Friday, April 22, 2016

Friday Fiction Fix: "Tainted"

The Short:

Tainted
The Soul Chronicles, Book 1

By: Morgan L. Busse

4.5/5 Stars

What: A young female scientist has always held a mysterious power just barely under control—but what happens when she can no longer control it?

Recommended to those who like: Sci-fi/steampunk, Christian, Romance, Young Adult

The Long:

Look at me—I actually managed to get a book review out soon after the book’s release!

Kat has always known that a dangerous power lurks within her. When she is accepted to the Tower, the leading scientific institution in World City, she takes it as her chance to research her condition. But can she find answers before she entirely loses control?

Stephen Grey is a leading detective. After leaving the force to become a bounty hunter, what will he do when he crosses paths with Kat?

I really would have loved to give this book five stars. The world-building was fantastic, blending the Victorian era with the dreams of the future and leaving the perfect amount to the imagination. I’ve never read steampunk before (and was somewhat skeptical), but I’d definitely be willing to try some more from the genre.

The concept of the story was also unique, echoing aspects of Frankenstein while forging its own path.

However, it took me a while to get into it. I didn’t really like Kat at the beginning of the story and it jumped around a bit too much at the start for my taste. Also, the romance was too heavy for me. (Shock there—sorry to all of you who love romance.)

Although this volume was somewhat predictable, I’m very excited to see where the story is going. I’m on board with the characters now, and there are some great little nuggets as to some bigger conflicts that could be coming up in the next book. But I have to wait until 2017 to find that out. *Sighs*

This book did an excellent job of incorporating a realistic Christian element into the story. It wasn’t preachy or overwhelming, but it hints at great things to come.

More than anything, I’m really excited to see Christian authors writing books in different genres and exploring new worlds. If you’ve got a few bucks to spare, give this one a try and send the message that there is a market for new books that venture outside the prairie romance.

The bottom line: If you’re into sci-fi from a Christian perspective and open to trying some steampunk, give this one a go. Just expect some romance and give the book some time to get going.


Have you ever read steampunk before? If so, what book? And what did you think?

5 comments:

  1. This looks really good! I'll have to check it out sometime. I haven't read much steampunk, but it's definitely a genre I'd like to read more of. I've read the Leviathan trilogy by Scott Westerfeld, and it was amazing. One of my favourite trilogies to date. So I'll have to look into this one :)

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    1. I would definitely recommend it! I might have to check out Leviathan. I'm trying to expand my reading horizons beyond epic fantasy (which is where I'm most comfortable). Thanks for the comment!

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  2. "If you’ve got a few bucks to spare, give this one a try and send the message that there is a market for new books that venture outside the prairie romance"

    So much "yes." I totally agree --I still love a good prairie romance now and again, but I always love to show people there's more to Christian fic than that! I adore steampunk fashion and have been meaning to read the genre for awhile ... Tainted and Curio are totally at the top of my list. :-)

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    1. I had never read steampunk before Tainted and I really enjoyed it, so I would say it's a good introduction to the genre.

      Curio--the one by Evangeline Denmark? I had to snoop around on Goodreads to find it, but it looks pretty good.

      Thanks for the comment! Always good to see new faces.

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