The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

When Jasper is hauled off to America, Finley and her friends are convinced it must be because the law has finally caught up to him—but they go after him nonetheless. They are determined to clear his name and prove that Jasper is the good man and friend they know him to be, but when they arrive in New York City, they find that things aren’t exactly as they appear to me. Jasper isn’t in custody of the police; instead, he has been taken prisoner by a scheming former acquaintance, someone who is intent on getting what he wants at any cost. In this case, he wants the mysterious device that Jasper stole years ago, and in exchange, the life of the woman Jasper loves will be spared. But it soon becomes apparent that one woman’s life is not the only thing at stake, and Finley, Jasper, and their friends are in a race against time to stop a city-wide catastrophe.

I absolutely loved The Girl in the Steel Corset, so I couldn’t wait to delve back into its seductive steampunk world in its sequel, The Girl in the Clockwork Collar. As I hoped, Cross delivers just enough physical action, fascinating secrets, and exciting plot twists to keep me fully in suspense throughout the entire book; I was completely enthralled with the plot. One aspect of the plot that was a little less satisfying for me, though, was the romance. The tension between Finley and Griffin is too drawn out, which was frustrating for me, because I felt like each was merely fixating upon silly reasons for why they couldn’t be with each other. Aside from this, though, I found The Girl in the Clockwork Collar quite enjoyable and loved being able to glimpse more of the lives of Finley, Griffin, Jasper and their misfit crew.

Fans of The Girl in the Steel Corset will not want to miss its exciting sequel in The Girl in the Clockwork Collar, nor will readers who also enjoyed Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle and Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood.

Rating: 4.5

Review copy from NetGalley