The Girl in the Steel Corset review

In Victoria London, things are not always as they seem. Deep in the Earth’s core exist primordial beings known as “organites,” creatures that make up the very emblem of life. If attached to humans, they can rebuild organs, skin, and tissue, making one heal faster—they can even bring back those on the brink death. These “beasties” work their so-called magic not only on people, but they can also work their powers on robots. A team of scientists excavated these creatures decades before, and at the wishes of Queen Victoria, they remained a secret from the public.

In the present, there are ordinary people, relatives of the team of those scientists, who exhibit inhuman powers. Finley Jayne has something inside her, a darker self, which seeps out when her normal self is threatened. Griffin King, newly appointed Duke after his parents were mysteriously murdered, has the ability to control the aether, energy, to the point that he can converse with the dead. Sam has extraordinary strength; and Emily, a brilliant mechanic, develops an ability to communicate with metal. Together, they must stop The Mechanic, a man who has given life to robots and threatens to destroy those who betrayed him.

This fascinating steampunk novel is, as the author describes, “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets X-men,” with an additional mix of Jekyll and Hyde and The Golden Compass thrown in. Cross’s language is lyrical and descriptive; the world she creates is imaginative and well-developed.