Quick Pick The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles)-Kady Cross
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Publication date: May 24, 2011
Source: Netgalley
Author website
Of note: YA Historical Fiction Challenge Book #7, Debut Author Challenge #6

In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.
When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….
Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.
Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.
But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

(Amazon)

It's hard to believe that it's just been about two years since I've known what the term 'steampunk' meant. Once my husband told me about it, there was no going back for me. I love everything about steampunk, and The Girl in the Steel Corset fits right in with other novels I've read.

I enjoyed Finley as a character, she's strong (in more ways than one) but also can be tender. There isn't a lot of romance in this novel, although there are a lot of fervent glances and tension, which is befitting the era anyway. 

I will say that this is probably not the most fast-paced novel I've ever read. It starts off with a bang and has slower periods, but overall I enjoyed it.

There is also a prequel to this novel available in e-book form, The Strange Case of Finley Jayne!