Review – Iron Heart (Iron Universe, Book 1) by M.C. D’alton, Melanie Page (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Length: 233 pages
Publisher: Vulpine Press
Release Date: January 24, 2020
ASIN : B07ZXF8LPY
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Iron Universe series
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“ Edinburgh, 1859.
Beauden Somerton is dying. Despite the efforts of his father and renowned medical expert, Dr Augustus Somerton, time is running out for Beauden. So, when the research of an enterprising young medical student catches their attention, they realise she may be their last hope.
Galena Tindale fears her unorthodox research has jeopardised her chances of graduating from Edinburgh Medical College. Still, she cannot turn down an opportunity to assist the infamous Dr Somerton in a ground-breaking attempt to save his son’s life. And, as she strives to mend Beauden’s failing heart, he succeeds in capturing hers.
But not everyone wants Beauden to survive, and it’s clear they’ll go to violent and destructive lengths to prevent his revolutionary treatment from going ahead. But how far will they go? Will Galena manage to perform life-saving surgery before it’s too late? Or will she be forced to live in a world that doesn’t include Beauden Somerton?.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Iron Universe series, there are two books in this series right now. I borrowed this book for my Kindle through Kindle Unlimited.
Story (3/5): The story is told from two POVs. The first is Galena, who is struggling to be accepted at college while working on her medical degree. The second is Beauden, a young man with a severe heart defect. His uncle replaced his heart with an iron heart but his health is continuing to struggle. Of course, Galena’s area of expertise is heart surgery and the two form an unlikely bond when Beauden’s father offers to mentor Galena. This was a sweet and predictable story with a lot of medical themed steampunk devices in it. I enjoyed it but did find it fairly easy to predict the storyline.
Characters (4/5): I loved the characters here. Galena is so determined and tries so hard and she was fun to read about. Beauden has been struggling to just survive his whole life but his intelligence, determination, and kindness also made him a fun character to read about. At times Beauden does come across as almost too perfect. I did think they fell in love a bit quickly (insta-love isn’t really a favorite of mine) and this makes their relationship feel a bit awkward (and sometimes a bit creepy). I also really loved Beauden’s father and his crazy work to save his family. The baddies in here were delightfully bad; if a bit one dimensional and simply driven.
Setting (3/5): The world-building here was okay but could have used some work. This is a very typical steampunk setting but in Scotland rather than in London. I honestly kept forgetting I was in Edinburgh instead of London, the setting was just fairly generic.
Writing Style (4/5): This was decently written and conveys some Frankenstein themes. It was an easy and fun read that I enjoyed and the writing flowed well. You can tell this is an indie writing team because there were some small editing mistakes throughout. The story was very predictable, the romance a bit awkward, and the world-building could use some work..however, I still enjoyed it because I just really enjoy these types of books.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I enjoyed this even if it was a bit predictable and unpolished. I liked the characters and enjoyed how the darker subject matter of the story contrasted with how supportive and sweet our characters are to each other. It was a quick read and I am huge fan of these types of Frankenstein influenced steampunk romances, so I enjoyed that. Will I continue with the series? I am not sure right now, it depends on how much I struggle with finding more steampunk to read.
