Review – The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (3/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 448 pages
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: December 6, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-0803737610
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Charley Davidson series
Source: Audibook from Audible.com
Rating: 3/5 stars
“Set in turn of the century London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician’s assistant. The three young women’s lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.
It’s up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder–and the crimes they believe may be connected to it–without calling too much attention to themselves.
Set in the past but with a modern irreverent flare, this Steampunk whodunit introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike–well, relatively ladylike–heroines poised for more dangerous adventures.”
I have had this book on my TBR pile for awhile; I was excited to finally get around to reading it. This was an okay YA steampunk. It’s a pretty light steampunk read; the three girls the story follows are all pretty upbeat and spunky. I enjoyed them as characters but also found them to be a bit one dimensional.
The same was true for the plot and story; everything worked out neatly but was fairly predictable and felt a bit contrived. The whole thing is written in a very cutesy manner; lots of modern slang interspersed in this Victorian steampunk world. The ending was really rushed; pretty much all the mystery is solved in the last couple chapters.
The world also felt a bit unfinished. This seems to be an alternate version of London where there are lots of steampunk artifacts. However, aside from that there isn’t a lot of explanation or history.
Overall it was just okay. This is a quick read that is kind of fun and cute. However it doesn’t leave a lasting impression; it reminded me a bit of cotton candy…sweet and easy to eat, but in the end it’s empty calories and you can’t eat too much without feeling a bit off. Everything felt a bit one dimensional: the character, the plot, and the world. There are much better YA steampunk novels out there. I would highly recommend The Baskerville Affair by Emma Jane Holloway or any of Gail Carriger’s YA books.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Pick Your Genre (Steampunk) Reading Challenge