I honestly felt a bit obliged to keep reading, it was… fine but it didn’t pull me in and keep me hooked

I received an e-ARC from the author/publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Ghost Engine had a super interesting premise - we follow the Elizabeth Lovelace, the granddaughter of Ada Lovelace, and her attempts to open doors for Victorian women through the emerging science of computing/programming.
I loved the steampunk setting, and Elizabeth was an awesome character. I also loved the worldbuilding, and how much effort the author put into writing accurate info about programming.
It was fast paced and action packed, but the romance fell a bit flat for me. I love a feminist book, but it was a little heavy-handed at times.
I think this book would appeal to those who like steampunk settings, and kickass women.

A steampunk adventure with a suffragette? Sounded like a fun book to me. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations and I was disappointed. Maybe I don't like steampunk novels like I thought I did.

This is the first steampunk novel I have read and while I found it interesting it wasn'tfor me.


#TheGhostEngine #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy,

It was different to follow at points. I recommend this book for those who like steampunk.

This is the first steampunk novel I have read and find it interesting.
But it is not the kind of book the holds my attention for very long this is no in no way due to the author or the quality of the book. I would definitely recommend and buy these for somebody that has interest in romance and steampunk books

For YA readers it will be a great read! For adult readers - just ok. I wish there was more to the plot.

This eerie steampunk thriller takes readers into the technological revolution of Victorian England. Berd Lovelace, granddaughter to the famed mathematician and “first computer programmer” Ada Byron Lovelace, who is obsessed with machines and computers of all sorts, purchases England’s famed “ghost engine” at an auction to take it apart and find out how it works. At first, Berd is skeptical of the rumors that the engine’s creator, Lord Fotheringay, murdered his son to make the engine work and that the engine now runs off of his son’s heart. But once Berd brings the engine home, the engine begins to take on a haunting life of its own…until it finally drags Berd inside of the machine altogether. In the otherworldly realm of the machine, where everything is raw energy and people travel by mysterious trains, Berd must find her way home and figure out whether or not she can trust the dashing Charles Fotheringay, the boy of legend who is alive and well inside the machine. She also has to figure out why someone who looks alarmingly like Charles keeps trying to kill her…

I was really excited about this book’s premise, but it didn’t live up to my expectations. Although the story is action-packed and fast-paced, the writing lacked something for me. The romance and the feminist streak at the core of the book (because Berd is on a crusade to defy the Victorian era’s social mores and prove that women can be mathematicians too) were both heavy-handed, even forced at times. The plot was also somewhat simplistic for a YA novel, especially one of such length, focusing on the race against time to get out of the engine, with a tad of will-they won’t-they romance on the side. That said, the book stays true to its genre, remaining deliciously creepy from start to finish and explaining the inner mechanics of the ghost engine better than most steampunk novels would. Ada Lovelace is quite popular in publishing right now, so while it isn’t of the highest literary quality, this book will supplement the Lovelace infatuation well, especially with older readers.

I enjoy steampunk concept stories most of the time. I was kind of confused and disbelieving at times. Some things didn't work. Overall, it's a bizarre tale.

I wanted to love this because I like steampunk but I didn't like the world-building or the protagonist's decisions.

DNF'd @ 43 %

The Ghost Engine by Theresa Fuller sounded like an intriguing steampunk novel featuring Ada Lovelace. Unfortunately, though, we just didn't get along. The opening 20% or so of the story was promising. I liked getting to know Ada - she's quite the feisty heroine and obviously she's based on the real life historical figure. Plus, the concept of Ada getting sucked into the computer and working with an actual ghost in the machine is pretty cool. The world-building, the romance, and character decisions are what made me give up on it. First, the world building was actually confusing while we're inside the computer because nothing gets really solidly explained; secondly, the romance was quite irritating because it was all over the place - Charles was not a well defined character; and thirdly, Ada makes too many inexplicable decisions that don't line up with her personality. Anyway, thanks but no thanks, NetGalley.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

At the outset, I thought this book was going to be right up my alley. I love a good steampunk novel and throw in a bit of romance and voila! Not so much....I was disappointed.
I had a really hard time getting into the story. I couldn't identify with the characters, the plot was confusing and jumped around way too much, and I lost interest very quickly.
Maybe because I'm not gifted technically, I just didn't get it.
It's not on my list to recommend. I didn't really like it.

Rating 4/5

I have never read a steampunk novel before and so I didn't know what to expect from this. But I was pleasantly surprised at how well I enjoyed this. The supernatural elements definitely added to the sci-fi originality and all of the action made this so exciting I couldn't put it down. I did wish the romance wasn't so *instant* - I like my romances to go through a bit of rebellious nature and not be a *love at first sight* issue because we all know that is NOT true of actual love. Overall, I really liked this book and recommend it.

