Okay team the problem with reading amazing ARCs? The fact that it means sequels are that much further away.

Magpie's Song, oh my goodness, what can I say except for the fact that this book checked off all the things I want a book to be. Well developed characters with an interesting backstory and several layers? Check. World building enough to stand up to scrutiny and challenge the characters? Check. Both internal and external problems? Check. A varied cast of characters, including realistic supporting characters? Check. Potential romance that was a slow build and only added to the plot, wasn't the whole plot? Double check. And to top it all off we get a floating city, a clockwork dragon, and half-breed children immune to what is akin to the plague? Color me beyond interested.

I adored Magpie's Song. After all who doesn't love a main character who's a bit of a scoundrel? I love Raggy Maggy for that reason. At the moments when I often wanted her to snap back, she did. The sass runs deep in this one guys. And her interaction with other characters? Real, interesting, and complex.

Also all those cute little nursery rhymes at the beginning of the chapters? I almost want to go back end reread them. Somehow I think they'll be important. But truly, this steampunk-esqe novel is going places. We kept getting snippets of a prophecy, which doesn't even come into play at all yet. The main characters aren't paying it any heed which can only mean to me that we either get a lot of action in the next book to resolve the build up from this story, or The IronHeart Chronicles is going to be a multiple chapter wonder.

And world building, Pang has done a wonderful job with the Victorian city of BrightStone. They all dance so well together and yet there are so many layers. She shows in the gaps within classes too. Between the sparkling Meridions, who are literally a class above in their floating city, the BrightStone natives, and lastly but perhaps most interestingly their Moon Children half-breed offspring. The Moon Children to me are perhaps the most interesting, with their own divisions, struggles, motivations, and questionable origins.

All-in-all, I cannot recommend a book more highly. Please, just go read get it, i promise you won't regret it.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Allison Pang for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review!

I've never read steam-punk fiction before, and I'm not even sure if this book can even be categorised that way; irrespective of genre I am addicted. Clockwork hearts, mechanical dragons. a virus and everlasting life are just some of the intriguing elements of this story that hooked me right away. The world in the novel if fully imagined and beautiful. The writing is fast-paced and clever and the protagonist is suitably, reluctantly heroic. As this book is the beginning of a series, my only criticism would be the length of the novel. I think it ended too abruptly. Having said that, I am eagerly awaiting the sequel already.

Every once in a great while I come across a story that knocks my socks off. This is one of them. When it happens, it's always something "a genre," that I've never read before. Brian Lumleys-Wamphyri, or Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. I'd never read Steampunk before, and except for this series, I probably won't ever. This world that Allison has created is stunning. The characters are people that I want to know and go "rooftop dancing" with. Clockwork hearts, a mechanical Dragon that can sit on my shoulder, and eat pieces of coal? Yes, please. The entropic city below, and the floating, shiny city above? Yes, yes, yes. Even this plague? Again, yes! I can't wait to visit this world again.

Magpie's Song by Allison Pang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great surprise! I came into reading this blind and came out seeing wonders. The world-building is a true delight, having a feel of Sanderson's old Mistborn, a touch of hardcore steampunk, but most of all: pure and distilled fantasy dystopia.

There's a lot of story going on and what's more, Pang's writing at the plain-beauty level is something to behold. I'm not just talking about the repurposed nursery rhymes, either. I'm talking about the perfectly placed and minimal placement of pure poetry right in the text where it would have the very best impact. I was a bit awed.

Make no mistake, this is a pretty epic fantasy not in terms of battles and such, but it was a core YA that centered on thieves. Magpie and Sparrow are best friends and all the downtrodden MoonChildren are at the core of a huge piece of deception and prejudice that will soon become, (I do believe,) the main story arc of the rest of the series.

There's plenty of mystery to go around, too, but it's the details and the imaginings that make this book so beautiful. There's plenty of core story elements that will be familiar to everyone, of course, but how Pang pulls it off speaks more to some serious skill than any other author's half-hearted attempts. :) This is the real stuff.

