Another big improvement over the first two installments of the series though likely my last (assuming others even exist, I didn't bother to check). The characters were great. I enjoyed David's struggle with his past injuries and his adjustments and struggles with his new body. It definitely made him feel more real than previous main male characters. Annika was not the big kickass heroine as the previous two books had which was good. That does get stale in a series when every woman is the same, just different names. That's not to say she was the weak pushover to the dominate male lead. I feel like both characters really held their own. Annika struggles to fit in with the world around her after living in an all female society. I did enjoy her sometimes too blunt for propriety comments.I lost my enthusiasm for the story for the same reasons I did in Heart of Steel. The story set up a specific story arc: Annika must find her sister, David is searching for his mothers people. You expect the story to follow those lines more or less but as in earlier books one thing leads to another, goals change, and their original purposes just kind of fall into their laps along the way.It's not the the overall adventure is bad. It's just that all the bouncing around with no clear goal in sight just doesn't grab me like a clean and straight story would have. Although Riveted is the third book in the Iron Seas series it is a departure from the previous two installments and can absolutely be read as a stand-alone. All the characters are new (although there may be an appearance from a Vashon - fans of the series will know what I'm talking about). Brook takes us to the previously unexplored New World (basically the entire eastern seaboards of the Americas) and Iceland. Neither the hero nor heroine are your typical protagonists for romance in general or even the sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal genres. Annika is definitely quirky. She was raised in a different culture, in an isolated village full of only women in northern Iceland. Annika, often called Annika the Rabbit by friends and family, is even considered odd by her village's standards. She's a dreamer, but she's smart, and when a mistake she made causes her sister's exile she spends years working on an airship combing the New World in order to bring her home.Annika meets David by accident just before her ship departs only to discover that David is a passenger on his way to study the volcanoes of her homeland. David, too, has his differences. Due to a tragic accident he lost his legs, one of his hands and one of his eyes as a child and now has mechanical limbs and a strange eyepiece. For this reason he is often reviled and pitied, especially in the New World because the nanoagents that make mechanical limbs possible are greatly feared among New Worlders. At first these two make an unlikely pair, but part of Meljean's magic is that by the end you just know they are made for each other.Riveted is most romantic of the series so far, and I really enjoyed seeing these two relatively inexperienced people exploring each other. Their acceptance of and devotion to each other was simply wonderful - not to mention their teamwork in saving the day. However, the romance wasn't the only wonderful thing about this book. If you're not familiar with this series it is a spectacular amalgamation that uses history, culture, technology, politics and human nature in just the right amounts of stellar worldbuilding. Meljean Brook is a powerhouse storyteller with such a strong voice. This is one of those not-to-be missed series.Okay, there's all that other stuff but what about action, adventure, comedy? Yeah - all that is included too. That's what is so great about it; is such a wonderful blend, and it has enough twists and turns to keep it from being predictable while lacking the out-of-left-field, deus-ex-machina solutions so often found in PNR.While I can't say there was anything I truly disliked about this book - and I have to admit I raced through it, too - it didn't quite make five stars for me personally. Objectively, though, the quality of Riveted is, undoubtedly, five stars, and I really think many a reader should be able to connect with these characters. This book has re-read status for me but there was just something that didn't quite click completely. I can't figure out what it was and so that's why I'm leaving this note. I honestly can't think of anything Meljean Brook could have done differently to make this book better (because this book is top-notch).Riveted is a fantastic book for readers looking to explore the steampunk genre. Meljean Brook is the master (or mistress or overlord or whatever you want to call it - leader) of everything steampunk is supposed to be.
What do You think about Riveted (2012)?
Wow! By far my favourite in the series, so far. I can't wait for the next one.
—Arria
Handles homosexuality well, but a bit preachy. Had trouble staying interested.
—maryssa720
The main story was good, but there too much romance for my tastes.
—cheenee
