Book Review and Author Interview: The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross!

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar: The Steampunk Chronicles #2

By Kady Cross

Release Date: 05/22/12

Hardcover/e-book

418 pages

Book Description from Amazon:

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….

Click on the link below to read my review of The Girl in the Steel Corset!

***ARC provided by Harlequin Teen for review***

As I said before, I absolutely LOVED the steampunk world that Kady Cross created in The Girl in the Steel Corset and I couldn’t wait to dive in to the next installment in the series!  At the end of The Girl in the Steel Corset, their cowboy friend Jasper is taken away by bounty hunters and is accused of murder.  Convinced that Jasper is innocent, Griffin, Finley, Emily and Sam travel to New York and are determined to prove his innocence and set him free.  But Jasper isn’t taken to prison, instead he is held captive by his old friend turned enemy, Dalton who is a dangerous criminal and gang leader.  Dalton has Jasper’s ex-Mei and is using her to make sure Jasper retrieves the pieces to a mysterious and deadly machine.  Jasper has no choice but to do what Dalton demands because he has a clockwork collar device on Mei that can kill her.

Once Finley and her friends are able to locate Jasper, they try to decide the best way to save him.  Unfortunately, Finley and Griffin have some serious “tension” issues which makes them butt heads.  Finley decides that the best way to help Jasper is by infiltrating Dalton’s gang.  But as the Dalton’s missions get more and more dangerous, Finley and Griffin start worrying.  Is Finley only going along because she wants to help free Jasper, or does her other half love the danger a little bit too much?  And which side of Finley will win out at the end?

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar was a great addition to the Steampunk Chronicles!  While Jasper was more of a minor character in the first book, he took on a much bigger role in his book and even had one of the POV’s.  Although I enjoyed reading more about him, I was a little bit bummed out that Sam no longer had a POV.  While the first book didn’t have much of a “romance” aspect, it definitely picks up in this book.  Finley and Griffin are clearly attracted to each other and they are both too damn stubborn to admit it.  There is so much sexual tension between them and its present from the very first page to the last.  The ending is very satisfying and left me only that much more eager to read the next book in this series!

Another thing I missed from this book was Jack Dandy.  While I am a Finley/Griffin fan, there was something about Jack Dandy that I couldn’t help but love and I hope we get to read more about him.  Full of action, mystery, romance and plenty of awesome kick-ass fights, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar does not disappoint!  Finley has easily joined the ranks of some of my favorite kick-butt female characters!

Cover Love: I loved the fierce and beautiful cover of The Girl in the Steel Corset and when I first saw the cover of this book I was disappointed that they changed models.  But after reading the synopsis I realized that the girl in the cover is Mei, not Finley. The wicked looking collar and gorgeous dress totally makes up for it and I think this cover rocks!

4.5 out of 5 sparkly stars!

Some of my favorite non-spoiler quotes from The Girl in the Clockwork Collar:

-Word is Dalton likes rough girls.”

Finley grinned, well aware that there was blood in her mouth.  “Then he ought to love me.”

-Sam looked thoughtful.  “You know what, Em?  You’re the only one of us Finley hasn’t hit.”

The Irish girl stared at him.  “I haven’t given her a reason, now, have I?”

“Can we talk about something other than who Finley has and hasn’t punched and why?” Griffin asked-somewhat testily.

-She glared at him.  “You said it was a good plan.”

Griffin glared back.  “Sometimes good plans are also stupid plans.”

“You’re stupid.”

“Not as stupid as you.”

Silence fell between them as they stared each other down.  Griffin wasn’t certain which one of them broke first, and it didn’t matter.  It was only a matter of seconds before they were both laughing at their childness.

(This one cracked me up!)

-“The two of you are like a twister colliding with a mountain.”

There was no need to ask which one of the two she was, Finley thought with a smile.

-It really didn’t say much for her character-at least she didn’t think it did-that violence sometimes soothed her in a way nothing else could.  Only Griffin had ever managed it…

-“When this is over,” Finley whispered as they walked, “were going to take turns holding him down while the other beats his pretty face.”

Jasper chuckled at her bloodthirsty tone.  “Sounds fun.”

-“I bet he’s never met a gal like you before.”

“I should hope not,” she replied gibly, but heat filled her cheeks.  “Nature couldn’t possibly make two mistakes like me.”

“You’re not a mistake.  Don’t you ever think of yourself that way.  You’re exactly as you ought to be.”

-“The two of you are the most bloodthirsty wenches I’ve ever met.”

“Do you like it?” Finley asked, squeezing his arm before releasing it.

He turned to her, his eyes bright.  Was it just the reflection of the sun that gave them such warmth or something from within?

“I love it,” he said.

***Interview with Kady Cross***

1.  How many books do you have planned for this series?  Any novellas planned in different POV’s?

Right now I'm planning to do 5 books in total, with the last book being Jack's. I would love to do more novellas, but there aren't any planned at this moment.

2.  What is your favorite quote or scene (non-spoiler) from The Girl in the Clockwork Collar?

Oh, dear. That's difficult to pick! I think one of my favorite scenes is Griffin and Finley in the hotel room near the beginning of the book. There's so much romantic tension between them! I also like the scene with Tesla's 'death' suit.

3.  Can you share any pictures that served as fashion inspiration for your books?

Yes!

4.  What is your favorite Steampunk clothing or accessory to wear? (The hats, the goggles…)

I love hats. I also love corsets, though they can be a little restrictive. I think my favorite things are the coats and the boots. I could give up all else if I had a fabulous coat and a smashing pair of boots.

5.  If you could jump into a book, and live in that world, which would it be?

I'm going to be a wimp and say my own! lol. Then I could make certain flush toilets exist, that I'll like the food, and more importantly, that Jack Dandy would fall head over heels for me. ;-)

(Great choice!)

6.  What is something people would be surprised to know about you?

I have an amazing memory for entertainment trivia. It serves absolutely no purpose except that I can usually think of an actor's name when other people can't. Oh, and I regurgitate movie dialogue -- sometimes whole speeches. I think it's annoying.

7.  What is your dream cast for your book?

You mean if it was a movie?  Aaron Johnson for Griffin, Emma Watson for Finley, Lily Cole for Emily, Ben Barnes as Sam, a younger Jensen Ackles as Jasper, and a younger Russell Brand for Jack Dandy.

8.  If someone wrote a book about your life, what would the title be?

Pretty Crazy. It would tie in with the fact that I think all creative people are a little whacky, and the fact that I'm obsessed with makeup.

9.  Finley Jayne is such an awesome kick-ass character, who is your favorite female book character and why?

This is really tough! A lot of my favorite female characters are from comic books. I love Death in Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I love Storm, Phoenix and Mystique from the X-Men. I've always wanted to be Wonder Woman. I'm drawn to female characters who take their destinies into their own hands and don't need to be rescued. They're smart and tough but still feminine. Sometimes they do the wrong thing for the right reason, and if they're captured, they admit they messed up and then get themselves out of the situation! Sophie Jordan, Melissa Marr and Richelle Mead are just 3 authors who write this kind of character. I don't think I can pick a favorite.

10.  Describe The Girl in the Clockwork Collar in 10 words or less…

A dangerous, romantic adventure in steampunk New York.

About the Author

Kady Cross is a pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Kathryn Smith. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and a pride of cats. She likes singing with Rock Band on the 360, British guys, Vietnamese food, and makeup (she’s hopelessly addicted to YouTube makeup tutorials!). When she’s not writing Kady likes to catch up on her favorite TV shows, read a good book or make her own cosmetics.

Click on the link below to add The Girl in the Clockwork Collar to your Amazon wish list!