Well, this is the first time I read a book where vampires are a species unto their own and not "undead" humans. In fact, this is the first encounter I have with this notion. Not sure how I feel about it. It makes me uncomfortable. I rather prefer the undead idea. 
 I wasn't blown away by this book. I wasn't a big fan of the narrator, who BY THE WAY is no other than James Marsters Whom, you ask? This guy: 
 href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_DkECXsJ7lNE/S3wt9qetBgI/AAAAAAAAD7E/MOIRFRksLfI/s1600-h/Spike-James-Marsters-spike-2968475-599-700.jpg" 
 You guessed it! It's the Vampire Spike from Buffy. How befitting. Is THAT how he looks like?! Shocking isn't it. My young memories paint him as the epitome of sexiness. Ah, the misguided fancies of a young mind. 
 Anyway, not the best of narrators. The story itself was the lovechild of Cassandra Clare's work and Leviathan. A concealed identity in a steampunk setting of airships and waterships teamed up with a forbidden young adult love story, intense in a way that only teen love can be. This first part was soooo boring, it only got interesting when Gareth came into the picture, and that was well into half the book. 
 I must say, I am sucker for forbidden, doomed love stories, so I might ignore the big chunks of boring and pick up the second book in the series.