Miss Quintessential reviews !

My name is Cherry St. Croix. I am a collector, one of the many who are employed to acquire, kill or investigate for bounties. My rules are simple: I don’t collect children, and I don’t murder for coin. Truth be told, I’ve never killed for any reason.

This book is one of the many reasons as to why I love Steampunk ! A perfect mix of Mystery , Gothic , horror , thrill , subtle humor , romance and obviously .. Steampunk , Tarnished takes the readers on a wild ride through the streets of Victorian London .


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Cue Music : Twisted and Broken - Abney Park

Set in the 1888's , Tarnished is the story of Cherry St. Croix -daughter of a mad scientist - who lives a dual life . During the day , she is a proper Victorian miss , dressed up in gowns and being taught the ways to snatch herself a good husband . But at night , Cherry disguises herself as Miss Black , a bounty hunter or Collector as they are usually called wandering the streets of London looking for criminals and vagrants , and delivering them to the concerned parties for a certain amount of money ... Why she needs the money you ask ? You see , Cherry has two addictions . One : Her love for science and scientific tools and two : her love for Opium . Cherry lost her parents in a fire while she was just a little girl . Bought up on the streets and forced to live a life under a ringmaster who keeps his performers ( mostly kids ) pumped up with opium , Cherry has had a difficult time kicking the habit . Now she just uses it to keep her nightmares at bay , meaning , she takes them every night. Therefore the job of a bounty hunter !

Just like how Cherry lives a dual life , she has two interesting dudes keeping her company , or more , taking a keen interest in her . First its the son of the Marchioness , Lord Compton . A respected name amongst the high rankers . A mysterious figure himself , Lord Compton finds Cherry different from the odd assortment of women in the society . Personally I dont like him that much . The man may have class , but puhlease ! He isn't just that yummy . I think Cherry is better off without him .

And secondly and oh my god yummily .. we have The guy who runs the Midnight Menagerie , Micajah Hawke a.k.a Cage !


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Ummmmm hello hotness !

Micajah Cage , like Lord Compton is quite a mysterious figure too . But I gotta tell you . The lord ain't got nothing on Cage , son ! Dark , brooding and always in control , Hawke is the man behind the Pleasure Garden Of London ! I think Cherry describes him the best when she says that if The Menagerie is the pleasure garden then Hawke is the tempting snake of sin ! I couldn't agreeeeee more !

Getting back on track here , the story deals with Cherry trying to find a creep who is murdering the 'sweets' ( prostitutes ) and taking a piece of their body ( could be an organ or something ) with him as trophy of job well done . What a moron ! And to make matters worse someone is stalking Cherry too ! What or who is this creep ? Is it the same person or two different people ? Well , you'll have to find that out for yourself .

Things I loved about this book :

- Cherry ! She absolutely rocks ! Move over hero's , there is a new butt kicker in town who wears a sexy corset while she's doing it ! I loved the fact that Cherry isn't in no sense a perfect female lead . Her addiction to Opium , the fact that she despises the 'fake' society she lives in , her need to do good by those who care for her shows that she isn't perfect . But that's not stopping here for doing goodness !

- The World building in this book took my breath away . Victorian London is divided into 2 ! There is London proper . Imagine the city on stilts ! Yup , London proper is almost in the sky , to be travelled on Ferry ships or Gondolas ! Its the resident ground for the rich and famous . You wont find the middle , working class community there . And then we have London below the drift . This is that part of the city that is mostly populated by the working class and Pollution . Yup , you read that right . The city is in a constant state of fog . Industrial smoke and sludge from factories and turned a once beautiful city into a breeding grounds for diseases !

- Mystery galore ! Loved the unique combination of Jack the Ripper and Frankenstein ! Enough said !

If Steampunk and romance is your cup of tea , then this book is for you my friend !

Bravo Karina Cooper , Bravo !


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