Steel Lily (The Periodic Series #1) by Megan Curd

AVERY PIKE is a commodity. No, more than a commodity. Her existence is guarded at all costs.
She’s a water Elementalist, the strongest of her dwindling kind. She creates steam to provide energy to fuel Dome Four: the only thing standing between humanity and an earth ravaged by World War III. No steam, no Dome. No Dome, no life.

Or so she thinks.

That is, until a mysterious man offers her a way out of having to donate steam. A way to escape the corrupt government of Dome Four. While the offer seems too good to be true, Avery is intrigued. But when she arrives to her new home, she realizes the grass isn’t any less dead on this side of the fence. Instead, the lies are just hidden better.

…Which means digging deeper.
When Avery enlists the help of her friends to uncover the truth, she learns that while some secrets are better left concealed, humankind was never meant to live in a cage. And when you can control the most sought after resource, you can learn to control anything…including the fate of your world.

4 Stars
 
In a world that has been destroyed by war and the living are now herded into domes. Steel Lily really portrays an interesting look into those whom survive the war. 

The writing had a somewhat steampunk-like feel to it, as the story includes an older form of technology with the futuristic. Some of the people have developed powers such as the main character, a water elementalist. Corruption is everywhere and the idea of leaving the dome is too good to be true. 

Although there is some action to the story, it is mostly discovery through dialogue that is the majority of the story. By discovery I mean detective work on behalf of the students to learn more about where they have been placed and the secrets that are being hidden. Avery has just traded one bad situation for another. But at least now, she is backed with a support group. 

I really enjoyed the world building and the fusion of magic, and technology (both old and new) to create the domes they now live in. It is an wonderfully created adventure story that has several twists and imaginative ideas that shine throughout the story. With the overall feeling of dark, dirty and almost unlivable society, but how much can you really trust those that have been placed in power?