Jones’s steampunk-esque fantasy world calls to mind the dark origins of fairy tales. Princess Helda of Kratzenfels is forced to watch as her kingdom is conquered and her father killed by Count von Falkenhorst after a long war of machines vs. magic. To cement his claim to the kingdom, the count wishes to marry Helda, but she’s able to convince him to wait after her mourning period is over, allowing her time to devise a plan to kill the count and take back Kratzenfels. As Helda searches for a way to escape her imprisonment, she discovers that the count is responsible for much more sinister things than just the war. Jones’s story is decidedly lacking in worldbuilding, but what is there is imaginative, such as the terrifying part-man, part-machine creatures called spider-wights that hunt Helda relentlessly, and the Twain brothers, two halves of one brain in two different mechanical bodies, who prove to be valuable assets to Helda in the final battle. She is a strong and engaging character who uses her wits to get her out of trouble, and she also happens to be a crack shot. Ages 12–up. (BookLife)