ARC Review: The Girl With the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Iron Touch

Author: Kady Cross

Publication: Harlequin Teen (May 28, 2013)

Description: In 1897 London, sometihng not quite human is about to awaken

When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons—or forfeit her friends' lives.

With Griffin being mysteriously tormented by the Aether, the young duke's sanity is close to the breaking point. Seeking help, Finley turns to Jack Dandy, but trusting the master criminal is as dangerous as controlling her dark side. When Jack kisses her, Finley must finally confront her true feelings for him…and for Griffin.

Meanwhile, Sam is searching everywhere for Emily, from Whitechapel's desolate alleyways to Mayfair's elegant mansions. He would walk into hell for her, but the choice she must make will test them more than they could imagine.

To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation—an automaton more human than machine. And if she's to have any chance of triumph, she must summon a strength even she doesn't know she has….

My Thoughts: This book, the third in the series, continues storylines begun in the earlier books. However, for me, the key activities in this one had to do with the various romances of the characters. Griffin is keeping secrets which both worries and annoys Finley. She isn't sure what he thinks about her though she knows that she is thinking about him constantly. Emily and Sam are also getting ready to admit their feelings for each other.

But then Emily is kidnapped and an old villain makes a reappearance. Emily is kidnapped by some of the mechanical creatures made by the Machinist. Led by the mechanical Queen Victoria, they want Emily to transfer the Machinist's (Garibaldi's) brain into a new vessel since his body was almost completely destroyed in the last book. 

Garibaldi has prepared a new body using bits of flesh and blood from Finley, Griffin, Emily, and Jackson. When Emily meets her, she is still developing her form and personality. I really liked this character who renames herself Mila and can understand why Emily would be so eager to save her even though she plans to do her best to kill Garibaldi.

Cross has developed a wonderful steampunk world with fascinating inventions. I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the growth in the characters. Fans of both steampunk and romances will find something to like in this engaging story. 

Favorite Quote:

The context here is Emily setting out to kill Garibaldi who has done so much harm to her friends and to England.

Emily looked at it as preventing someone truly evil from walking the earth, but more importantly, she would do it to protect her friends. She would do it for Sam,and she would gladly bear the weight of her actions. She would bear it without regret, and that was as disturbing as it was comforting.

I got this eARC from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.