First of all, this novel is set during Victorian Britain, so obviously there is period appropriate racism, homophobia, etc. present in the book. Fortunately, the novel goes to great lengths to show how stupid those things are. This is a pretty straightforward romance, with a little bit of fantasy based in a Victorian understanding of science. If that's your thing, and you just want an nice comfy historical romance, then this is for you. Further, it's got really great world building, since it consistently uses an historical geopolitical situation. With a review like this, you might be wondering why I gave this book only three stars. Well, those three stars are because I definitely recognize and appreciate the craft of the writing. However, as an asexual person, I'm just not really a fan of romance as a whole, and this book doesn't let on that it's a romance until the final quarter (or it might, I'm not great at recognizing chemistry). In any case, it's just not for me. If this sounds like your kind of book though, definitely give it a read!