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Apr 18, 2016jessica_ebacher rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I love Jim Butcher. He's nailed urban fantasy with his Dresden Files novels, and was equally successful with the "lost Roman legion meets Pokemon" epic fantasy of Furies of Calderon. I think he's just as successful here with his new steampunk series. Steampunk can be a tough genre - it was kind of the hot thing for a little while, and so many entries into the genre are nothing more than stale cliche. While Butcher didn't entirely avoid cliche (petite, haughty tough girl Gwen, I'm looking at you), he's created a fun and fascinating world, populated with characters you can really care about. When you care about the characters, you race through the end of the novel, muttering "please don't die please don't die" under your breath because there's actual tension while your favorite characters are in danger. Also, there are talking cats, and everyone likes talking cats.