The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress

I was first introduced to this book through an email from Chapters. It was claiming to be perfect for fans of the Mortal Instruments. Curiosity piqued, I took it out. The concept was brilliant, no doubts about that. The classic three misfits of society, all assistants, but never in the spotlight. One scientist, one magician's assistant and one Japanese immigrant who is a seriously bad ass fighter with her fancy swords.
Enter a murderer, a secret society and a threat that is plotting to bomb London to bits. These three girls have to step up to the plate to save their city from destruction. And they do so brilliantly.
But even with such a scrumptious plot, this book is not saved from the inconsistent details and semi-flat characters. True, each girl has a specific background, but poverty and a sense of being lost is shared by all three girls. Sure, it's great to be realistic, but a rich aristocrat in the mix will surely add a different point of view.
In addition, all three girls are described as beautiful with a strong grasp of moral values. While this is not a bad thing, it is certainly boring. This book is clearly a symbol of female independence, yet all three girls are not prided so much on their brains as on their looks. They do develop inner traits later on, but as we all know, first impressions are important and the first impression I got of these characters was not three bad ass girls dead set on improving the world but three self centered and egotistical people that just cannot pull themselves together.
The scenes are also very unrealistic. No spoilers, but you will see when you read it. The details are inconsistent and many passages are redundant and slow moving. The chapter titles are also excessive. They tell too much and instead of punchy one liners, they are often full sentences. This might be just me, but I hate it when chapter titles are more than three words long.
Over all, I suggest this book as a fun read, just for the plot alone. If you're looking for something a bit more substantial and less flimsy, I strongly encourage you to look elsewhere.

2.5/5 for this one.