Find my reviews on Blogger ~ Reviews by Bookish Sarah 
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 **Contains spoilers for The Girl in the Steel Corset!** 
 The Girl in the Clockwork Collar picks up almost immediately where its' predecessor left off. Finley, Griffin, Emily, and Sam travel to the United States (New York to be exact) in hopes of locating and possibly liberating Griffin's close friend Jasper Renn (who was accused of murder and taken by bounty hunters at the end of book 1). Finley and her crew are determined to prove that Jasper did not commit the murder he's been accused of - but first things first... finding Jasper. 
 Jasper is being held captive by an old enemy named Reno Dalton (Dalton for short). Way back when, a robbery gone awry caused Jasper to dismantle a priceless piece of machinery that Dalton claims belongs to him and hide the various pieces throughout New York. Dalton wants it back. He's taken Mei Xing, Jasper's old flame, hostage to force Jasper's hand. Mei has been unable to escape due to a clockwork collar around her neck; a collar which can tighten at the push of a button and strangle her to death. Jasper will do whatever it takes to keep Mei alive and well, so he agrees to do whatever Dalton wants. 
 Meanwhile, our gang of rescuers have discovered where Jasper is and end up hatching a plan that is quite dangerous for our dear Finley. 
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 Dislikes: 
 * Er, where is Jack Dandy? *CRIES* He's mentioned just enough in the novel to have me pulling my hair out in anger that he's not actually in it! Sadness!! 
 * REPETITION & CONTRADICTION. Oh... my... gosh... Ms. Cross loves to repeat things over and over and over. Emily has ropey hair. Finley is OH-SO-STRONG and heals OH-SO-FAST! Finley has a dark side and it's OH-SO-IRRESISTIBLE! Finley compares Griffin to Jack Dandy about 1,000,001 times throughout the book. Then you have the constant contradiction that are Finley's feelings for Griffin. On one page she is thinking about how she isn't good enough for him and how they will never ever be able to be together, etc. Then, just two pages later, she is peeved simply because Griffin could have kissed her but did not, or how he is ignoring her or something equally childish. Just, please, make it stop! :( 
 * The overly done descriptions of Finley's wardrobe. For heaven's sake! We don't need to know the print on her underpants and whether or not her trousers have lacey trim or how tall her combat boots are or whether or not she shoves chopsticks in her hair that morning. I am all for descriptiveness, sure, but it's like the author is putting too much weight on what Finley is wearing; like her bad-assery is because of her wardrobe alone. I just think it could be toned down a bit. 
 Likes: 
 * Well, I gotta say I enjoyed the sexual tension between Finley and Griffin. It was pretty intense and I really appreciated the growth they both went through together and separately. By the end of the book I was very satisfied with the romance aspect of the story - including Emily and Sam! Those two are just adorable. :) I really enjoyed their banter. 
 * Griffin and his connection with the Aether. I only wish there was more of it. Griffin and his abilities are sort of a back-burner issue in this book, but there are some new developments and Griffin discovers his ability is even more wondrous than everyone first thought. I really hope to learn some more on this in book 3. It's the most interesting thing about this series (for me). 
 * The plot went at a steady pace. I appreciated that especially since I was getting irritated with certain things about the book. I can definitely say Kady Cross kept the action coming and kept me on my toes. 
 * The characters are quite memorable. Finley is not the best protagonist in the world, but she is definitely unique. Emily is my favorite. She is a firecracker, she is! She makes me laugh and smile every time she opens her mouth. :) Sam is super broody, but his love for Emily makes him quite adorable. Griffin is, well, your average hero-guy. Charming, in control, overprotective, etc. I appreciate this colorful cast of characters, truly. 
 Overall: 
 I wasn't as impressed with this book as I thought I was going to be, but it was still enjoyable. The things I disliked were minor, but... when you add 'em all up, they seem like a bigger deal. It was fast-paced and full of action. The characters were pleasing and memorable - and each one seemed to go through a journey of their own in this novel. I enjoyed the plot. The romance is intense and, although it takes awhile for Finley and Griffin to take the plunge, it's so so worth it in the end. As a whole, I'd say The Girl in the Clockwork Collar is a decent sequel. I'll be keeping on with the series! 
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 Book source: NetGalley 
 Publisher: Harlequin Teen/Harlequin