Magnificent Devices

A Steampunk Adventure Novel (Volume 3)

By: Shelley Adina

Narrated by: Fiona Hardingham

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Book 3 in the Magnificent Devices series!

An air voyage to remember turns into a disaster no one may survive. With her orphaned charges, Lady Claire Trevelyan joins the Earl of Dunsmuir’s family on an airship voyage to the Americas. If she can stay out of Lord James Selwyn’s way until her eighteenth birthday, she will be of age and cannot be forced into marriage. What she doesn’t know is that Lord James is in the Americas, too, with Andrew Malvern closing in on him - and the wonderful device he stole. But when a storm cripples the airship and air pirates swoop in like carrion birds, Claire and the children must live by their wits to make their way across a harsh landscape. Will Andrew ever see her again and right the wrong he believes he has done? Will Lord James succeed in his monumental thievery? And how exactly does Rosie the chicken evade the soup pot?

Tighten your goggles, pull on your gloves, and prepare yourself for stratagems and strangeness in the third book in the series, Magnificent Devices!

©2012 Shelley Adina Bates (P)2014 Moonshell Books, Inc.

Another Great Installment!

Ignore the negative comments. The story was great as was the narration. Perhaps, the western accents were overdone but no more than stylized westerns. The storyline continues to be exciting and fun! Looking forward to the next book.

Bringing London to West, love it

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, the series is great. I find it to be fresh and funny and well written. I am also a huge fan of Fiona Hardigham. Her accents are top notch and make me fall in love with every Victorian story she reads. I have pretty much everything she has read. I think I love the story mostly because of her but the story itself is really interesting. It has steampunk all over it and has actually gotten me interesting in reading more steampunk stories. Its not sappy or predictable in the slightest.

Still liking this series

What did you love best about Magnificent Devices?

I have been flying (please disregard the pun) through this series. I began book 1 three days ago and I am about to start book 4. I'm truly sorry that Audible does not have the next 3.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Magnificent Devices?

The plot has many turns and twists. Just when everything is going great for Claire and the kids, something unexpected happens.

What does Fiona Hardingham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love the voices she uses for the children and the Lords and Ladies. The voices range from sophisticated to street talk. I have to admit, I did NOT like her Texican accents. A little too over the top.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Enjoyable adventure

Would you consider the audio edition of Magnificent Devices to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print edition. The audio was well done in general. The narrator is pleasant and a good story teller. I beg the producers to edit any further ones more carefully. There were several mispronunciations in all the books. So jarring in what was otherwise so pleasant and compelling. Please, reinvest in editing/proofing/quality control. Please.

Would you be willing to try another book from Shelley Adina? Why or why not?

Probably, I confess I want to see what happens. Fun stories and characters. But again, a few jarring errors in usage. Please, get a good editor for the next one and (and listen to her).

Did Fiona Hardingham do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Mostly. Occasionally I didn't know who was talking at first and Sir James's voice was a bit inconsistent. Overall I love her style and pace and delivery of dialog.

Any additional comments?

This series is fun and enjoyable and I definitely wanted to see what would happen next. I binge-listened the whole series so far, 3 books, in as many days. I have a real editor's brain. The blips that jar me probably wouldn't bother 95% of readers, so take my concerns about those things in that context. If book four were already available, I would listen to it right away. If/when it comes out I probably will listen to it. However, if the QC on that is not better, I will probably stop there.

Nail biting, edge of your seat!

I didn't know how Shelley Adina could top the first two novels of this series, but indeed she has! I was on the edge of my seat all throughout this wonderful book! I am immediately going to get book four now!! What an amazing author!!!

A lot of fun

This is a lot of fun. Lite and farfetched. I enjoyed it but, as with all steam punk you can't focus on the mechanical detail and machines.

As great as the first two books

Any additional comments?

This book is as fast paced, surprising and fun as the first two books! Trying to listen to another book by a different author, after listening to the third book, is boring. (Only 3 books are on audio as i write this.) This really spoils me for other books for awhile. The alternate reality remains fun, from both a technology and a historical point of view, but the story is not about the alternate steampunk reality, but about good and bad people making decisions, which seem right (well to a young person) but lead to remarkable consequences, and very plausible escapes. Sure a few things can be seen coming, but more often than not, there is a twist to surprise and amuse. While it still seems a little short, there is no doubt there is enough action and twists to fill two books each twice this size, but a bigger book might not be as much FUN! (PS. and I certainly had no complaints about accents. Let's just leave this at alternate reality, and indeed accents can change depending on who won which wars, or which wars didn't happen, Just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.)

Great book three

Another marvelous addition to an awesome series! I loved the focus on airships & I love Willie’s mom.

Wonderful steampunk adventure story!

Series Info/Source: This is the third book in the Magnificent Devices series. I borrowed this audiobook through Audible Plus.

Audiobook Quality (5/5): This whole series has been beautifully narrated so far and this book continues in that trend. Hardingham’s voice is beautiful and she does an amazing job with narration. She conveys character emotion well and does a great job with character voices.

Thoughts: This time Claire and crew are in the Americas on the way to Canada when their airship crashes. Claire has been trying to avoid Lord James until she is 18 and cannot be forced to marry him. This was a fun steampunk adventure with a lot of delightful devices, some heartstopping action and an entertaining adventure across an alternate historical American landscape.

I continue to absolutely adore Claire and her orphaned charges. The group of them make such a quirky, lovable, and fun family together. This is one of those heartwarming books where no one is too evil (although there are some decently evil characters in here) and nothing is too surprising. It is just an all in all pleasant steampunk adventure.

The story is fairly predictable and this book is just another leg in Claire’s journey to escape her arranged marriage and find a place for her charges and herself to call home. I enjoy the alternate historical America we see here and enjoy a lot of the adventures that Claire ends up on...she does get put through quite a bit in this book. There is also a fun plotline around inventorship and patents that has woven between books of this series.

My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a very entertaining and pleasant steampunk read. The story is a good blend of action, adventure, devices, invention, and also has a bit of romance in it. I would recommend to those who enjoy lighter, more heartwarming, steampunk reads about finding family and staying true to one's own path in life. I enjoyed this and plan on continuing the series. This is aimed at a young adult reading audience.

I love this series!

I can't say enough about the books in this series thus far. The adventures are imaginative and the lead character is amazingly brilliant. My only.. And I mean only issue with this series is that it isn't finished on audiobook. I want to know what happens next, and to be honest I've never been to good at a regular book.