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...
When I read the Girl in the Steel Corset in June, I said that it had piqued my interest in the steampunk genre, which is why when I went into this book I was expecting great things.
I really did get great things, in my opinion, this book was just as good as the first in the series. I loved Finley, Griffin, Sam, Emily and Jasper in the first book and the characters were just as fantastic in the second, I felt a bit sad because we were missing out on the cockney crook Jack Dandy, but at the same time I really enjoyed watching the slow development of the relationship between Finley and Griffin. Sam and Emily were also just as cute, and even Jasper has his own little it of a romantic storyline, which I won't get into because one of the main twists of the story comes with Jasper and Mei. The characters seemed much older than their own ages though, despite Finley being sixteen she acts like a twenty year old, I keep thinking that she's an adult, not a teen.
Whilst this book doesn't have a 'crime mystery' storyline like Steel Corset I was gripped by the plot of this book. There are plenty of twists and turns, there is action and a bit of a mystery, there are betrayals and romance and always something happening so the pacing was fantastic. I was blown away by the intricacy of this story and how well everything fitted together. I did feel like it was lacking the setting, I didn't really see anything showing us that we're in America, whereas in Steel Corset the authentic London setting really gave off this steampunk vibe.
The narration in this book was easier than in the first book, where I kept getting mixed up with what character I was following, maybe since the characters are more developed I found that I knew each characters voice and opinions.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, though i missed Jack Dandy. the characters were fantastic but seemed older than their age and the setting was lacking. The plot was gripping and the slow burn of the romance was great to read.
Overall Rating: B
Book released May 22nd 2012 by Harlequin Teen (US) and
Book received as an egalley from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Other books in this series: The Girl in the Steel Corset (Book #1)
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