There’s a lot of so-called “Steampunk Romance” floating around out there, much of which is typical historical romance with a dash of clockwork and a sprinkling of automatons, served with an airship for dessert. That is NOT the case in Here There Be Monsters.

I downloaded this audiobook from the library on a whim – I’d never heard of the author (shame on me!) and just happened to catch the description as I was searching for something to listen to while I baked cookies. BEST ACCIDENT EVER! While the story is only a novella – which translates to just under four hours of audio listening – I was blown away by the depth of the character development, and the worldbuilding.

Oh, mercy! The WORLD building. *wipes happy tear* It was wonderful – rich and substantial, full of the kind of details that anchor a story, but at no point did I feel weighed down by the details. There was a confidence behind the technology and alternate history that made it very easy to believe, and the technology also played a key role in the plot and resolution of the novella.

I enjoyed the characters, even if Mad Machen was bordering on alpha-overload – he still managed to be likeable, and Ivy’s character evolved into a gutsy, resourceful heroine. (I’ll admit, I was dubious at the start of the story…but she does change, and grow, and that’s pretty darn impressive in a novella-length story.)

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Loved Ivy! Loved Eben! Loved the peek at Yasmeen! I'm pretty sure I've fallen hard for this world.

I love this series! Great world building. Never realized that I like steam punk either...

I didn't like this as much as The Iron Duke or The Blushing Bounder, but it was still really good. I wasn't crazy about the setup of the story, but it takes place in Meljean's steampunk alternate history world, which automatically elevates the story.

Story of a hundred pages that continues to provide a background for the arrival of the Iron Duke, which at this point I can not wait to get to know. However, Ivy and Eben were not bad in their own way.

Storia di un centinaio di pagine che continua a fornirci uno sfondo per l'arrivo dell'Iron Duke, che a questo punto non vedo l'ora di conoscere. Comunque Ivy e Eben non erano male a modo loro.

I enjoyed this novella addition to the Iron Seas canon by Meljean Brook. I don't think it's the place to start reading the series, though, and so I think the placement in the series is a bit problematic.

Meljean Brook writes romantic steampunk. I love the creative world-building and character development that she does; I don't read her for the romance, which this book is both heavy and steamy on. YMMV. Nonetheless, the characters in this one are great, and there's quite a lot packed in to the 100-ish pages. Recommended.

*3.5

An interesting one... I'm not completely sold on this series anymore, I'm thinking the main books might be better, but still worth the read.

I really need to get back to this series. I loved this novella.