Great read with some nice world building
581208
This is a great start to what I hope is a long series. A fun magical detective story is always a good time and this is a great one. If you like it check out his other series it will be time well spent
3007024
I enjoyed the world building in this novel. The alien life and human foibles were mostly interesting and believable. I was a bit less impressed with the romance aspects of this story but other crew/relationships were really interesting and creative. I'd like to read a lot more about these people.
2950966
An intriguing start to a series. I enjoyed the world building in this YA fantasy. There was enough intrigue and twists to keep me reading. Unlike some YA, this one is character-driven, which was enjoyable to read.
620392
The author creates an interesting world and characters that are fun to read and that feel real. The editing it a little rough around the edges in this, the author's first novel but nothing that pulls me out of the story. I'll definitely be buying the next book in the series.
4041390
This is a fantasy that has great balance of world-building, romance and character development.  With intrigue, mystery and bright flashes of humor, it's a story that keeps the pages turning. The story starts with a bang and the pace move along well throughout.  The characters all feel different and unique, with some amazingly descriptive scenes that have me thinking about the book long after I finished reading.

Overall the plot is well developed, with a few good surprises along the way and I can't wait for the sequel.
I'd recommend for readers 12+ and not just girls.  I'm handing it off to my 13 year old boy, too!
3663939
A great start for this new world. From the start I thought the characters would be typical young woman running from a unwanted fate, saved by a male hero. But, it was exceptional world building, wonderfully flushed supporting characters, and a unique take on paranormal/sci-fi/steam punk (?). You can tell it's gonna be a good series with the many characters hopefully getting more fully developed stories as the series goes on. Now, I do wish the two main characters' story in this book was completed. I still get like I didn't quite know them by the end, but this may have been because they come across as very young. The ending definitely is set up as a continuation, our cliff hanger.
523086
A great read with good world building. No complaints that there are more books in this series- good job on the authors part because I'm ready to see what happens next. From a reluctant fantasy reader (why more of a SF girl) I was complete enthralled with the first book in the series and the action scenes are well paced and exciting. Would recommend as a book to support and encourage self published authors!
3717502
The world Anderson has built is not only well-researched, but also touched with an interesting brand of magic. The steampunk nature of the setting is nice and subtle, and not overdone or crammed down the throat of the reader - which I very much appreciated.

I had a few small gripes, however. Personally, I had a bit of trouble connecting with the characters. Even the main character Wylie felt a bit like a caricature to me, rather than a character in her own right. It felt as though Wylie dealt with a large event later in the book much better than I was expecting, as well (however, I do understand the possibility that this is because of her magical nature). There was also a lot of tell instead of show and some info-dumping at the start which could have been placed throughout the book, instead. As it stood, Wylie seemed to know everything and be in control of the situation rather quickly.

Having said that, I don't think these problems are as big for the intended audience. Given how quickly I finished the book, it's clear that I enjoyed it despite my little gripes. There were certainly a few twists that I thought were interesting, I just wished they'd lead to more character development.
466130
More of a 3.5 star.

Good world building, I enjoyed the writing style, excellent for a first time author. Potential for a 4 star but lacked character development and proper explanation of character connections. Some elements of the story could have been fleshed out a bit more, and the story jumped unexpectedly at times.

Although it was an intriguing story for the most part, some of the realisations of Sophia's abilities were anti-climactic, big build up and then the characters inexplicably just accepted what was happening and carried on, which was totally unrealistic. Also, the advanced technology being used by the cruor came out of no where and needed some dedicated paragraphs or even a chapter to establish a proper link.

