Monday, May 21, 2012

Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross
Synopsis (Goodreads):
In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.

Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.

One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.
My Thoughts: Steampunk is one of those genres where you either love it or you just don't get it. I happen to be in the love it camp. I love the gadgets and the gizmos, the airships and the automatons. I love the fantastic what-if scenarios and that otherwise demure ladies have a chance to kick butt. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar has all these elements. While it's not quite as frenetic as book 1 (the mad Machinist is a hard guy to top!), it continues to build on the themes that family isn't all about blood and trust is a hard won commodity.

Finley has managed to merge the two sides of herself, but she's still figuring out how the new Finley fits in to the world around her. Her darker side craves a touch of violence, while her lighter side is sometimes appalled by that want. Griffin is dealing with his emotions as far as Finley is concerned and he has it in the back of his mind that she'll ultimately choose a life of danger instead of him. Which is sweet and endearing but ultimately silly because Griff is pretty darn awesome and I think Finley woudl be a fool to throw him over for a fleeting adrenaline rush. Now, I do have to say that I adore Jasper. He's got a certain something that makes him very personable. With everything that happens to him this time around, I certainly hope we get to see him again in later books.

While I liked the buildup and the introduction of several new characters, I did think that the final battle fell a little flat. Instead of all out madness (as in book 1), the fight was over almost before it started. I was expecting an ending with a lot of flash and instead it kind of crept up on me and bowed politely before exiting gently to a smattering of applause. While this was a wee bit disappointing, I was intrigued by the hints of something dark and dangerous in Aether and I'm very curious to see how that plays out.

Books in this series
0.5. The Strange Case of Finley Jayne
1. The Girl in the Steel Corset
2. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar - Hardcover | Kindle

Author Links
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Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar was provided for review by Harlequin through NetGalley.

2 comments:

  1. I have started/stopped this book so many times (just like I did with book 1). I think I am just one of those people that don't get steampunk. Which is sad because I love it in other media forms :(

    That being said ---this series has the most fantastic covers!

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    1. I like steampunk but I've always loved how chaotic and messy it feels. All those gadgets. FUN!

      This series does have great covers. The reason I originally picked up book 1 was because I thought the cover was gorgeous. *licks it*

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