The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross Review

Title: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2)

Author: Kady Cross

Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk

Page Count: 416 pages

Publish Date: May 22, 2012

Book Type: Kindle Galley

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 978-0373210534

From 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 Review: Love this cover! That necklace/collar is crazy looking. Imagine having that thing strapped to you. The colors are also amazing.

I really enjoyed The Girl in the Steel Corset last year and was excited to enter the wonderful steampunk world again in The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. This time, the gang traveled to New York City to try to save their friend Jasper after he was arrested at the end of Book 1. Naturally, nothing goes as planned and Finley, Griffin, Jasper, Sam, and Emily find themselves in the middle of trouble.

One of my complaints from Book 1 was that I felt the characters weren’t developed enough. This all changed in this book and I got to know them much more. Finley and Jasper were the two characters that the readers will really get to know. Some new characters were also introduced and I hope we get to see a few of them again. Although mentioned quite a few times, Jack Dandy wasn’t in the book. Maybe he will be in the next one.

The relationships were fleshed out some--although Finley and Griffin still drive me crazy. Just make it work, you two crazy kids. I had wished there was more Sam and Emily, but the moments that were there were completely precious. 

While I was able to predict the answers to some of the mysteries, the very end was actually pretty surprising. I didn’t see that one coming--you’ll have to let me know if you do. Hopefully some of the consequences will play out in the next book.

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar was packed with action and adventure. It was really exciting and I had a hard time putting the book down. 

This sequel really solidified my love for steampunk and I cannot wait for the next book to come out! I’ll be glad for the trip back to London, even though I enjoyed them crossing the pond for a bit.

Thanks to NetGalley, Kady Cross and Harlequin Teen for this review copy!

Top 10 Books I’m Looking Forward to in 2012

In no particular order...

1. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

3. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

4. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

5. Black Dawn by Rachel Caine

6. Fear by Michael Grant

7. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

8. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

9. The Selection by Kiera Cass

10. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

There you go! All of the links lead to Goodreads. :) What books are you most looking forward to in 2012? I'm sure I could have listed... ohhh 1,000 more.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross Review

Title: The Girl in the Steel Corset (Steampunk Chronicles #1)

Author: Kady Cross

Genre: Young Adult, Steampunk

Page Count: 336 pages/493 KB

Book Type: Kindle Galley

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 9780373210336

ASIN: B004XDYXAI

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one…except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch….

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help—and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on—even if it seems no one believes her.

My Review: I adore this cover. 1) Her dress is gorgeous. 2) I love the steel corset showing. 3) I love the steampunk attributes in the background. 4) The font was an excellent choice. I just wish the blurb wasn’t there. The cover would have been perfect without it.

This is a good debut steampunk novel. I really think it would be a good introduction into the steampunk world if you are unfamiliar with it. The only other steampunk I have read was Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare and I could definitely see some similarities throughout. I wonder if that happens with all steampunk novels since they are heavily based on machinery.

Since this is a first in a series, it was a good lead in. It didn’t blow me away, but kept me interested enough to want to read the second. I’m anxious to read the prequel that I have waiting for my on my Kindle because I have a feeling it will explain a few things that I was curious about during the novel. I enjoyed the characters in this book; however, I wish we would have gotten to know them even more. I wanted more back story.

Some of my favorite parts were the explanations of the steampunk aspects of the world Kady Cross created. The organites (or “little beasties”) were fascinating. They basically regenerated cells in a body and could heal wounds at a quicker pace than normal. Very useful. The Girl in the Steel Corset wasn’t my favorite book of the year, but it has me interested enough to want to read the sequel!   

Thanks to NetGalley, Kady Cross and Harlequin Teen for this review copy!

Have you read The Girl in the Steel Corset yet? What did you think? Also, if you could leave me some more steampunk suggestions in the comments, that would be fabulous!