I had so been looking to forward to reading this novella, but it is a bitter disappointment to have finished it.

The plot would be great as a full novel, two thieves, a witch-finder and a witch on an airship, travelling from England to Australia on a mission to break a curse, but as a short story it's slow, bloated and pointless. What really should be the start of a single book has been turned into the start of a series of short stories, but no conclusion was reached and we've barely had any character development as all the energy has gone into world building.

Abigail, a slightly older eccentric who's followed the family businesses of thievery and smuggling, is obsessed with mechanics, gadgets and her grandfather’s airship.

Simon, once upon a time simply a street rat, he was taken in and apprenticed to the lady Abigail. He’s supposed to be our hero, but for the hero he's as wet as a fish. Brainless and dizzy yet still portrayed as supposedly manly.

Henry, the witch-finder, a typical bastard and walking stereotype, but there is something there that I’m sure we’ll find out about in later stories. He’s obsessed with gaining Cynara's money, but were not told why he thinks he deserves it, I can only assume he's related to the gentleman that she inherited it off
Cynara, witch-healer, probably the most believable character, she’s got a bit of spunk a few brains, a touch of compassion, but I couldn't work out her story.
For a novella, it just had too much going on, and wasn’t able to bring any of it to a decent conclusion, which left the whole story feeling empty. It’s a really great premise, and could work well as a full length novel, but I was disappointed by the lack of character development.