Steel Lily (Review)

*Hey all, today is my stop of the Steel Lily tour! You can find my thoughts and review below!!*

*Hosted by: MPTB Tours*

Steel Lily

(The Periodic Series, #1)

By: Megan Curd

Release Date: August 20th, 2013

Genre(s): YA Science Fiction/Dystopia 

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

One look at the cover and I was helpless. Steel Lily is completely awesome. Although it's slow to start it thrusts you instantly into this world with Elementalists that are confined to live in Domes post WWIII. My first thought was that I was a little lost within the amount of knowledge layed out for readers but as I read further on it slowed down and I absorbed it easily. I found myself glued to every page because I was desperately curious to see what would happen next to the heroine Avery. She lives a rough life, she's protective of her less fortunate friends, and has an ability that everyone wants to control. She's the farthest thing from superficial, she's real and easy to connect with. Alice, her best friend, is destitute and appears weak but is secretly sage and courageous. I loved the surprises from each character, they are all full of depth.

Avery is wise, clever, bold, and her potential is endless. Jaxon, a boy she meets a little ways into the story is witty, arrogant, and has deep emotions hidden beneath. They are each other's counterparts and they don't even realize it. They have tons of verbal battles and it's incredibly amusing. I couldn't stop reading because I loved their banter, it actually had me laughing out loud. The story itself is compelling and will have you rooted to your seat. The emotional development of many of the characters is a driving force, there is a combination of relationships that progress and it's an essential part of why I really liked Steel Lily. Every aspect has time to build up to certain points it wasn't like some young adult reads where things move forward too quickly and you don't get to witness the in-between. The world that's constructed is bleak, gritty, and thoroughly intriguing. The background history is revealed little by little and does a good job of being informative without overwhelming you all at once.

Avery Pike is young, orphaned, and has but one thing she can contribute to society—steam. Steam is all that matters after World War III and it's what keeps life going. After exposure to radiation Avery becomes a water Elementalist and her ability is sought after which is why she's allowed to live as an Elite—though it's hardly a blessing—she provides Dome Four with steam which is rare and necessary to maintaining life as everyone knows it. On a day much like any other an odd man approaches Avery and confronts her with a terrifying truth that unravels her whole existence. He offers her the chance to get out from under the thumb of the corrupt government and find out what happened to her parents—reluctantly she takes it. Now with the help of some new and old friends they dig up the secrets that have long been buried and what's discovered will be life-changing to all.

Steel Lily is a fantastic blend of dystopia and steampunk. That mix may seem like unlikely but it works well. The writing is outstanding Megan Curd can really paint a picture in your mind. While there was some predictability some twists you won't ever see coming. Steel Lily has a fair amount of action, drama, romantic tension, and suspense to hold your attention. It has been awhile since I picked up a book and enjoyed it so much for its inventiveness and wonderfully detailed plot. It's worth the read and deserves praise for its individuality. Beware there is some inappropriate language, violence, and innuendos. Those who are 15+ should have no problems with it. I already can't wait for the sequel Iron Pendulum to release, The Periodic Series is one to look out for!

Synopsis:

AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.

She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued.

But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.

When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

LINKS: GOODREADS | AMAZON | AUTHOR | B&N | SHELFARI !