I did enjoy the book, I'll buy the next one in the series, I'm just not as invested in the characters as I would like to be. It's a really tough genre to get into, since its been done so many times but the author gave it a good shot. I wish I could give it the extra half star here, I feel bad giving 3 as it was more than just 'OK'. This author has the potential to be great.
848345
I liked reading this book and the world that the author created has lots of potential to be developed in the future. I can't say I'm in love with the fates of the characters so far though. Most important in my opinion is that at the end I wanted to know what happened next, and so I would buy the next book.
4712739
I might enjoy this more on a reread when I don't have 10,000 other things on my mind. At times, I got frustrated with the repetition and lack of progress, but before I knew it, I was plowing through at 10-11 at night and not wanting to stop. The worldbuilding was an excellent hybrid of sci-fi and fantasy, the characters, although a tad too many for me to keep track of, were engaging. I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series and I can't wait to see where the author takes it next.
2020794
I enjoyed this book-- it's fairly short, but the author has done an excellent piece of world-building, and I liked the characters.
1055464
Good premise, nice world building! The ending escape needs some work, I think its too easy for the characters, but otherwise one of the best!
907534
There was great world building and I loved the characters. Definitely a books that I would recommend to others. I took one star off because there were some minor grammatical errors.
3062778
I really liked the premise of another world comprised of islands and peopled with a population that can perform magic - everyone has the ability to create projections. Once I got into the actual story, I quite enjoyed it. There are a lot of characters/threads going on, but they manage to pull it off on the whole. The world building is done really well, giving the reader enough information to understand what is going on, but not overwhelming with detail. It did seem like there could be a little more action, which is why I haven't rated the story higher. I'm hopefully that the future volumes will have a little more excitement, now that we have established the basic story lines.

I really appreciated that it felt like the teenagers in this book were actual teenagers instead 25-year-olds, so that was a nice change of pace for a lot of YA fiction I read these days. All in all, I was thoroughly engaged in the story and am looking forward to Volume Two, with hopefully more to follow soon!

NB This book was given to me by the authors, which did not impact my review.
4173083
*voluntarily and honestly reviewed the ARC I received from NetGalley*

It's a 4.5 for me. I love fantasy worlds and the one built was pretty cool, consisting of warring kingdoms separated by a magical wall. It was a bit like our world but filled with prejudice and fear. A lot of my attention was on the way the people treated Jasminda for not looking like the rest of the redheaded citizens despite her mother being one. Her romance with Jack was good and fun. I'm still in the reading throes but I thought the pace was pretty good, though it felt like the action took a step back so Jack and Jasminda could figure out their feelings about the current situations. I liked that the ending wasn't a cliffhanger, but it left with a hint of something for you to want to read in the next book. It's a recommended read if you like reading about refugees being treated unfairly and struggling to, I don't know, not die, a young girl learning to have more confidence in herself, magic and oppression, horrid council members who honestly make you wonder how no one's gotten rid of in the middle of the night, and a sweet-hearted prince trying to do what's right.
2020620
World building
The story takes place in Chicago, but blends magic and supernatural with preternatural elements. The urban setting helps ground the reader between the reality of earth and the supernatural elements. Chicago is a fairly well known city, even to those who aren't native to America, and it was nice to see a different city other than the typical New York/Los Angeles/Vegas. No flaws in the realm of magic or holes and thats always a sign of a solidified foundation.

Characters
I liked that Nicole thinks her powers are a quirk. The major element that I enjoyed about her is how she treats her power, but its hard to describe without massive spoilers. There were a few parts where I questioned (and her sisters questioned) why shed done this or that, but the character flaw was intentional. She trusts easily, but in the world she stumbles into, that could have serious consequences. Nicole catches on quickly though as the story unfolds and she grows.
Gunner is your resident bad boy does good as in his persona screams, Im bad, don't mess with me. He means it, but beneath the demonic exterior hes different when it comes to Nicole and those he cares for.

Plot

Theres building romantic(and highly sexual) tension between Gunner and Nicole, but theres a plot too. At times I felt swept more into the love story than the plot, but thats natural for me to do as a reader. Im a sucker for romance.
Part of the plot is in Nicoles self-discovery. She learns what she is and it changes her world. Not just her day-to-day activities or nighttime butt kicking sessions, but it alters everything she thought was true about her, her sisters, and her past. The second half of the plot is coming to terms to what destiny means and fulfilling it, but she is only once piece of the bigger picture.

Recommend to those who enjoy PNR and UF as this combines elements of both worlds.