Steampunk Novella Review: The Mysterious Madam Morpho by Delilah S. Dawson

The Mysterious Madam Morpho by Delilah S. Dawson (Blud #1.5)

Egalley thanks to Pocket Books

Synopsis from Goodreads
Taking place after Wicked as They Come, this original eBook features a mysterious lady and a reclusive mechanical genius who find love and danger in a traveling circus. An elusive woman arrives at Criminy’s doorstep with a steamer trunk, begging for a position in the caravan to perform her unique new act. She opens her trunk to reveal a menagerie of brilliantly colored butterflies. The woman, who calls herself Madam Morpho, is on the run from a dark past in London, where she was forced to leave her equipment behind and abscond with only her tiny performers. Playing a hunch, Criminy hires Madam Morpho on the spot. Taking her down to meet Mr. Murdoch, the reclusive talented engineer who keeps the carnival’s clockworks running, Criminy instructs them to work together to design and build a groundbreaking new circus for the butterflies. Amid the magical ambiance of the circus and the hint of danger from Madam Morpho’s pursuers, she and Mr. Murdoch soon find that their scientific collaboration has produced chemistry of a more romantic kind.

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 8/10

* * *

The Mysterious Madam Morpho is a short and sweet novella which might help to tide you over until the next full novel comes out. 

I was glad to get back into that charming wonderful world of carnivallieros ruled by Criminy and Letitia. However until the very end I wasn't enthralled by it like it happened to me with Wicked as They Come.



I think novellas are too short for me to believe in the love story between new characters although they are very useful if you want an update on familiar and well loved characters.

Delilah S. Dawson chose to introduce a new love story and new characters and there just wasn't enough time for me to get to know them. Both Henry and Imogen are lovely and well rounded characters, their attraction is believable and they have a lot of interests and secrets in common, however the development of their relationship was too damn fast and left me a little bit cold.

What elevated the novella for me was Madam Morpho butterflies performance in the end. It was magical, spellbinding and really really sweet. If not for anything else you have to read it for the ending. It's entirely satisfactory. Recommended.

* * *

Очень красивая концовка вышла у этой новеллы. 

Всё было мило от начала до конца, но мне никогда не нравился вариант встречи и развития отношений между новыми персонажами в этом формате - всё уж слишком смехотворно быстро. Однако я не возражаю когда новелла рассказывает нам о том, что происходит с персонажами, которые мы знаем и любим.

Делайла С. Доусон выбрала первый вариант и познакомила нас с Генри и Имоджен, и к  сожалению, несмотря на симпатию к паре у которой много общего, слишком их отношения уж быстро расцвели во что-то большее, что меня раздражало.

Однако новеллу эту исключительно искупает великолепная, волшебная концовка с представлением театра бабочек Таинственной Мадам Морфо.  Оно было просто очаровательно прекрасно. Поэтому и только поэтому я эту новеллу советую.