Steampunk adjacent versailles focusing on artists mostly. The most interesting parts were the world building but for fans of true steampunk this novel may feel a bit light.
Read this book mostly because I was given a copy of the sequel to review and I am conceptually opposed to reading sequels before experiencing the original ( )

I found myself completely captivated by the characters and storytelling in THE ARCHIMEDEAN HEART. Set in an alternative Paris in the late 1800s, there is much unrest politically due to the conflict between Scientists, who have adapted robots and other machines to control the weather, saving France from starvation by creating a favorable climate, and have advanced prosthetics to the point humans can be altered to be almost entirely robot, and the Naturalists, who are against this and think it is creepy. Henri and John are half-brothers and both artists and Naturalists. I actually read book two in the series first as I came upon it first as an ARC read and I loved how this book focused even more on their story. There’s a strong sense of suspicion and danger throughout the book, where even talking about the wish for a different France is treasonous, and the author writes that well. John is summoned to paint a very special portrait, and this causes him to discover an important truth about someone in power, and also to meet Marie-Ange, a courtier he falls in love with despite their difference in social station. I loved the star crossed lover storyline, set against the rising revolution within Paris, as Henri is set on an assignment of his own involving talented scientist Dr. Adelaide Coumadin (I loved her in this book, too.) These characters are amazing. I flew through this book, eating up every word and I can’t wait to see what BJ Sikes writes next! 5/5 stars. ( )