This is really 4.5 stars, and the only reason I withhold that last half a star is because the POV changes are really too cavalier for me to approve of. But that is still not enough to keep me from being completely in love with this book. And here's why: 
 (view spoiler)[ 
 Where to begin? Steampunk, science, girls in disguise as boys, twins and mistaken identity, true love, adorable gay boys in love, made families, loving someone so much you question your sexual orientation, and best of all a truly diverse cast of supporting characters that leads to a thorough but not heavy-handed examination of privilege. (Seriously, I was delighted when Fiona called Violet out on her actions supposedly making things better for all womankind; in a way they were, but not in a way that would directly affect the quality of life for women who weren't rich scientific geniuses.) 
 This book managed to hit all my "guilty" pleasures in a really wonderful way. 
 I would read an entire book about Miriam, btw, just saying. One of the strengths of this books is definitely the supporting characters-- Miriam and Fiona in particular I loved, and I just adored Ashton and Toby. 
 I also thought the author did a wonderful job showing how sad the Society was without really having to say it outright: they were obviously never a real threat, for all the members were men of genius, and it put an interesting spin on things. 
 The animal experiments could have been a very distasteful thing but Jack's care for them mitigated that. And Oscar. Oh, Oscar. 
 Not all the subplots were tied up at the end, which I would have actually liked to see more of-- okay, I mostly just want more about Ashton and Antony, but I found Merriman to be a really interesting character too, and I would have liked to hear more about him. But again, these are just me not wanting to let go of the characters. 
 I was basically cackling gleefully the entire time I was reading (except when the college was mourning the duke; even though I knew he was fine, I had tears in my eyes at one point), and what more could you want from a book? (hide spoiler)]