Magnificent Devices(Magnificent Devices 3)Publisher: Createspace, 2012Genre: YA SteampunkAn air voyage to remember turns into a disaster no one may survive.With her orphaned charges, Lady Claire Trevelyan joins the Earl of Dunsmuir’s family on an airship voyage to the Americas. If she can stay out of Lord James Selwyn’s way until her eighteenth birthday, she will be of age and cannot be forced into marriage. What she doesn’t know is that Lord James is in the Americas, too, with Andrew Malvern closing in on him—and the wonderful device he stole.But when a storm cripples the airship and sky pirates swoop in like carrion birds, Claire and the children must live by their wits to make their way across a harsh landscape. Will Andrew ever see her again and right the wrong he believes he has done? Will Lord James succeed in his monumental thievery? And how exactly does Rosie the chicken evade the soup pot?Tighten your goggles, pull on your gloves, and prepare yourself for stratagems and strangeness in the third book in the series, Magnificent Devices!
Magnificent Devices picks up right after book two, where we left brave Lady Claire and her wards about to embark on a journey to the Americas. Claire feels safe now that she’s far away from Lord James’s grasp. But then things go wrong, and their airship is boarded by sky pirates! And the ransom request is answered by none other than James who’s in the Americas too! Claire knows it’s time for the Lady of Devices to reappear and cause some trouble of her own to save her flock.
Shelley Adina writes another magnificent adventure in Magnificent Devices, where our favorite bunch of ladies—Claire, Maggie, Lizzie, and their new acquaintance Alice—will show just how resourceful ladies can be!
With her sharp mind and daring attitude, Claire Trevelyan has become one of my favorite heroines in YA. She’s still fighting against the conventions set in her world for women. It doesn’t matter how many people tell her no, that she can’t do this or that because she’s a woman, Claire simply doesn’t give up. In this third installment of the mopsies Maggie and Lizzie get much more bigger parts. Marooned in the desert, these girls are pushed to the limits of their endurance. We also meet another resourceful lady called Alice. She’s a builder of automatons and all-time fan of Andrew Malvern.
Speaking of our magnificent engineer, he’s as dashing as ever. Sadly, we don’t get much of him in this third book. Claire (and I) almost swooned when he appeared all dressed as a Wild West cowboy. I do wish he was a bit more forward when it came to expressing his feelings. As it is, Claire doesn’t even hesitate in surrendering if it means keeping him safe.
Things go from bad to worse when James enters the scene. He is positively the most hateful male character I’ve ever come across. The way he goes on and on about how Claire must change and fit herself to his idea of her really makes my blood boil. And I hated that Claire, found herself in the odd position of saving his life. Did she? Well, you’ll have to read it to find out.
The Magnificent Devices series continues to wow me book after book. This time around with pirates, automatons, trains and explosions and the wild wild west! And OMG the ending. I couldn’t believe the novel ended like that. Once again, I can’t wait to see what’s up next for the Lady of Devices and her friends.
*Arc copy provided by the publisher*
Favorite Quotes:
~Maggie~
“Maggie, is that rifle on your back operable?”
“No, sir.”
“Has that thing in your hand got another shot?”
“No, sir.”
“Can you use it as a club if you must?”
“Oh yes, sir.”
“Right, then. It appears our side is carrying the day.”
~The new Andrew~
Over the normalcy of his brocade vest and cravat and shirt was a dusty canvas coat, and he wore an airman’s leather cap with the goggles pushed up on his forehead. A holster on his hip contained some kind of firearm, but she could not tell more than that.
Heavens. He looked positively wild. In a good way.
A very good way.
