Maria Isabella Boyd, a former Confederate spy, has been hired by the Pinkerton National Detective Agency to capture Captain Croggon Beurregard Haniney, a runaway slave, who's been eluding authorities on both sides for fifteen years. Boyd is supposed to ensure a valuable Union shipment makes it to Kentucky and Hainey is believed to be following the transport. In reality, Hainey is in pursuit of his stolen war dirigible and in the process crosses paths with Boyd. He's dangerous quarry and she's a dangerous women and when they combine forces...look out! Some parts of this book were really fun but for the most part I just wondered what in the heck I was reading. I should have done some research before hand or at least read the book jacket so that I understood I was reading science fiction! I liked the main characters and even though I just gave this book two stars, I would probably read the next one in the series because the book ending left me intrigued! This looks really interesting. I love the idea of steampunk. Despite some cursing and violence this particular piece *may* work for middle school -- I think the idea of appropriating the Victorian colonizer works so well when applied to historical fiction set during the Civil War. Some day I want to write a unit based on this literary genre -- I think students would gain a lot from analyzing the choices authors make here in an energized, engaging milieu.
A quick,fun,and action packed read.I really enjoyed the gun toting,Maria "Belle" Boyd.
—karenlovesyou
A fun, witty, and action packed steampunk adventure. So ready for more!
—kensiblye
Much prefered Boneshaker, but it was still an interesting book
—izzy
There really needs to be a 3.5 star rating.
—calacalaa_x3
