. Let me say that again. EXACTLY the same. In my humble opinion (not having published 4 books) the narrative would have been far stronger in an omniscient voice if the authors can’t do a better job of distinguishing the tone of voice. [return]Further, the language is highly repetitive, and the story is full of anachronisms. Mind that I’m quoting an ARC here, but “abruptly the city planning and even the buildings themselves ceased to make any kind of logical sense. They rose up around me like abstract paintings . . .” p 59 or “Roy had about the same amount of good sense as a common house cat, but with less grace to stick the landing.” P 76. [return]Even with these flaws, Steelhands is worth reading, and these young writers have much talent. One looks forward to their growth as authors. less

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