Novella Review – Mina Wentworth and the Invisible City (Iron Seas, Book 1.5) by Meljean Brook (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 104 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Release Date: August 7, 2012
ASIN: B007K3E17I
Stand Alone or Series: 1.5th book in the Iron Seas series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars
“When newly-married Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth is called to investigate a bounder’s murder, she doesn’t expect the mysterious machine she finds…or the danger that leads back to her husband.”
Series Info/Source: This is a novella that takes place 8 months after the first book in the Iron Seas series. I borrowed a copy of this on ebook through my library.
Thoughts: It was wonderful to revisit the Iron Seas world and this was a fun novella in general. There’s a fun little mystery and it’s great to see where Mina and Rhys are at 8 months of marriage!
This novella is all wonderful steampunk mystery goodness and some steamy romance. There are unsolved murders, strange contraptions and Rhys is constantly worrying for Mina’s safety; which makes him want to express his love for her in very physical ways…
The Iron Seas world remains my all time favorite steampunk fantasy world and I loved the chance to revisit it. Mina and Rhys are enjoyable characters and the side characters were well done too. There is a perfect balance of mystery, action, steampunk fun, humor and romance throughout the story. I truly enjoyed this step back into the Iron Seas world and was happy I finally made time to read this; it has me wanting to go back and re-read the whole Iron Seas series!
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a fun read that I would recommend it to steampunk fans who don’t mind some romance in their steampunk. I would recommend reading Book 1 of the Iron Seas series before reading this one to get the background on this world; the events from book 1 are referenced but not really explained. If you are a big Iron Seas series fan and missed this novella, I think it is definitely worth picking up to read. Loved this!