-- I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review --

I had very high expectations for this book - a steampunk adventure featuring a badass Victorian heroine related to Queen Ada Lovelace, sign me up! But sadly, the execution of this amazing concept was sorely lacking. After setting up the story, the book basically descended into a lackluster romance novel with a frustratingly arrogant, irritating heroine, and I had to force myself to finish reading at times.

I loved The Ghost Engine for it's Victorian setting and it's female empowerment vibes. Anything set in the Victorian era really grabs me, and I enjoyed the interactions between all the characters that took place outside of the Engine. However, I became incredibly bored once we entered the Engine. I thought Berd was an okay character, but much of the narrative relied on Charles/Gene, and I could never properly engage with his character. I found him confusing, like I could never predict was he was going to do (but not in a good way!) as he wasn't a very well fleshed out character. I also found the romance fairly unconvincing, which I hate to say as I desperately wanted to enjoy it. Unfortunately, it was a significant part of the narrative, but wasn't done well enough to take this book above average. The scenes outside the Engine, particularly at the beginning of the novel, brought it up a little, but I would have rather spent more time in the wider society, The time in the Engine felt far too dragged out, and I think this could have been cut down, or the book reconsidered so that the two locations were more equally split in terms of the plot.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a strong four-star book for me. A book spanning many genres and an exciting story!

Bard is a strong female focus with a real passion for female equality - it is reminiscent of Ada Lovelace and the achievements she made in the fields of maths and programming.

A love story I love and had me questioning what I would do and chose propped up by honest human characters. Best steam-punk book I have read in a long time! Well written and would whole-heartedly recommend!

Although the premise of The Ghost Engine is an intriguing one, I don't feel that it held up to that premise. I usually enjoy this type of story but the man inventing machine, man becoming machine, and machine becoming man again storyline just did not gel for me. I'm sure there are many readers who will enjoy this book, it was just not for me.

I really enjoyed this book!

This is actually the second book this month I have happened to read that is tied to Ada Lovelace, the nineteenth century gifted mathematician who is known to have wrote the first computer program. This story is about a fictional granddaughter, Berd, who also is mathematically gifted and seeks to avenge her grandmother's premature death from cancer by acquiring the engine she believed she needed that was denied her by its owner. The item goes to auction after the owner's death and she bids and wins on the item and brings it home to work on. After unsuccessfully fiddling with it for a span of time, she finds herself mysteriously pulled into the program, meets a mysterious young man and sees the parts of the engine inside.

The author adds many simple but identifiable parts of programming into the story which makes it feel fun and authentic. The plot is great and novel is very engaging. I loved the characters and found Berd to be a very lively and plucky character who is very likable. The other main characters are equally likable and enticing. The plot has many twists and turns and really keeps you guessing throughout which makes it a very enjoyable to read. The ending was satisfying and I am excited to discover more books by the talented Theresa Fuller!

I was provided this ARC by Netgalley in return for an honest review. This was not my favorite book. I liked the Victorian era heroine, Berd, who wants to be the first 'computer programmer'. She spends all of her available money, to her brother/guardian's dismay, to buy the "Ghost Engine' at an estate auction. While tinkering with it, she ends up inside the engine, along with Charles, the son of the inventor. They undergo a series of challenges and problems, all within this alternate mechanical world, and fall in love and then deeper into problems. At the end, they do get their HEA and the approval of the heroine's brother, James.
This book was a struggle for me. I couldn't 'see' the world that she built clearly enough to understand all the nuances and issues that the couple faced in order to safely escape from their mechanical prison. That made it a hard slog, for me, to read it. Those who like steampunk might be the audience for this book.

Really not into this book at all. It had a lot of unfulfilled potential.
My first problem was that it was never really explained what the engine is actually meant for? I don’t understand its purpose at all.
Secondly, the romance was quick and childish in a way. By that, I mean it’s a kind of romance that a teenager would want to have but is way too cheesy to actually happen in life. And it was very quick. I have a lot of issues with this romance. Especially in the last 20 pages of the book. It just went weird from there.
Thirdly, too many plot twists for my liking.
And fourth, Ada Lovelace. If she is going to be talked about in a book, I want more background and more respect for her. She probably was ridiculed in her time, but she was also respected as the first woman, and one of the first people, to be involved with computers and programming.

Other than these issues, my emotions were rallied as I read. I was frustrated when the character, Berd (what kind of name is that?), was frustrated over being an oppressed woman. But loved when she fought for her own back and tried to do what was right by her morals and not society’s. The element of adventure started good but the many plot twists honestly had me lost. And the ending? Yeah. Wasn’t impressed at all.