I found the premise of the book interesting from the start - I love steampunk, I love detective stories, so it seemed like it would be an enjoyable experience. It certainly was, though very far from perfect. It's clear that a lot of effort went into the world creation, from history, to cultural practices, different sub-cultures and languages. It especially showed with the steampunk elements, how alchemy and the machines worked (sometimes I had serious flashbacks to Fullmetal Alchemist, fellow manga/anime lovers will probably understand), sometimes even a bit too much, but I reckon that's to be expected from science fiction?
Having an episodic structure to the book was very helpful to dive into different areas of this alternative world (each case file started in medias res in a different part of the city/world, without much introduction), however, the same structure also made it difficult to get to know the characters better or allow them to develop throughout the book (which is fine, really, it was a very plot heavy book) and at points it also made me feel rushed a bit. My only and biggest caveat with the plot was that while the individual case files were very interesting, the overall, underlying plot that was supposed to tie everything together was... flat and boring, making the last 20-25% of the book tedious to get through.
Often I found the writing style way too superfluous and exuberant (see? my mother often refers to this style as "too Baroque") that made it hard to follow and made me roll my eyes, but in retrospect, it sort of goes well with steampunk, no?
So, overall, I enjoyed most of the book (the steampunk and murder mystery investigations and loved the characters though it would have been great to get to know them better) and I don't regret getting through it, it still didn't bring what I was hoping for.