I am going to be following this series with GREAT anticipation. I can't wait to see more of this craft. :)

Oh, and thanks to NetGalley for this ARC! I love being surprised like this!

I enjoyed this book a lot, it was a good introduction to steampunk for me. It could have done with a bit more explanation at points, but it was a good, solid read. Really enjoyed the little poems that started each chapter, they were wonderfully dark and twisted!

As with any fantasy book that is creating a new world, this book had many areas which were quite slow. This book took a while to get going and I took a while to get my head around the world that the author has created. I won't explain it in too much detail as it is best discovered slowly within the book. However, this is a steampunk fantasy world which is a mix of Victorian & Edwardian with fantasy elements.

Mags is a street urchin. She is a moon child, a half-breed who is wanted by no-one. She is destined to scratch out a living in a street gang before being consigned to The Pit to care for the sufferers of "The Rot". Mags' world is turned upside down when she discovers a dead body & takes a clockwork steam dragon who seems to have a life of its own. Mags is then thrown into a complex group where the discovery of the causes of "The Rot" are vital. Who does she trust and just what is being kept secret by the higher levels of society? In fact what is being kept a secret by these people she needs to trust with her life?

This book started quite slowly with a lot for the reader to get their head around. However there is plenty of action and the book soon got underway properly. I got very involved and lost within this book. In fact I was so engrossed that I was cross when the ending came. Talk about a cliff hanger - the next one had better be out soon!

The characters in this book are very three dimensional and quite complex. Not everyone is exactly who they seem to be and have extra hidden agenda. Mags gets involved with Ghost, a moon child without a clan who is certainly not what he seems. There is also the Doctor, the brothelkeeper and the gang leaders. The world is quite complex & dangerous for Mags and indeed most of the residents of Brightstone.

The creation of Brightstone is not unique. There are many resemblances to similar steampunk style fantasy worlds in recent fantasy books. There are, however, some aspects such as the Moon Children and "The Rot" which make this world different. I enjoyed this world which was interesting and quite easy to understand once I had got the hang of it.

I loved the plot in this book which hung together well. It was intricate but well constructed. There were no gaping holes where things didn't fit together.

I am very much looking forward to the second book in this series. This book does rather leave on a cliffhanger and I am keen to see what happens next!

I was given a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

I'm still not quite sure how I'd personally categorise this book. Fantasy was my initial feeling but then it's quickly apparent that it's set in a dystopian type world after a cataclysmic event that has changed so many lives. Now add in the steampunk elements that become much more apparent as the story progresses and you begin to see why it held my attention.
From the first page Mags is a large character that demands to be noticed. A young woman with no memory of who she was before her twelfth birthday and now a reviled, almost invisible Moon Child struggling daily just to survive. Like other Moon Children Mags is dreading the thought that one day she might be sent to the Pit with those who have succumbed to the wasting disease they refer to as Rot. All Mags has to care about is her friend Sparrow but when Mags finds the body of a dead man she sets in motion a chain of events that very quickly change her life forever!
Wow there's a lot of world building being set up here with not just the reason some children change in their twelfth year but a disease that might not be as unexplained as Mags always thought. Yes religious zealots have latched on to the idea that it's the sins of many that condemn them but as Moon children are immune to the Rot they are considered to be sin eaters and forced under tithe to accompany and look after the afflicted in their final days. Plus there's the system they live under on the street which reminds me of gangs ( think Gangs of New York) that are violent, territorial and living hand to mouth. Then there's the one thing that overshadows the plot and that's the Meridions who live above in a floating city tethered to Brightstone and it's that race who have technology but in this the first book in many ways they are a mystery as the few we meet on the streets of Brightstone have changed and lost their' shine' . They are ruthless, violent and its apparent that corruption is rife but as the plot thickened ( which took longer than I wanted) it's clear that the Rot and the Moon Children are no coincidence.
This story for me was character driven and Mags is a colourful character whose bravery knows no bounds. She's also a mystery to be solved but alas I cannot divulge why. What I can say are the characters around her are not quite what they seem. Ghost a young man who is a fellow Moon Child clearly likes Mags but he has secrets of his own. We meet Lucian, a doctor desperate to find a cure for the Rot but you need to pay attention as he's a man of two sides! Then there's the madam of the brothel with her pointed teeth and ambition who doesn't seem to like Mags much. Plus the author throws in crazy steampunk automatons that vary from human sized to small and delicate and one in particular has taken a shine to Mags but why?
This story thunders along but some revelations (such as Lucian) felt rushed and perhaps could have waited for another book. As it comes to a close there is no resolution, it's a hollow ending really although it does leave Mags with a quandary. This book felt dark and it's an oppressive world described but surprisingly the end gave this reader hope. So in conclusion if you want to read about a tenacious heroine who can be brash and foul mouthed then Mags will charm you. Clearly her adventures have just begun and I for one can't wait to see how everything plays out in this dark inhospitable setting the author has created.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are my honest and I believe fair opinion

