ARC Review--Dead Iron by Devon Monk

IN STEAM AGE AMERICA, MEN, MONSTERS, MACHINES, AND MAGIC ALL BATTLE TO CLAIM THE SAME SCRAP OF EARTH AND SKY. IN THIS CHAOS, ONE MAN MUST FIGHT TO HOLD ON TO WHAT IS LEFT OF HIS HUMANITY...

Although the devisers have civilized the East with their contraptions, civilization hasn't tamed the frontier that bounty hunter Cedar Hunt rides. Cursed by lycanthropy and carrying the guilt of his brother's death, he's offered the possibility that his brother may yet survive. All he has to do is find the Holder: a powerful device created by mad devisers from the realm of the Strange.

The Holder is in the hands of Shard Lefel, a dandified railroad tycoon who's come to Hallelujah, Oregon, promising a civilized tomorrow. But what Cedar cannot know is that Lefel is an ancient Strange banished to walk this land for centuries. Now nearing the end of his sentence, Lefel is desperately searching for a way to fend off his own morality--and the Holder may be the key.

In a land shaped by magic, steam, and iron, where the only things a man can count on are his guns, gears, and grit, Cedar will have to depend on all three if he's going to save his brother and reclaim his soul once and for all.

I received this ARC for review from Devon Monk

Devon Monk's newest series is a steampunk thrill ride starting off with Dead Iron! I am still new to the steampunk genre, having really only read Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series, so when she offered me an ARC to read for review I decided to give it a go!

I was surprised to find that there was still a good dose of supernatural going on in the book. Cedar is a werewolf, as was his brother. There's mystical fae about and other strange mechanical devices. Life isn't necessarily easier due to this strange technology, and Cedar, cursed as he is, still wants to do what he can to help people truly in need.

Then he makes a deal with a strange group of fellows to find the Holder, but he has other tasks to complete as well, such as finding a missing child before something bad happens to him. 

There's a variety of characters here too, it's told in multiple third person p.o.v. so we get to meet a lot of people and they are all very colorful in a sense. They are deep and each of them has their own secrets and pasts that are still somewhat unknown to us.

It's a decent paced book too! Not real fast, but not real slow. So much seems to happen, yet it's paced really well! And the ending was quite thrilling and shocking! Leaves you wondering with a few unresolved problems, but enough to make you want to come back for more when the second book comes out!

Overall rating 3.5/5 stars--since I'm still easing into the steampunk genre, some of the descriptions towards the "gears and cogs" was a little overwhelming, but the book was still enjoyable!

Dead Iron releases July 5, 2011