Audiobook Review – The Golden Spider (Elemental Web Chronicles, Book 1) by Anne Renwick, Narrated by Henrietta Meire (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 10 hours and 20 minutes (484 pages)
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Release Date: June 6, 2017
ASIN: B072357P44
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Elemental Web Chronicles series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

“Lady Amanda is tired of having both her intelligence and her work dismissed.

After blackmailing her way into medical school, she catches the eye of her anatomy professor from the moment she walks into his lecture hall. Is he interested in her? Or only her invention – a clockwork spider that can spin artificial nerves?

Lord Thornton, a prominent neurobiologist, has been betrayed.

Secret government technology has been stolen from his laboratory, and a foreign spy is attempting to perfect it via a grisly procedure…using gypsies as test subjects. The last thing he needs is the distraction of a beautiful – and brilliant – new student, even if her spider could heal a deteriorating personal injury.

Until her device is stolen and used in the latest murder.

Lord Thornton has no option but to bring her into his laboratory as well as the investigation, where they must fight their growing yet forbidden attraction. Bodies accumulate, and fragile bonds are tested as they race across London, trying to catch the spy before it’s too late.”

This is the first book in the Elemental Web Chronicles (which is a trilogy). I really really loved this book a ton. I felt like it was made for me. I loved the scientist/doctor female lead, I loved the Victorian setting, I loved the steampunk elements and mystery and the romance as well!

Lady Amanda blackmailed her father to allow her to go to medical school. Now she must find a husband by the end of year if she wants to stay in medical school. She has also created a fantastic invention/spider that allows her to spin artificial nerves, thereby curing paralysis and other nerve disorders. Things get complicated when her spider gets involved in a plot against the crown and Amanda is invited to work in Lord Thornton’s lab. Lord Thornton comes with a whole slew of baggage but him and Amanda are inexplicably drawn to each other in a more-than-professional way.

I enjoyed this whole story thoroughly from the beginning to the end. I would recommend to those who enjoy steampunk reads with a nice romance. There was also a very good mystery here and some fun technical discussion around various inventions and steampunk items.

The characters are very well done and the romantic scenes between them are amazing! I also really loved all the intriguing steampunk elements and the serial killer mystery linked to them. The world feels very complete and well thought out.

Overall I really loved this and definitely plan on continuing the series! This book had a very good balance of steampunk elements, action, science, romance, adventure, and mystery. Recommended if you like steampunk romance with a heavy science theme to it.