Noir by Jacqueline Garlick | Rating: ★★★★☆

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

...sometimes magic trumps logic. Especially when love is involved.

Continuing with the next of the series, The Illumination Paradox takes things up a notch with Noir and will leave readers in a haze of disturbing occurrences with their hearts racing. And although I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, it was still an action packed treat.

Jacqueline Garlick toys with our emotions from the very start; picking up nearly where the first installment left off and taking us right to the core of things. I loved the little things about this installment, I loved the exploration of romance and the darker tone everything took on.

We left with Urlick and Eyelet being, sadly, separated and the dangerous tone set. This is where things get tricky. And where they go next, how they approach anything from this point, is a massive risk for both characters and their world as they do their best on various rescue missions. It flip-flops between looking for ways to get Urlick from his prison and Eyelet out of the so-called Loony Bin.

The main focus in Noir for a good chunk of the novel is split between these two rescue missions and discovery of oneself. Oh, and messing with our minds/hearts but I mean I think that's a given at this point.

Lumière by Jacqueline Garlick | Rating: ★★★★☆

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

In a small way, he's right: this isn't so terrible. It's quite divine, actually. My back pressed up against his chest, his heart beating a vibrant concerto at my spine. All the blood in my body tingles. Not in the cool, metallic way it does when I'm falling into an episode but warm and cursive, like fancy handwriting over fine parchment paper, all loopy and beautiful, seeping in and out of every pore.

I’ll be honest: I’ve never read a Steampunk book before. In fact, I had little to no idea what it was that made the subgenre exist. But I knew right away that relatively new series, The Illumination Paradox, penned by Jacqueline Garlick, had something unique and fun to offer to my shelf. After reading the blurb, I was completely intrigued and ready to check it out. I just knew I had to pounce and score myself a copy.

Boy, am I glad that I did.

I had a feeling I would enjoy Lumière; I just didn’t know how much until I devoured the novel. I loved its uniqueness, its bizarre moments, its plot and the mysterious plotting of its history. As a whole, it was rich with descriptive locations and well-developed characters.