This is the third novella in the Kali McAlister series, The Flashgold Chronicles. 

The series follows a young Kali McAlister around. She is an inventor and mechanic extraordinaire. Her late father held the secret to making flashgold, which is  a programmable metal. Programmed correctly, a small piece of flashgold can make a hammer strike without anyone holding it. A larger piece can be programmed to do far more complex tasks. Unfortunately, the secret to flashgold died with Kali's father. So, this installment of the Flashgold Chronicles tells the tale of Kali and Cedar. Kali is trying to build an airship, and Cedar is a bounty hunter looking for the man who framed him for murder, Cudgel Conrad. Kali helps Cedar in his search, but something else starts happening in town. Tribal women start getting murdered. As they search for Cudgel, Kali is kidnapped by the murderer. Shenanigans ensue. There are some awesome steampunk contraptions and inventions, there's action, adventure, and angst. 

Review time:

Like the other novellas in the series, it is not written well, but it has all the elements to be entertaining. There is one thing I love about these stories: they are not romances. There is attraction and angst between Kali and Cedar, but for the most part, they don't even kiss. They flirt, but it's not over the top. 

I also still love that the stories take place in Canada. I love northern stories. I feel like there aren't enough of them in the world. 

As usual, the contraptions are one of my favorite parts. There are always new ones, and clever ways to use the ones we've seen before. I would like there to be more novellas in this series. Sure, I would recommend this series to people who are looking for a short,  entertaining read. If you're looking for substance, this probably isn't the place to start. It's fun and creative, though, and it's worth a look. 

I don't really know what to say about this story. Let's start with the rundown:

The story is in a Victorian type setting, which is why I think they called it "steampunk". It's not steampunk. The main character is a woman who runs a photography studio  with a box camera (you know, the one with the drape that goes over the photographer and the flash stand etc). She starts noticing these ghostly figures showing up in certain pictures. The figures focus around certain individuals in the picture, and within days, that person dies. She writes to her wealthy and powerful uncle who sends someone to investigate the phantoms. There is some alchemy, magic, supernatural elements, and romance. 

Now to the review:

I was not looking forward to this review. I was surprised to find that this story was leading up to a bawdy romance. I was hoping for steampunk contraptions and inventions, but there weren't many and they weren't focused on. I feel like the romance was forced and that the male lead was difficult to understand. I think he was supposed to be the strong and silent, Mr. Darcy  type, but there were strange moments in the story when he would giggle. It was very strange. I wouldn't really recommend this story to people unless they were looking for a Victorian set romance with some supernatural elements. Since that doesn't really come up in conversation often, I can't imagine recommending this to anyone. 

Amazon recommended that I read this steampunk novella. It was short, as novellas generally are, and I had nothing to lose. So I read it. 

Synopsis:
It's about a girl, Kali McAlister who is good with engines and may just be based on the character of Kaylee in Firefly. Her father had recently died and with him died the secret of "flash gold", an alchemical phenomenon that can be programmed to do any given task. More flash gold is required for more complex tasks. When he died, the secret of flash gold died with him, but other's greed for it did not. Kali enters a dog sledding race to win some money. A bounty hunter, Cedar, teams up with her on this adventure. It's more than just dog sledding for young Kali, along the way, she is followed by bounty hunters trying to get any flash gold or the secret to making it. There is also a dirigible.

Review:
I'll be totally honest with you, the stories are not written that well. Beyond that, I am a fan. I like the characters Buroker writes. They are not complex, and even when there is mystery, it is a simple thing. I like how they interact with each other. 
I enjoy her contraption descriptions. I think they are a little far fetched for the world she created, but for the most part I really like them. 
I absolutely love that this story takes place in the Yukon. I think it is one of the more original locations for a book. As a lover of Canada and the Yukon, it warms my heart to read books that take place there. Sure, bustling metropolises like New Orleans make great settings for steampunk stories, but this is so different. Kudos. 

All in all, it's a short read, and it's entertaining. If you can't get past the writing style (it was difficult for me at first because I had just come off of reading Heinlein), then this isn't the story for you. I'd pick it up just for a fun read. 

There is also a dirigible. Did I mention that before?