The Girl with the Clockwork Collar review: the steampunk adventures continue

January 24, 2022 by Bec | 3 stars, Reviews

The Girl with the Clockwork Collar review: the steampunk adventures continueThe Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross
Series: Steampunk Chronicles
Published by Harlequin Teen on May 22nd 2012
Source: Purchased
Genres: Historical, Steampunk, Young Adult
Amazon | Book Depository
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In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling-or dangerous Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper from the clutches of a devious criminal 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 follows Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship.

More than ever, Finley must 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.

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

The Good Things

  • A reread for me! I first read this series when they were being released (starting back in 2011-ish). I’ve been filled with so much nostalgia rereading.
  • I do recommend this if you enjoy steampunk! There are some really fun inventions in this one. And this was set in New York, which was interesting.
  • The fantasy elements are really intriguing too! We’re slowly getting more of a glimpse into the aether and strange abilities of the characters.
  • The characters had some great growth! I love them all and actually wish we had more points of view in the book haha.
  • It was really interesting how Mei was written. Each character saw her differently and it was fascinating.

 

The Not-So-Good Things

  • The love triangles are getting old. I’m rarely a fan of these and it’s getting angsty. I thought they’d been resolved at the end of book one, but nope; things went backward at the start of this one.
  • I missed Jack Dandy. He’s a charismatic, morally grey character who likes to steal the page.
  • The ending felt really anticlimactic. There was so much build up to a heist they had to stop… and it was over in less than three pages. There were some shocking outcomes during this climax, but I was still expecting it to span over a chapter or two at minimum.

 

This is a fun series overall and it’s so nostalgic rereading it. The steampunk and found family vibes are still going strong. The angsty romance is getting a bit old though. Other than that, I’m still enjoying this series.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Have you revisited any old(er) series recently?

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Bec is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves all types of novels. Fantasy, sci fi, and historical are my usual go-to genres. If I’m not binge reading, I’m usually gaming, trying to take decent photos for bookstagram, or freaking out about silly things.

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