The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

 

What happens when someone you love becomes a weapon to use against you…

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.

From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper’s elusive trail. And they’re about to discover how far they’ll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley Jayne will rely on powerful English duke Griffin King to balance her dark magic with her good side. Yet Griffin is at war with himself over his secret attraction to Finley…and will risk his life and reputation to save her. Sam, more machine than man, finds his moody heart tested by Irish lass Emily—whose own special abilities are no match for the darkness she discovers on the streets.

Now, to help those she’s come to care for so deeply, Finley Jayne must infiltrate a criminal gang. Only problem is, she might like the dark side a little too much….

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When I read the first book, The Girl in the Steel Corset, I fell in love with the world Cross created. I had doubted that book two would continue to build the world and develop the characters I loved further, but it did.

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar picks up with the gang arriving in America to try to find Jasper. Each character remains true to their selves, but we such great growth with each as they get to know each other better. Their predicament has kind of thrown this “new girl”, Finley, into their group and while she helped them in book 1, they still don’t really know her. That’s actually one common complaint I’ve seen regarding this book/series is the lack of romance. It’s there, I actually prefer how Cross is gradually introducing it. Instead of the typical insta-love aspect, we get to know the characters and learn more about them as they get to know each other. It’s refreshing!

The new characters in The Girl in the Clockwork Collar proved entertaining and I really hope we see more of them! We are introduced to Mei, the lovely girl with the collar. We also meet an inventor, who I find myself being more and more curious about – I hope we get to learn more about him!  (Ahem, I’m a bit of a nerd…I LOVE the invention aspect of steampunk, so I want to know more.) There are also a slew of other new characters that I have a feeling we’ll see more of soon.

As the synopsis teases, there is a gang leader, Dalton is holding Jasper “hostage” by threatening the life of the girl Jasper loves. It proves to be action-filled and just so much fun! I loved getting to see a bit inside of this crime world, as Finley infiltrates it to save Jasper’s life. I can’t wait to see what happens next!

The only thing, well, person I found myself missing was Mr. Dandy. I can’t wait until he appears again, he was one of my favorite characters in the first book.

If you’ve never read steampunk before, Kady Cross’s series is a lovely place to start! It’s a series that is sure to entice.

I received my copy of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar  from Kismet Book Tours and Harlequin Teen in exchange for my honest opinion.