"Girl in the Clockwork Collar" Review

Date to be Published: May 22, 2012

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Number of Pages: 416

First Thoughts:

 Here we go again with yet another adventure, the characters ever witty some just as annoying as always. The world was built with precision and I really enjoyed the way the author was able to pull some realistic situations and place them in this time period. And Though I found this book tedious at times it was overall a quick and fun read for me. As for liking it better than "The Girl in the Steel Corset"? Well that's still to be determined.

Plot:

The plot was really well placed, though there were some instances I saw coming from miles away (I really wished it wasn't so easy to solve). But I also felt the author did a good job creating a deep and interesting plot, the romance was just as good as in the first book but this time with a little more Zest! I liked that the author complicated the romance even more, giving it a more deep and jagged edge to it. We were definitely able to see more of the personalities of the characters come out more in this book. As for the overall pace of the book, I felt it slow and fast at times, there were a few slow moments that I wished forward but in the end they were a necessity to better understand the overall story. I felt this book held the entire required and important element a plot must contain. Though not everything was resolved in this world most of what this story was about was answered and tied with a silver bow.

Characters:

Some of the characters were well created than others; while some outshined others and brought a certain element to the story other flopped and became weaker in this story. I'm not sure if the author is doing this on purpose but I'm sure these now weak characters will once again face a tragic event to catapult them to the  new them. I felt that Finley was different in this book, though she was a three dimensional character and contributed to quite a lot of this story, I felt her more vulnerable in this book, like perhaps a transformation I had missed in the first book was just now showing....and as for the other main characters I did in fact enjoy them, I loved their easy banter and ever evolving personalities, the only thing I wished was better was the minor characters, if only they were created with a little bit more Zaze, I could better connect with them and understand their part in this story.

Character Transformation:

There were a few transformations that took place, though they certainly weren't the ones I expected and I loved that about this book. I loved that the least expected character made that amazing transformation in this book...and near the end...just wow...I didn't expect that transformation. And though I felt some of the characters stepped back in this book I also believe that they needed to do that to move forward. And like I said I can't wait to see what this author has in store for them...I can only imagine the trouble they'll cause and be in to make these transformations. So overall though the transformations were minimum the ones that did happen were well written and created, none of them seemed unrealistic or unbelievable.

Description:

I found that the author did a good job describing the time period and scenery. I was able to picture each scene as if I was there, as if I was experiencing everything alongside them. Though I wouldn't say the description is poetic but it did have a way of drawing you in, getting you to notice the finer details and create a more vivid and more deeper picture of where they were at. And I loved that she didn't gloss over the more gross descriptions, I love it when an author isn't afraid to capture even the simplest image and write it into the scene, be it the sweat on the character or the flowers in the field...The amount of description fit this book just right, though at times I found the description to be a bit overwhelming it paid off in the end and made the slower moments worth that much more. Overall I enjoyed the description and had no problems reading through it by the end of it.

Style:

I liked that the author chose to write in different POV's. It really opened up their world and allowed as to get a better grasp on the story and understand it on another level. And where she chose to switch the POV's was placed with precision and at just the right moments. As for the writing itself, I believe she stayed true to her original style and was able to keep the same frequency from the first book, I didn't feel thrown out of balance with the style itself. I really enjoyed reading the language of this world and how she the author perceived it.

Quote of the book:

"Finley knew the remark was mostly directed at her, but she wasn't about to get her knickers in a twist over it. He was right. They weren't in London, and there was danger in this city for all of them."

Goodreads Summary:

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.

Last Thoughts:

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy steampunk novels and anyone who is in for a good low gushy romance (yes there are those moments you want to go awww but I believed they were kept to a minimum in this book). I however don't recommend this book if you didn't enjoy the first book. If you found yourself struggling just to get through the first novel I don't think you'd do much better with this book, not much has changed in the way of style just the instances and revolving conflict. But overall I enjoyed the   look forward to continuing these characters journey; you just never know what Cross has in store for not only the characters but us as the readers.

My Rating: