REVIEW By LAWonder10:
This is an intriguing, yet poignant, tale of a future time, when technology has greatly advanced. A young girl has a couple of maladies which seriously cause her grief. when her mother is brutally murdered, a police detective takes her into his home and life, in order for them to help each other.
​ Simultaneously, in another scenario, Kemple's abusive life, in a foster home, take on a new, more daring existence when an additional foster sister is added. Is Josephlyn a curse or a blessing? Both of their lives go down a new "path".
Beat Heart adds a creative twist to paranormal and sci-fi tales. Thee author has combines the two genres into a trilogy which is sure to entertain.
The book was a little difficult for me to get into because I felt I was reading two stories at the same time and the connection between the two felt slightly vague. However, each one was intriguingly bizarre, so they kept my interest.
The characters are clearly defined and feel real, in spite of their bizarre situations. The background scenes are portrayed in a way the reader can easily fell he/she is there.
"The jury is out" on whether or not the Title is a "good fit". The Cover image is colorful, hints at the story content, and is eye-catching. It is a good choice.

*This book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review. ( )

The problem with a telegraphed trilogy is nothing is resolved, so any review will be as incomplete as the story. I do wish that as a setup book, there was more thought given to establishing the premise. A girl has a cloud of steam for a hand (how is that even possible?), a boy has monster morphing inside of him. Too much is just thrown out there as if it was logical to the characters. Well, a lot is not logical to the reader, so some narration should compensate.

There are no likeable or sympathetic characters (although the boy tries to be one). I'm mildly interested in reading the rest of the story, if only as a reward for time already spent. ( )

Monsters mix with steampunk, tragedy, and hope in this adventurous read, which pulls at the heart-strings and leaves the reader at the edge of their seat until the very last page.

Gabby is special, a term she hates, and a fact she truly doesn't understand. Even at nine-years-old, she realizes that her hand turning to steam isn't something anyone knows what to think of. When her mother, the only person she has, is murdered by a vicious beast in front of her, a detective helps her swear vengence and raises her to be a dangerous huntress. But he can't prepare her for the hunt she's about to make.

Kemple is an orphan, growing up under the harshest of guardians, but when a girl joins him, she helps him escape. He does his best to live as a homeless child in the streets of a nearby city, but an accident not only separates him from his friend, but leaves him with a monster in his heart. Strange things are happening to him, and although he doesn't understand them, he knows that if he lets whatever monster inside of him free, it will kill. When he happens across a clockwork girl and her father, everything changes. While the monster inside of him doesn't break free, he begins to wonder if his new found sister might be just as bad as the beast inside of him. But when he runs into the huntress, who is determined to kill him, his life is more than flipped upside down.

This is a packed read, and one which is extremely well woven, too. I was completely taken in by the world setting and writing style—such a different feel than many of the recent reads for this age group and genre. The tale is dark and gruesome, at times. The lives of these characters is harsh and carries the aura of a dismal, steampunk urban world. And yet, there's this undying glimmer of hope, not obvious but more as a constant whisper.

While action, intrigue and tons of secrets coat every moment, it's the characters which matter most. The chapters switch between Gabby and Kemple, allowing the reader to sink into each ones' life. The two don't meet until much later in the book, allowing each story to sink in. The characters are so different and both are allowed to open up to the reader with their very different lives. Often, I find such character depth a little slow, but not in these pages. The author allows each one to get under the reader's skin, while developing a delicious weave of secrets, mysteries, and tension along the way.

Unfortunately, the book ends on a cliff-hanger. But fortunately, that means there is so much more to come. The secrets only start to unfold in these first pages, and the promise of terrifying moments, dark plots and undying hope still remain. There's even the hint at a possible romance, and that with a monster just lurking around the corner, waiting to destroy it all. ( )

Beast Heart by Kyle Richardson.
Received for review through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program.
Beast Heart is the beginning of a series, and it shows a bit. It’s laying groundwork and world-building, sometimes at the expense of the plot, and it ends on a cliff-hanger. That said, the ground work doesn’t include some fairly fundamental stuff, like exactly WHY Gabrielle has goggles and a weird hand. I mean, maybe we’ll find out in later books, but it would have made more sense in this one. Anyway, overall, good. I liked the characters, the plot had enough interesting bits to intrigue me, and if I get the opportunity, I’ll read the next book.

I must sadly admit that this book did not turn out to be a winner for me. This does make me very sad as I am a fan of steam punk. It has been a little while since I have read a steam punk book and therefore, was excited to jump into this book.

While, this book did have some of the vibes of steam punk, I would say it was more "fantasy". Also, it did feel like it was geared for the younger audience. Which is fine as that is what this book's target reading audience is. Yet, there are so many young adult novels out there now that are being read by adults alike that it is nice when you read one that appeals to both audience levels.

It seemed like the story really was slow to get going. I understood the set up of Gabby and Kemple and what was happening to them. Yet, after a while, it seemed this was accomplished within a few chapters and did not need to play out as long. The further I did read into the story; the better it did get. However, by this point I was not feeling the story anymore. This book may not have been for me but this does not mean someone else might not enjoy it. ( )