Great books linger in your thoughts long after the last page is turned.  Magpie’s Song is such a book, and I am eager to read the next book in the series.  The world of Magpie’s Song is divided in three.  Meridian, the city of luxury and technology flies above.  It rules Brightstone, the city below with an iron fist.  Brightstone fears the Rot, a flesh eating plague that randomly attacks members of the population, and turns others inexplicably into Moon Children, silver haired, capable of great physical prowess and immune to the Rot.  They are the Sineaters of Brightstone, looked down upon and often sent to the Pits where the plagued are isolated.  

Raggy Maggy is a scavenger of scrap, struggling to meet her quota.  When she and her friend discover a clockwork dragon, a series of cascading events leads her to become a wanted criminal involved in a conspiracy to discover the source of the Rot and ultimately end Meridian rule.  Magpie (Maggy) is a compelling narrator in a world where allegiances can not be taken for granted and trust is a rare commodity.  To find out the truth, Magpie must enter the Pits - a place no one has ever returned from.

Magpie’s Song will appeal to those who enjoy dystopian fantasy.  Magpie is a strong character, slightly feral, and capable of acknowledging weakness without whining.  Angst and mooning about romance have no place in her life or in Magpie’s Song.  The supporting characters are equally fascinating and I look forward to learning more about them as the story progresses.  

5 / 5

I received a copy of Magpie’s Song from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

I really enjoyed this story. The characters had depth and were well written. The World building was cool. I look forward to reading the next installments of this series.

Review goes live on Butterfly-o-Meter Books on Aug 1 2017 at 00.00 am gmt+2 and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Very fun and full of delicious elements!
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: I really enjoyed the blend of dystopian fantasy world – the floating Meridion over BrightStone, the Warrens slums pretty much with poor Moon Children clans – with steampunk elements (dragonlet, clockwork heart, anyone? xD). It’s a great setting and a very promising society structure, ripe with tension.
Characters: Maggy was fun and bubbly, in a way, despite the horrible conditions she so adeptly navigated. The very idea of her tender, loyal clockwork heart is beyond awesome.
I really enjoyed her together with Sparrow (sniffle), and Lucian and Ghost aren’t bad either. There’s a lot of promise there, which I know I’m saying a lot, but I am SO not spoiling your read by giving details, lol!
I also have a feeling the clockwork dragon Maggy found will become a more significant part of the story, based on my experience of Allison Pang’s flair for adorable and a bit naughty sidekicks (I will always fondly remember Phin, the pervy little snarky thing xDDD).
Plot: The story is full of tension and emotion, as Maggie struggles to survive in a pretty hostile world. I like the mystery if the rot and where it might lead (again, potential, I know :P ). There’s heartbreak and resilience at the core of it all, and they make for engaging reading for sure.
Writing: First person, present tense narrative, Mag’s POV. Kind of Irish(ish) accent to her voice, or so it seemed to me, and I really enjoyed her sense of humor.
Curb Appeal: Awesome cover, hooking blurb – impulsive buy material for my NA fantasy moods, with bonus points for author name since I loved her Abby Sinclair series xD

I recommend Magpie’s Song to fans of dystopian slum survivor fantastic stories with interesting twists, of steampunk elements, and spunky heroines.

