Across the Room: A fun ride, with a sense of whimsey. There were some issues in the following assessment that I just couldn't let go unnoticed, unfortunately. Overall, Meg LaTorre's debut novel is a wonderful, fun adventure in the midst of a deadly circus.
Vitals:
Temperature: normothermic, but slightly elevated. The scenery was very whimsical and colourful. However, there was a large amount of grit and pessimism to bring the temperature down to a normal level.
Heart Rate: A little irregular, but normal rate. The pacing was great, for the most part. There were a couple of scenes (confessions by the characters, really) that seemed a bit rushed, or forced. I also found the use of dialogue as an info-dump a little slowing, for my taste. Overall, good rate, but irregular rhythm—definitely not life-threatening.
Blood Pressure: Normotensive. I have no complaints about the plot, as a whole. Meg LaTorre thought through each plot point down to the most minute detail, and squared them off beautifully.
Respirations: a combination of slow and tachy; irregular rate. On the one hand, there were a couple of characters that seemed to do nothing but be evil just cause they got turned down, sexually. To me, that felt a bit shallow. Other characters seemed to have their personalities wrapped around their sexual orientation, leaving little room for much else. However, the three main characters were pretty well-rounded. I was a bit disappointed in the lack of depth of a few of the side characters, but the main trio were fleshed out pretty well. The Mistress, as well, was more rounded than the other villains. I figured her out pretty quickly, though.
Oxygenation: well-oxygenated. The settings were well-described, and the world-building was just subtle enough to show its immense size, but not so subtle that I noticed the dreaded "White Room Syndrome". The world-building and setting-descriptions were the strongest points of this novel. (The plot coming in at a close second)
Work of Breathing: mild increased work of breathing. I completely lost track of time while reading this book. However, there were a few instances that pulled me right out of the immersion and plopped me back into my bedroom. So, no respiratory distress, but not effortless work of breathing.
Histories:
Family: Steam-punk; Sci-fi; Romance - a triad of genres
Medical: Easy to read. However, there were some grammatical issues (I wouldn't call them "errors") that I just didn't jive with. A huge crutch on adverbs—and certain ones that were used so often, I started wincing when I saw them. Overall, a couple of comorbidities that may or may not be detrimental to the book.
Psychiatric: I loved the instant connection between Gwenn and her first love interest. However, I felt the second was a tad bit forced. The villains also seemed a bit forced, and a bit predictable.
Socio-economic: Targeted audience is adult. Definitely reads like an adult novel.
Head to Toe Assessment:
Head and face: The cover and blurb are AMAZING. These combined are the #2 reason I pre-ordered this book (#1 being that Meg LaTorre is amazing, and you can't convince me otherwise)
Neck: The hook was awesome. I connected with Gwenn on a deep level quite early in the book. The way the Cyborg Circus—and subsequently, Gwenn's involvement—was introduced was beautiful.
Chest: It was a twist, that's for sure! Not something I saw coming.
Abdomen and Flanks: Unfortunately, that's sort of where the twists ended. I was able to predict quite a bit, and this is when the villains sort of fell flat. I also felt that the plot moved along despite the characters, not because of them. This is likely due to a style-conflict, as I'm a very character-driven reader, so I won't knock too much off her score.
Perineum: It was a little difficult to empathise with the character breaking points. I don't know if it was a shift in their morality, or what, but I had a hard time feeling bad/scared for the characters at that moment.
Extremities: The climax—while predictable to me—was riveting. I was on the edge of my seat. Great Job!
Backside: A fitting end for an overall fun read.
Prognosis: Good (4). While I was a bit disappointed in the semi rough read, and some mild-moderate inconsistencies in character development. This story was fun to follow, the three protagonists were very well-developed, and the world-building was phenomenal. I sort of wish I could say the same about the villains, but it's nothing that will make this story terminal.