Esprit de Corpse is a paranormal, steampunk story that grabbed my attention in the first few pages. Jacqueline and her sister Angélique encounter a malfunctioning automaton on the Paris-Orléans railway. Jacqueline is intrigued because the automaton is not powered by normal means. Can the sisters solve the mystery behind the automaton? I enjoy historical fiction with a Victorian flair, which hits all the buttons. The characters are interesting and well-developed. Also, the story drew me in from the very beginning. This is the first book I have read by this author but hope to read more by them. I have always been fascinated by stories with automatons, and I was intrigued by the concepts used for this story. I hope to read more about Jacqueline and Angelique soon.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Sheri Schraderhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngSheri Schrader2023-04-07 17:17:372023-04-17 11:35:45Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal – Review by Sheri Schrader
This is an imaginative and well written historical steam punk novel that was so much more than I was expecting. This book is so detailed and well thought through that I found myself hooked when reading it. It has some many different elements to it and the author weaved them all together so well. this genre wouldn’t necessarily be my go to genre but after reading this book I would hesitate to read another piece of work from this author. This was a brilliant book that I would highly recommend.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Kerry Bakerhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngKerry Baker2023-04-07 15:27:382023-04-17 11:34:41Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal – Review by Kerry Baker
I jumped into this one and had to finish it in one setting. Somehow, Jacqueline’s twin sister is a she-wolf, and they find an automaton. I saw hints of steampunk and a bit of paranormal with suspense. Oh, this was such a fun treat. I have not had the pleasure of reading anything like this. It will make you chuckle and had has a few surprises. There are adventures, some drama and a bit of romance. A story that flows well, has entertaining characters and a plot that comes together just right sure does make for a must read.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Shelly Kittellhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngShelly Kittell2023-04-07 06:32:222023-04-07 11:52:36Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal – Review by Shelly Kittell
4.5 stars French author Ef Deal gives us her debut novel, Esprit de Corpse. It is an original and quirky historical paranormal steampunk tale. This intriguing tale is set in 1840’s France and is full of Ef Deal’s imagination of many unusual and unique marvels. Having been to France it’s easy to imagine the world in which Ef Deal has created. What is really in the underground of the Parisian world. Jacky loves tinkering anything mechanical is her thing. But when she comes across a mechanical man everything changes. Suddenly she and her sister Angé find themselves trying to unravel the mystery and stop a war. With wolf shifters, British agents, French spies, not to mention an occult they soon find themselves in danger when things turn dicey. The plot and subplots keep you on your toes as we journey along with the characters and their exciting world. If you like steampunk, something a little different and unusual you will definitely like Esprit de Corpse.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Jenni Bishophttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngJenni Bishop2023-04-07 06:22:402023-04-07 11:51:44Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal – Review by Jenni Bishop
What secrets lay beneath Parisian Streets? And who will kill to keep them?
When a malfunctioning automaton runs full force into their locomotive on the new Paris-Orléans railway, Jacqueline Duval and her bohemian twin sister Angélique Laforge become embroiled in a mystery deeply rooted in their tragic past.
A polytech and famed engineering prodigy, Jacqueline is fascinated by the metal man, even more so when she discovers it is powered not by steam, but by the supernatural. Her investigation puts the sisters on a path both dangerous and mysterious as they must foil a plot to employ the dead to power a mechanical army aimed at international conquest.
Aid comes from unexpected sources as the twins rush to avert this engineered war, but will they be in time?
Ef Deal is a new voice in the genre of speculative steampunk with her debut novel, Esprit de Corpse, but she is not new to publishing. Her short fiction has appeared in various magazines and ezines over the years. Her short story “Czesko,” published in the March 2006 F&SF, was given honorable mention in Gardner Dozois’ Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, which gave both her and Gardner great delight. They laughed and laughed and sipped Scotch (not cognac, alas) over the last line.
Despite her preoccupation with old-school drum and bugle corps ~ playing, composing, arranging, and teaching ~ Ef Deal can usually be found at the keyboard of her computer rather than her piano. She is Assistant Fiction Editor at Abyss & Apex magazine and edits videos for the YouTube channel Strong Women ~ Strange Worlds Quick Reads.
Esprit de Corpse from eSpec Books is the first of a series featuring the brilliant 19th-century sisters, the Twins of Bellesfées Jacqueline and Angélique. Hard science blends with the paranormal as they challenge the supernatural invasion of France in 1843.
When she’s not lost in her imagination, Ef Deal can be found in historic Haddonfield, NJ, in a once-haunted Victorian with her husband and two chows. She is an associate member of SFWA and an affiliate member of HWA.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Esprit-de-Corpse-6-x-9.jpg1200800itsybitsybookbitshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngitsybitsybookbits2023-04-07 00:03:592023-04-19 22:16:47Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal
What secrets lay beneath Parisian Streets? And who will kill to keep them?
When a malfunctioning automaton runs full force into their locomotive on the new Paris-Orléans railway, Jacqueline Duval and her bohemian twin sister Angélique Laforge become embroiled in a mystery deeply rooted in their tragic past.
A polytech and famed engineering prodigy, Jacqueline is fascinated by the metal man, even more so when she discovers it is powered not by steam, but by the supernatural. Her investigation puts the sisters on a path both dangerous and mysterious as they must foil a plot to employ the dead to power a mechanical army aimed at international conquest.
Aid comes from unexpected sources as the twins rush to avert this engineered war, but will they be in time?
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/EF-DEAL-CORPSE-PREORDER.jpg750750itsybitsybookbitshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngitsybitsybookbits2023-03-24 00:01:132023-04-19 22:07:17⧖~⧗~✬~❂ PREORDER ❂~✬~⧗~⧖ Esprit de Corpse by Ef Deal
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