5/5 Nerd Glasses!!!
Steel Lily (The Periodic Series, #1)
Author: Megan Curd
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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.
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.
Brought to you by TeamNerd Reviewer
Annabell Cadiz
“You know, you’re kind of like a lily. A steel
lily.” (Jaxon)
“Is that a compliment?” (Avery)
He laughed. “Yeah. At least, that’s how I meant it. I mean, you’re a
girl; you’re this beautiful person inside and out, but you hide it. You’re
hard, or that’s what you want people to think, anyway. That’s why I think
you’re a steel lily. Hard and beautiful, intricate and unmoving. It’s the most
puzzling thing I’ve ever seen or experienced. You’re …different.
Review: I am GIDDY with EXCITEMENT for this book! There aren’t a
lot of dystopian novels I have really enjoyed and I haven’t read too many
steampunk books that have gained my interest, but Steel Lily won me over! I ASBOUTELY LOOOOVE this book! ONE OF THE
BEST BOOKS I’VE READ IN 2013!
Steel Lily begins with a girl named Avery Pike. She
lives in Dome Four with her best friends Alice and Legs. The world outside has
been devastated by World War III. Domes have been built to keep those that are
left safe from the radiation poisoning produced by the war. There are those
known as Traditionalists such as Alice and Legs, who work to barely exist in
poverty in their dome. Avery is one of the Elemantalists, one of the few who
can create steam among other elements, something all the domes need to survive
and then there are the Elites, the ones who are wealthy. The government
exploits the Elementalists more than anything else and Avery can’t stand it. She
wants to fight back but knows if she does, her friends will have more to lose
than she does. One day, though, her life changes when she gets cornered by Mr.
Riggs. He offers her passage to Dome Seven, the dome he runs, and tells Avery
she will be free there. Avery brushes him off, not believing anything he offers
until he claims to know about the one thing Avery desperately needs answers to
the most: her parents. She agrees to meet with him later in the day but before
she can, she and Alice get found out by the Polatzi (the government police) and
take off running, trying to find somewhere to hide. A stranger suddenly comes
to the rescue in the form of Jaxon Pierce. He helps them escape and takes them
back to Dome Seven where Avery, Alice and Legs will discover that not
everything that paints itself as beautiful or boasts of freedom is as true as
they’ve been led to believe.
The story begins
at a slow and steady pace. It takes a few chapters to really grip the reader’s
attention but once it does, you’re thrown into a world full of spunky
characters and tension inducing plot.
The characters
are by the far the BEST element to the book! Avery not only has powerful gifts
but she has a sassy attitude to boot. She is strong-willed and fierce. Alice is
shy and quiet but she’s also bubbly and light-hearted. She will speak her mind
though when you really get her going! Legs is adorable and funny and brave. Sari
is smart and determined and follows a strict moral code for justice. She isn’t
just a pretty girl with a great sense of style, she has brains to match. Then
there’s Mr. Jaxon Pierce. He’s gorgeous, blunt, sarcastic as hell and reckless.
But underneath his bravado, he is compassionate, intelligent and wise. He’s
also bitter because of his relationship with his dad. The characters were
beautifully well-rounded. They had strengths and weaknesses. They needed each
other and depended on each other. No one was ever seen as better than the other
nor did they treat each other that way. They were the type of friends you would
want to have. I really appreciated that the female characters were strong in their own way and weren't ever catty or trying to one-up the other.
The
world-building was another wonderful element to the story. The steampunk world
never felt too heavy or too overwhelming nor did it feel out of place. The
technology used matched what you could expect for a dystopian world rebuilding
itself. Everything was described with enough detail to build the imagery
without causing the reader to feel confused or lost or logged down. I also
really liked the setup of the first narration. Usually, first narration can be
hard to get through because the word “I” is used so much, your brain just
lashes on and keeps catching it as you read. Steel Lily is told from Avery’s point of view and I never felt any
sense of distraction from it which I appreciated.
One of my MOST
FAVORITE aspects from Steel Lily is the relationship between Jax and Avery.
Their relationship starts off in rough waters and it slowly builds as they get
to know each other, as they learn to trust each other. The humor between them
was ridiculous! I caught myself laughing out loud so much from the first moment
Jaxon comes onto the scene, I kept writing out my favorite lines from him.
Avery goes toe to toe with him. She has no problem throwing the jabs right back
and I loved her even more for that.
The plot is
filled with layers. It moves forward at an enjoyable pace and when the action
scenes kick in and the secrets start getting revealed, you just can’t help but
read faster and faster to know what will happen next! The villains play their
roles well and a certain one of them was my favorite (despite how much I wanted
to punch him).
It’s
mind-boggling that Megan Curd hasn’t been picked up by a publisher. She not only has
the talent but Steel Lily proves she can deliver an amazing story with great skill. I look forward to continuing the Periodic Series and fangirling over Jax
*hehe* Megan Curd has definitely become one of my new favorite authors to
stalk!
If you have yet
to read Steel Lily, I suggest stop wasting time and GO READ IT! Trust me, you
will thank me when you do *wink wink*
About the Author: Megan Curd is a graduate of Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. While having always enjoyed reading any books she could get her hands on, Megan didn’t begin writing until a friend encouraged her to do so while in college.
When not writing, Megan enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Traveling and snowboarding are hobbies she loves, and doesn’t turn down the opportunity to play xBox with her brother and friends when it presents itself.
Megan currently resides in Kentucky with her husband, son, and Great Dane named Dozer.
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