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  • Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel

  • Magnificent Devices, Book 1
  • By: Shelley Adina
  • Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
  • Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (58 ratings)
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Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel cover art

Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel

By: Shelley Adina
Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham
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Summary

London, 1889: Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin's son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices...

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his...if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals....

©2011 Shelley Adina (P)2013 Shelley Adina

What listeners say about Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Don't judge the book by its cover!

With its horrible cover and an author whose other work seems to include Amish romantic fiction, I wasn't sure that this was going to be the book for me. Still, I like steampunk and this volume was free so I thought I'd give it a go.

I'm glad I did. This book is absolutely charming and very well written. The steampunk technology (basically, combustion engines have not been made to work) fits in very well with the plot and, barring a lightning gun or two, is more plausible than some and well worked into the plot.

Unlike some other steampunk novels, however, the technology does not crowd out characterisation and I liked the almost Jane Austen subtlety of tone and description of the everyday social conflicts of upper class Victorian society.

If the book has a fault it's that it is clearly the first volume of a series and consequently very little is resolved. I shall definitely be downloading the next volume, however, as the first volume has left me anxious to resume the adventures of Lady Claire and her semi-cilvilised but cute gang of orphans (plus chicken).

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

simply brilliant

A great introduction to a new series. One of the best things I have read in the last 10 years. Well worth a look (or a listen!). The production suits the glorious prose perfectly. Well done to all involved and more more more please!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A brilliant story fabulously narrated!

I had already read these books before getting the audiobooks, and was not sure if I would like them. However, I not only like them, I LOVE them - they are fabulously narrated, with great character and spirit, and really bring the story to life! So much so that I had to listen to the whole thing once started, and now I'm moving straight on to the rest of the series asap! I cannot recommend these books enough to all adventure lovers, whatever your age

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Extremely engaging

What did you like most about Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel?

Nicely written with an appealing cast of characters

Who was your favorite character and why?

The twins, Maggie and Lizzie - different characters but both appealing in their own way

What does Fiona Hardingham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

She's very good with accents so it's easy to distinguish which character she is voicing. Her pronunciation could be better in places (consistently pronouncing the "Bow" of "Bow Bells" as if it were someone bending at the waist instead of being what one would tie using a ribbon, for example) but generally she's very good.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It's certainly made me laugh

Any additional comments?

It's obviously written by an American - the everyday American terms peppered about the English setting are a bit jarring (sidewalk, instead of pavement, vest instead of waistcoat, always referring to Autumn as "Fall" etc.), although on the whole it's an exciting and engaging story with characters that draw you in to experience the narrated events in their lives.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent story, dreadful narration

Inconsistent pronunciation and nonsensical intonation, it's like the narrator has no idea how the words she's reading relate to each other. It's a testament to the gripping story that I finished it at all

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Slow to get going

This, I admit, was not quite what I was expecting. Too many Americanisms for a Victorian England set novel. Since when did Victorians use sidewalks, drapes and describe autumn as fall?. The story was rather slow and a little predictable. A poor mixture of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart novels and H G Wells.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it

this story did not play out as expected, but it was all the better for that. Loved it

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a fun read and the narrator is outstanding.

What did you like most about Lady of Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel?

The story is really engaging, fun and imaginative. Not formulaic at all and full of surprises.

Any additional comments?

I could hear Fiona Hardingham reading the phone book - she's fantastic.

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