Words on The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross (The Steampunk Chronicles #2)

Steampunk
Feb 9, 2015
2 min read

The Machinist may be gone, (For now...?) but Finley and her friends have another problem. Jasper, the American (Who is not actually a cowboy, sadly.) who had been lodging at Griffin's manor, has been arrested and taken back to the states to be tried for murder. Determined to clear their friend's name, Finley, Griffin, Sam, and Emily set a course for New York City.

But Jasper hasn't been taken by the law. Instead, he's been captured by Dalton, a crime lord from his dark past. Jasper stole a valuable invention from Dalton, and now the ruthless man wants it back. Normaly Jasper would never give Dalton such a dangerous tool, but Dalton has leverage. Trapped by a lethal clockwork collar is Mei, the girl that Jasper loves. One word from Dalton will tighten the collar, strangling Mei.

Jasper agrees to help, but he doesn't anticipate Finley's arrival. Finley is working to infiltrate Dalton's gang, learning any information she can and helping Jasper escape. But Finley hasn't quite mastered her darker side, and part of her is drawn to the dangerous criminal

underworld of the city.

Speaking of which, Griffin and Finley's relationship is a bit strained due to that fact. Jack Dandy's still in the picture, and Griffin isn't sure that Finley can control her darker half. They chash on many occasions regarding Finley's loyalty to the group. What Griffin doesn't get is that Finley is just as conflicted and is scared that she can't control her dark side.

I'll give it to Cross - she tried. Dalton is a dispicable criminal, and we get a look att he darker side of this New York City. We meet several famous inventors, and the relationship dynamic between Sam and Emily did thicken and develop. I kind of liked Wildcat, a gang lord we meet who's a friend of Jasper's and isn't entirely human. When I met new chracters, I didn't learn enough about them to really enjoy them the way I should have. The book was kind of... boring. I felt like the characters didn't develop enough to keep the story interesting, and although we get some hints that something nasty is trying to hurt Griffin, I didn't see enough to keep my interest. The plot was very straightforwards with not many good plot twists and some very obvious foreshadowing. I like the story, and I don't think it really lived up to it's potential. After the first book, it was kind of a letdown. I hope we see a bit more imporvement in the third book. 3/5 stars.