London, 1897. When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. To save those she cares about, Emily must confront The Machinist's ultimate creation -- an automaton more human than machine.

"Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn't going well. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain--questions about college, love, and life in general. Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University...

In 1897 part-automaton Mila seeks an independent life in London's West End while Finley Jane plunges headlong into the Aether, hoping to outmaneuver the Machinist who has taken Griffin King captive.