Review of Bitter Cold: A Steampunk Snow Queen by Katina French
Visit the Clockwork Republic today.
You'll love every word of the trip. Guaranteed.
Informing readers--enticing them to pick up a book or warning them off it--that's the whole point of writing a review, at least for me. Deciding where to begin can be the hardest part. Katina French's books make it simple. Start here: go read them right now. There. (dusts off hands) Review done.
What, you want more? All right, fine.
Basic description: steampunk fairytale. It's right there in the subtitle, and if you're familiar with the tropes of steampunk and the story of the Snow Queen, that's all you'll need to hear. Click buy now. Seriously. Have I mentioned how highly I recommend these books? No? Well then. I recommend them this highly. (gesturing way over my head.)
Here's a bit more detail. Picture an alternate world where magic complicates the Age of Enlightenment and fuels the Industrial Revolution. Start when technology was still in its Really Cool Handcrafted Stuff phase. Now plant a devoted pair of young adults in it. Add a villain with a complicated world domination plot and a need for technical expertise only the young man can provide. End result: the young woman heads out on a rescue quest after her kidnapped best friend/almost-fiance. Adventures ensue. There are airship chases. Clockwork wolves. Mind control. Explosions. I won't spoil the ending, but it is a fairy tale.
Every one of the Clockwork Republic books is fun and serious at once. The collection is light and fluffy and filling, and a lot more complicated than it seems at first taste, like an excellent mousse. Each book is a different flavor. Each story stands on its own but ties to the rest. It's a smorgasbord of delicious reading.
Bitter Cold is on the complex side, with a lot of flavorful side plot development and a nice crunch of action. It's easy to devour in one sitting. Go grab a spoon and get started. Read ALL the Clockwork Republic books. It's a wonderful world to visit and revisit, and the sooner you get started, the sooner you'll be enjoying them.