I usually love Allison Pang's books, so I was really excited to read this one. Unfortunately I just could not get into it. I will definitely try her again though. Perhaps I just wasn't as interested in the genre.

Oh yeah. You read that right. There's a clockwork dragon!

A small-enough-to-travel-with clockwork dragon.

Of course I loved this book! Whatever flaws it may have (all books have flaws, perfection is a facade) I will forever love it because there is a clockwork dragon, which means that the people who make bookish merch might make tiny clockwork dragons and I can walk around town with a clockwork dragon and live all of my wildest fantasies.

I've said clockwork dragon too many times now, it's gone weird. I'll let it go.

(Clockwork Dragon)

Right, main character Raggy Maggy/Mags/Magpie what do we think? She's your fairly typical 'unknown backstory, lives on the streets, scrappy and uncouth, young but world weary, pretty but also plain YA fantasy heroine. I don't mind that. It's a cliché for a reason. We like our teen heroines with a dash of angst and a heavy helping of sarcasm and Mags does not disappoint. What I found refreshing is that Mags is such a realist, she doesn't dwell on situations where it doesn't help to do so, she's practical and she's pragmatic and when she's being impulsive she realises and she deals with it (sometimes a little too late I'll admit.) She's added to that list I'm making of YA protagonists I want to befriend.

World building? I like the concept of this, it reminded me a little of the floating city of Santaphrax from The Edge Chronicles with this floating 'superior' city and the dirty underbelly below. This is a little more futuristic than that but the concept is the same. What I was missing was a little more backstory. Where The Edge Chronicles start each story with a map and a short explanation of the world it took me a while to get to grips with the world in which Mags lives. I think a little bit more set up would have been beneficial since it can feel like you're just expected to understand that Moon Children are discriminated against (before you really get what Moon Children are). It's a little gripe, by the middle I had worked everything out but it just could have been even better.

The story is what truly captured my heart. I'm here for the mystery, the intrigue, the plots, the plans and the betrayals. This is obviously only the first book in what promises to be a great series so a lot of it is setting up who is 'good' and who is 'bad' and who is allied with whom. That being said, there is a great deal of action even in this first book, it's not a boring book by any stretch of the imagination. Fans of action will be pleased I think.

If you like steampunk elements, dragons, mystery, action, a pinch of romance and a host of unique characters I heartily recommend picking up a copy of Magpie's Song when it publishes tomorrow! (August 3rd)

My rating: 5/5 stars

Man, this one was AMAZING and if it's not on your list it needs to be. Like, go NOW! Why are you still here? Get to Amazon or wherever and order this book! This self-published title is one of the best I have read in some time. If I hadn't known it was self-published I wouldn't have been able to.
The main character in this was fabulous I loved her from the start. Mags didn't let anyone tell her what to do and she did what needed to be done right up till the end. Ghost, the Bonewitch's and others rounded out the cast so well and even though there was a pretty large character set you won't forever anyone trust me!
The plot was even better I of course even now didn't read the summary of what the book was about. Let me go do that now. Ok, so that didn't take long at all. Ya, I think I am glad I didn't read that as it gives SO MUCH AWAY! So if you haven't read that DONT! Just read the book you will be able to unravel the mystery along with everyone else and not be spoiled about what is really going on. I love doing that.

Man, this one was AMAZING and if it's not on your list it needs to be. Like, go NOW! Why are you still here? Get to Amazon or wherever and order this book! It's out on the 8th. This self-published title is one of the best I have read in some time. If I hadn't known it was self-published I wouldn't have been able to tell from the story. The author did an outstanding job with this massive tale.

I still can't believe that this was only a mere 241 pages long as it seemed like it was more of a 300+ page book. I read it as an eARC on my Kindle and man was I blown away. This story has so much going on but the author told and showed it in a way that made the pages flow ever so smoothly. I couldn't put it down. I read this in just over 4 hours and started it at night which was a very bad idea since I didn't want to go to bed. It was just that good.

