This book hit the spot!!! I have been skim-ditching, it's a horrible habit (one I am trying to wean from and sort of my thing lately), like crazy which led to my frustration levels building exponentially with every discarded book found littering my bedroom floor. I had been insatiable for a book...not just ANY book mind you..which book you ask?? I had no clue...a common problem no doubt but a catastrophe for a bibliophile on the hunt for a no named, non classified genre-less gem...searching (in vain) for too many weeks to be healthy. Did it have to be the motherload of all literature, the Holy Grail? Nope, just something to scratch a very ill placed itch. Agatha H and the Airship City had been sitting on my ereader for SOO long I had to scroll a ridiculous amount of times to even locate it again after relegating its name to longterm memory storage (cranially that is)..anywho, it was 2am and I came across Agatha and thought that I'd throw a Hail Mary and sample a bit. A bit turned into a bunch which turned into a marathon read...just what I needed...go figure. Who knew a Steampunk Bizaro- Europe, action packed, light hearted, Romance lite, compendium (previously a graphic novel) populated by Evil (?) Geniuses, madboy tinkerers, sentient bots (revavants), talking animals, LOADS of phenotypically varied chimera, air pirates and more (much much more) could be the answer? I really love the Steampunk genre BUT, and that's a big but, only when it is done right. A lot of books claim to be Steampunk and mention nary a doodad, robot, corseted Tinkerer or anything remotely Punkish. This was just plain old fashioned fun. It felt like olden times: reading with the blanket over my head as to not disturb, book hooked you right in the beginning, the pages and subsequent chapters flew by at breakneck speed, there were always an abundance of twists and turns (though a bunch being a tad too easily forseen) all wrapped up neatly with a satisfyingly succinct (sometimes saccharine sweet) conclusion. There are too many things I adored about this book but I do have a favorite concept and a warm fuzzy feeling for an entire group. My favorite concept is the Spark...that oomph which resides in each mad Genius beseeching/demanding them to build, create, beget and bring forth Newness and Life into a world where previously there was none...and at times after there was some but that's a whole other bag of technicolored -technomancy. My favorite group is the Jagers who are "monsters" who, quite humorously, pretend to be a lot dimmer than they actually are and the outcome is very amusing. They speak in a unique (yet endearing) slang. They take an instant liking to and are suspiciously protective of our kick @$$ (though reluctant at first) female heroine. It is told from varying POVs which I find tricky at times but thought Phil and Kaja Foglio pulled off nicely.
All this and 2 subsequent books already out for instant gratification, what more could you want from a 2am Hail Mary?? Be advised: this is set to be a 10 book series. So if you are of the sect who do not start a book unless the entire series is completed and available you might want to wait awhile before delving into this one.

Agatha Clay (although I'm going to assume that this is an assumed name, since she has another one in the TITLE of the book) is one of those diligent students, who no matter how much she wants to suceed just can't seem to. She's almost constantly late, she can't really seem to make her inventions work and she's a laughing stock at the Transylvania Polygnostic University. To make matters work, during a weird electrical incident in town, she's robbed and her precious locket, with the only pictures she has of her parents is stolen. A locket pretty much anyone in authority over her is appalled is missing.

When the clearly powerful Baron Wulfenbach arrives at the University to inspect their progress, it turns out the headmaster, Beetle, may have been conducting unlicenced experiments and there's somewhat of a change in power. Agatha is expelled from the university and explains everything about her bad day to her guardians, who announce that they need to pack everything and leave town as soon as possible when they hear the news that Wulfenbach is in town, and Agatha's lost her locket. Her uncle, who left to go adventuring and has been gone for eleven years was very clear on the fact that she should never take it off. Likely because it acts as some sort of dampener of Agatha's inherent "spark", which only the greatest of scientists seem to have. Wulfenbach's son and heir suspect she may be more than she appears.

Girl Genius is a Steampunk YA adventure series, that can be read online, but a few years back, I picked up the first volume mainly on the strong recommendation of Patrick Rothfuss. I then put it on my shelf and promptly forgot about it, but needed a twelfth comic to complete my last reading challenge this year, and it seemed like a good time to finally read it. It's difficult to ascertain much about the characters from the short volume I just read, but I'm sure it can't hurt for young women to have a scientifically minded young heroine to cheer for, even if she does seem to have been given clumsiness and tardiness as her chief characteristics so far. I'm not entirly sure yet whether Wulfenbach is an antagonist or potential ally and I suppose his son could be a love interest of some sort. At least he seems clever, which is a good quality to aim for in a partner.

As the first volume barely starts the story, with some of the plot and action being quite confusing, it wasn't exactly the best reading experience I've had this year, but the comic has potential and I like that I can make up my mind about whether I like more or not by reading it for free online, and then buy the volumes afterwards if I decide I want to support the authors. At least I got another book knocked off my already scarily big TBR shelf.

After many adventures, Agatha has returned to the stronghold of her ancestors, Mechanicsburg, where generations of Heterodynes terrorised the continent. For many long years the people of Mechanicsburg have waited for a Heterodyne heir to return – a town full of minions just waiting for the Master to lead them again

But first she must prove herself in the Castle.  Sentiment, terrifying and immensely powerful structure, terribly damaged for years – few people survive who step within.

To complicate matters there’s a second claimant to her title – and it doesn’t help that Klaus, the Empreror, is convinced she is the Other, a terrible force that could tear his empire apart.

When reviewing books it is always important to remember that there are a lot of different tastes out there. I will look at goodreads and see people who loved books I loathes or hated books I adored, been a little bemused but then shrugged because taste is a weird and wonderful varied thing. I remember this because I try to be mature and sensible

Well, I’m throwing that out the window. If you do not love this book clearly there is something terribly wrong with you, I suspect you may not have a soul. Yes I call soullessness!

It is impossible for me to read more than a chapter of this book without a great big silly grin on my face. I think my face may actually be stuck like that. It’s the same grin from reading the previous two books – this series is just so much immense fun!

I love the sparks. I love these glorious evil geniuses with their brilliant mad science and whacky and terrifying creations! I love how zany and weird and wonderful it is. I love how much it made me laugh out loud over and over again as they do so many things, FOR SCIENCE! Including making exploding coffee THAT WAS PERFECT!

I love how so many of the characters are gloriously evil, and it just works in the most amazing way

I love the Jaegers, they’re immense fun, they’re evil and they’re hilarious and I want one. My only sadness is they don’t appear nearly enough in this book

I love the Castle, the product of generations of devilishly evil Heterodyne Spark masterminds who have designed it and increased it over the centuries to be a font of gleeful evil. I love how Agatha with her morality (occasionally overcome by her SCIENCE) tries to work surrounded by people and minions who are the very height of evil.

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