Tag: steampunk

The Pearl Savage (2011) 2nd Ed. (2014)

By: Tamara Rose Blodgett

Long ago, there was a Big Bad that forced people to live in bio-spheres, sealed off from the outside world. Their air is recycled, everyone’s pale from lack of direct sunlight, and, of course, they’re all terrified of the outside world. That is, until the Savages break into the sphere and steal the Princess away from her abusive mother.

As a whole, this novel was entertaining. Although, I started reading it because it was labeled as a dark paranormal romance. There is nothing paranormal about this series. It’s more dystopic/steampunk/Pocahontas than anything else. That being said, the points of view give interesting insights into the characters, but it does fall back on the dreaded love triangle and damsel in distress tropes. Plus, the best friend is in love with the protagonist and she has no idea.

But this is a really interesting world. I’d give this a fifty-fifty chance. Check it out if you’re on the fence about what to read.

The Savage Principle (2014)

By: Tamara Rose Blodgett

This novella follows the story of the protagonist’s father in the years leading up to his reign as king of the sphere. It deals with the inner workings of sphere-dwellers versus Savages, and the secret of the outside world being safe for humanity.

I didn’t know this was a novella when I started reading it, so I kept expecting the story to shift back to the main storyline. However, I wasn’t disappointed. I liked the strong female characters in this novella, and I liked the backstory. That being said, it wasn’t enough to convince me to keep reading the books (there are seven total). So, this is where I hopped off the train.

The Savage Blood (2011)

By: Tamara Rose Blodgett

Trying to unearth the truth of her lineage, our sphere-dwelling princess—or should I say queen?—travels the land. Along the way, she’s nearly sexually assaulted—for the sixth time—but is, of course, rescued by our muscular, masculine Savages.

Right. So. I gave this series some more time, considering I was pretty interested in the story. (yay mermaids!) That being said, there are a lot of sexual assault attempts that are thwarted at just the right time. And this is where the love triangle deepens, making the main character look incredibly indecisive and quite weak. She lets things happen to her, while everyone says what a good and gracious queen she is. In my opinion, if you say over and over again that a person has a certain quality, instead of showing it, I start to question if that’s really who they are.

Like I said for the first book in this series, check it out if you’re waffling over what to read. But, again, I caution, the genre labeling for this is wrong. It’s more steampunk/Pocahontas. With the veiled racism thrown in for good measure. Because, honestly, these people are called Savages, after all.