Ok, so the setting is a world of post-apocalyptic portions you have the world where people called Moon Children are treated like garbage they have moon colored hair and are sold off to class. Then you have this other world that is chained to this one and floats above it all. You don't really get much in a story on how such a thing is happening but it's all steampunk mechanics which I loved. Add a clockwork dragon, a moon child that should be one, and a mysterious girl with a clockwork heart and man you have one killer story!

The main character in this was fabulous I loved her from the start. Mags didn't let anyone tell her what to do and she did what needed to be done right up till the end. Ghost, the Bonewitch's and others rounded out the cast so well and even though there was a pretty large character set you won't forever anyone trust me! I always have issues with names and keeping people in line but with this one, I had no issues following along.

The plot was even better I of course even now didn't read the summary of what the book was about. Let me go do that now. Ok, so that didn't take long at all. Ya, I think I am glad I didn't read that as it gives SO MUCH AWAY! So if you haven't read that DONT! Just read the book you will be able to unravel the mystery along with everyone else and not be spoiled about what is really going on. I love doing that.

I really can't wait for the next book in the series and I will be counting the days before I can own this one in print. I am really hoping I can get a signed copy as this book was just so freaking good. This is the book other self-published authors need to look at!

Raggy Maggy is a wonderful female role model similar to Katniss. Living in BrightStone she's unable to understand why the so called Meridians would keep her and the rest of the half breed Moon Children in ignorance and poverty. A brilliant read and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

Magpie's Song has everything you'd expect from a book of this ilk: plucky heroine, potential love interest, danger and adventure. I liked the steampunk elements built into the dystopian fantasy world and, on the whole, the description of that world came across well. I did scratch my head over a few things, but this is the first story in a series, so it may well be that Pang will answer those questions in a future book. I am awarding this four stars, though I prevaricated all last night over whether to give three or four. I loved the world building and the plot idea; however, I never really connected with Maggy as much as I would have liked, and I also had a few issues with the later subplot that seemed tacked on to the main story without purpose. That said, perhaps it will become more relevant in future books in the series, so on that basis, I've gone with four stars. I would certainly be willing to read more of this story and it will definitely appeal to fans of this genre.

'Ware IronHeart's breath and IronHeart's claws, for when IronHeart roars, Meridion falls'

I ended up really enjoying this. The story opens with the discovery of a dead body in the slums underneath a floating city, by the orphans Raggy Maggy and Sparrow. The body gives off an ethereal glow and is accompanied by a strange mechanical dragon. Mags and Sparrow soon find themselves embroiled in the mysteries of the slums and the search for answers surrounding the true reason behind the appearance of a plague known as The Rot, and what goes on in the terrifying Pits - home of the plague victims. Mags and Sparrow, along with another character they meet, know as Ghost, are 'Moon Children', the supposed offspring of the slums, and immune to the plague.

I thought the story itself was well written, and the world building was good (although I would have liked to spend some time in Meridion, the floating city). It felt like a mixture of steampunk, dystopian and fantasy and was unique enough in its world to keep me interested. I liked Mags, I though she was gritty and feral and I enjoyed her relationship with Sparrow and Ghost. Although there was a hint of a possible romance, I liked that it was never the focus of the story.

I also really liked Molly and Copper Betty. The automaton, without even being able to speak, became one of my favourite characters in the few scenes she was in. I'd like to see more of her, and see if she has a back story that could explain why she's mute.

The novel wasn't perfect however. I felt the Lucien subplot was a little bit slapdash, and didn't add anything to the story. If anything I found it a bit confusing. I liked that it wasn't a big deal to be gay though, and it didn't feel contrived.

I also felt the ending wasn't really an ending, and nothing was resolved and no mysteries solved. I understand this is part one of a series, but to have so e kind of resolution to a few of the mysteries involved in the plot would have been a better conclusion.

That said, I flew through this book in 2 days, and really enjoyed doing it. I'm looking forward to reading more from this world.