Review – Bitches and Brawlers (Steampunk Red Riding Hood, Book 4) by Melanie Karsak (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 134 pages
Publisher: Clockpunk Press
Release Date: July 10, 2018
ASIN : B07CZP8XFS
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series
Source: Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Since Cyril’s death, an uneasy peace has existed between Alodie and Lionheart. Her brothel closed, her rank in the werewolf pecking order obliterated, and shunned by the Templars, Alodie has been living on the fringes of the dark district. Determined to get vengeance on Lionheart and Clemeny, Alodie hatches a monstrous plan. Just in time to ruin Clemeny and Edwin’s first outing as a couple.
Alodie will do anything to see a new alpha rise.
Unless Clemeny can stop her first.”
Series Info/Source: This is the fourth book in the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series. There are six books in this series and I borrowed this one through Kindle Unlimited.
Story (4/5): Clemeny is finally getting a bit of peace and she’s enjoying her outings with Edwin Hunter (her boss and love interest). However, things get a bit crazy when Clemeny finds out Alodie (the werewolf involved in the first book) may be collaborating with demons to bring another were into power to confront Lionheart. Now what was supposed to be a peaceful trip to the museum ends up in an all out battle. This is a fun and quick-paced story that builds on a lot of things that happened in the first couple books of the series. I love that Hunter’s demon-hunting skills also come into play. This is a fun contained story but also pushes along the main storyline.
Characters (4/5): Clemeny is growing on me, she is finally finding some balance and peace…sort of. There was a lot less of her worrying about her appearance and hunting lustfully after men…and a lot more of her just enjoying the people in her life. Hunter is a good balance for her, however I am curious to see where things go with Lionheart as well since he is a fascinating character. Even more intriguing are the additional parts of Clemeny’s history that are revealed and the fact that she may not be quite as human as she thought.
Setting (4/5): This book takes place in a Victorian Steampunk London and I continue to love this setting and enjoy how seamlessly the steampunk elements are woven into historical London. It’s a fun setting and well described.
Writing Style (4/5): I feel like as of the third book in this series Karsak has hit a good writing stride. Some of the earlier books felt a bit unfocused but in this book you get a very well done, contained mystery, as well as progress in the broader story. I thought it was very well done. Karsak does an awesome job at keeping the pace fast and writes amazing action scenes as well. Obviously I keep reading her books, so I must enjoy her writing style!
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a very well done continuation to the Steampunk Red Riding Hood series. I enjoyed the pace of the story, the mystery, the characters, the action and how well things tied back to earlier books in the series. This was a fun read and I plan on continuing with the series. I would recommend this series to anyone who is looking for a steampunk series full of quick, fun, fast-paced reads.
