The Strange Case of Finley Jayne(Steampunk Chronicles 0.5)Author: Kady CrossPublisher: Harlequin Teen, 2011Genre: YA SteampunkFree: B&N
Finley Jayne knows she's not 'normal'. Normal girls don't lose time, or have something inside them that makes them capable of remarkably violent things. Her behavior has already cost her one job, so when she's offered the lofty position of companion to Phoebe, a debutante recently engaged to Lord Vincent, she accepts, despite having no experience. Lord Vincent is a man of science with his automatons and inventions, but Finley is suspicious of his motives where Phoebe is concerned. She will do anything to protect her new friend, but what she discovers is even more monstrous than anything she could have imagined...
Finley Jayne can't keep a job. She's not normal. Normal girls didn't give in to dark urges like hitting someone, or saying cruel truths. It's not proper! After losing her latest job, and being fired without a reference, Finley knows it'll be next to impossible to find another. But the next day a Lady comes with a job offer, as a companion for a young debutante named Phoebe. Finley accepts, but she soon finds out that her job is more complicated than a mere companion. Lord Vincent is hiding something, and Finley senses that Phoebe might be in danger. Finley will have to use her extraordinary skills if she hopes to save her new friend from this terrible engagement.
This short story sets the background for Finley's story, one of the main characters from The Girl in the Steel Corset. She honestly believes she's a monster, and possesses some kind of devilish being inside of her that makes her do those horrible things. It's also the first time she consciously starts to use her 'power,' whereas before it just kind of took over her. Finley it's an amazing heroine. Her Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde effect kept me turning pages waiting to see what she would do next. I'd only read about ten pages of this short story and already knew I was going to continue with the series.
The steampunk was there in all its steam powered glory. I mean a mechanical eyes, steam powered coaches, mechanical horses, and, of course, automatons. We get a peek at one other main character of The Girl in the Steel Corset, The Duke of Greythorne. Not much is said about him other than he is an odd Duke that likes to keep to himself, and that has a nice derriere. And, you know, that’s definitely another reason to keep reading the series!
This is just a little taste of the amazing world Kady Cross created in the Steampunk Chronicles. The ebook is Free on Barnes & Noble! So drop by and grab a copy, you don't need a nook to read it. You can just download the app on your computer or phone and read it from there!
Favorite Quotes:
Miss Clarke slapped the boy, and then Finley punched Miss Clarke.
How was she to know the woman's teeth were so brittle that they'd fall out?
~
Finley crept toward that light, wincing when the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. She froze, scarcely daring to breathe. Nothing. No metal guards, no weapons flying out of the walls, not trip wires designed to maim or kill. Lord Vincent put all of his energy into keeping people out of his house rather than taking precautions against a stranger romancing the inside—thankfully.
At the end of the corridor, she crouched down and put her eyes to the keyhole.
Please, don't let him be naked, she prayed. She might have to gouge out her own eyes if Lord Vincent was prancing about in his flesh pajamas on the other side of the door.
