Wicked Steel by Harper Lynn

An Interesting Start

There is a warning about the world right from the start, but I’d just come out of reading a different steampunk novel, so it’s pretty much run of the mill for me. There are steampunk elements throughout, including manpowered cabs, and driverless shuttles.

So, saying that – this is an interesting world, with magic based on eleven elements. In this story, the element is steel.

So, steel is absolutely everywhere, used in almost everything, giving the advanced users, the Heirs, much to play with.

The two main characters are Cara, Heir and daughter to one of the most powerful magnates in the city, and Derron, an odd-job guy who takes his money from whoever pays the most, currently Cara’s father.

And so the two meet, Derron learning that Cara isn’t a stuck-up good-for-nothing heiress, and Cara learning that Derron may not just be out for himself and may have a heart overall.

It is a story of love, loss, and betrayal. The betrayals were somewhat expectant, as there was clever foreshadowing. But, yes, they’re completely blind to it, and we see them get out of a few scrapes because of it.

All in all, not a bad read, but it definitely needed extra editing before it reached the ARC stage, as there were huge chunks of repeated text.

Final rating: ★★★★☆ – Really liked

*I received a free digital ARC via the author and am voluntarily leaving a review.*