Kaysana, an airship captain, is on a mission to save the world. The lust plague has struck and is infecting people everywhere, creating zombies. When her ship is infected, only Kaysana and a frankenstruct mercenary, Sten remains untouched. Now in a race against time, they fight hordes of zombies in an effort to find the cause and cure for the plague.

This story is set in the same world inhabited in Iron Dominance. I was excited for another look at this interesting steam punk world filled with zany inventions and political intrigue. I liked this book, but not as much as the first in the Steamwork Chronicles series. I was excited to read it when I found that the plot involved zombies and a lust plague. I guess I thought it would be a little more tongue in cheek. Instead, it was gory, gross, and at times confusing. We never really got the how or why's, never learned why some people remained immune, and were never really told how the raised men came to be as opposed to the ones that just turned. Too many unanswered questions. I am all for a kooky plot line to further the relationship of the hero and heroine, but I need it to make sense. And personally speaking, I dislike finishing a book with more questions than answers.

That being said, the relationship of Sten and Kaysana was multi-leveled and fraught with emotion. When Ms. Silverwood was focusing on them and their relationship, the book was wonderful. The sex was hot and there were real emotional issues at play. A lifetime of being conditioned to look at frankenstructs as lesser beings; animals, even cause one of the biggest conflicts. Family honor is briefly toyed with also. All in all, if you focus on them, the story is enjoyable. It's only once you throw in the zombies that things get weird. I look forward to the third book in this series and revisiting some of the previous characters.

Reviewed by: Ursula