I didn't want to put this down. 

Violet gold was said so many times, I'm beginning to think it would've been a better name for this book. 

Most of the time I forget about the "steampunk" elements since they just exist so we can have airships and "heavy infantry"

(except they're actually in mecha suits performing frighteningly accurate martial prowess)

The book starts off with a bang, we get into a

mecha

battle, people get

turned to paste

, there's a guy

cannibalizing

folks in the streets. 

Naturally there's a reveal

of secret identity's with Chang Geng being the fourth prince, and Shen Shiliu being Marshal Gu Yun of the Black Iron Army.

Gu Shiliu being actually "blind" (he needs glasses) and deaf was as surprising as the magical medicine that allows him to temporarily rid himself of these disabilities.

Chang Geng is giving "Mo Ran" from 2ha at times and I am here for it. The darkness is in that boy. I'm still not confident that Chang Geng was ever

poisoned

, he kind of seems like he just has anxiety/ptsd.