The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is the continuing story of Finley Jayne and her steampunk adventures – set in gritty New York City instead of sophisticated London.
Book Review: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
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Title & Author: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar
Genre: Young Adult Fiction – Fantasy (Steampunk)
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Series: 2st book in the Steampunk Chronicles
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
How I Got the Book: ARC via NetGalley
Description:
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.”
Steampunk FTW
Full disclosure: I’m obsessed with steampunk. I love the whole idea behind it. AND, I especially love the anachronistic and edgy nature of the setting. Also, the corsets and amazing clothes described don’t hurt either.
That being said, even without the steampunk awesomeness, I would have loved The Girl in the Clockwork Collar anyway. Finley Jayne is a fantastic heroine who is equal parts daring, foolhardy and sass. Her adventures in the Big Apple add interest to her already intriguing story and background.
Cross does a great job of adding action throughout the story and keeping it varied – like fights with the gangs of New York, interactions with weird inventions made by Tesla and a mysterious girl with clockwork chockers on her neck. The pacing was balanced, and I always felt like something exciting was happening.
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar had a TON of romantic tension. For those of you who get bored with books after the romantic interests have been all settled – don’t worry – nothing gets resolved in this book. Finley and Griffin are so much at odds in this book that I was almost worried about what choices both of them would make!
A Sequel to Appreciate
Just like in The Girl in the Steel Corset, this novel has fantastic descriptions of the setting (I love how New York in the 1800s is described), the clothes, the steampunk-ed inventions and Finley and her friends’ Organite-spawned abilities.
I think that The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is a great sequel – it has none of the typical sophomore slump troubles I’ve seen so far this year, and for that I’m extremely grateful.
OVERALL:
Whether you’re looking for a great series or want to dabble in steampunk books, definitely pick up The Steampunk Chronicles by Kady Cross. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar was fun, fast-paced and highly entertaining, plus it was a fantastic sequel to The Girl in the Steel Corset.
