Cover Reveal (2): The Girl in The Clockwork Collar

Wow, I am terribly sorry for posting twice in one day, but I just found out the cover for 'The Girl in the Clockwork Collar' ('The Steampunk Chronicles' book 2, by Kady Cross) has been revealed! (See left.) 

It's not as gorgeous as the first one, in my opinion. And I wonder who the cover-girl is? It's definitively not Finley!


'The Girl in the Clockwork Collar' is the sequel to 'The Girl in the Steel Corset' (see right) which I am very, very eagerly awaiting! Expected publication will be June 2012. From what I've understood there will be more sequels to this series, a 3rd and 4th installment will be written if all goes well. (YAY!)


When I read this book would take place in America instead of England, I was afraid I'd be left wondering what would happen to Finley, Griff, Jack and the others, and the book would focus on Jasper Renn instead. Luckily, reading a small exert from the first chapter proved me wrong. I'll leave you with this preview, hopefully getting you as giddy as it has left me! Have you read and enjoyed 'The Girl in the Steel Corset' as well? In that case, enjoy this sample and drop me a line if you wanna talk about these books! 
~Happy Holidays! :)


High above the Atlantic Ocean, July 1897 

"What are you doing?” 

Finley Jayne smiled in the darkness. She should have known Griffin would come looking for her. Gripping the slender prow with both hands she glanced over her shoulder and saw him standing just inside the dirigible’s softly-lighted observation deck. The wind blew strands of hair into her face. 

“Finding out what it feels like to fly,” she replied. 

“You’re over three thousand feet in the air.” His gravelly voice carried over the sound of the airship’s engines. “Flying might prove fatal.” 

Finley laughed. That was his way of scolding her for having ignored the signs that warned passengers not to climb out the windows or over the protective railings. Griffin King was the Duke of Greythorne and sometimes he carried the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. That he was worried about her was… sweet. 

“We’re going to be landing soon,” he called, trying another tactic. “Why don’t you come in and make sure you have all your things?” 

“I’m packed and ready,” she called back. “Why don’t you come out here and see how beautiful New York City is at night?” 

She didn’t expect him to take her up on the dare. It wasn’t that he was a coward – he was anything but. However, as a duke and an only child, it would be irresponsible of him to risk his life for no reason but a pretty view just because she asked. No, Griffin wouldn’t be so foolish, but Jack would. 

Finley pushed the thought of the notorious criminal Jack Dandy from her mind. Jack was in London, and it wasn’t fair of her to compare Griffin to him when neither of the young men had an equal. 

There was a faint noise behind her and the next thing she knew Griffin was there, sitting with her on this narrow shaft. All that was below them was the ship’s figure head – a robust blond woman of dubious virtue carved from wood – and thousands of miles of night. 

“What are you doing?” Finley demanded, her tone a reflection of what his own had been – only slightly more panicked. She wasn’t that breakable, but Griffin was. “You shouldn’t be out here.” 

One of his legs brushed the back of hers. Beneath her striped stocking her skin prickled. “I know, but I hear it’s the only way to experience the sensation of flying.” She could tell he was smiling without being able to see his handsome face. 

"It is magnificent, isn’t it? Look, there’s the Statue of Liberty.” 

It was magnificent, so much so that Finley couldn’t find words to reply. Spread out before them – just beyond the ship’s lanterns – was a blanket of lights. It looked like stars covered the ground, and set a short distance from it all was the largest lady she’d ever seen, the glow from her torch illuminating from her raised hand to just the top of her crowned head. The lights of the dirigible brought the rest of her into view. 

“I asked the pilot to fly by her so we can have a better look,” Griff said. 

“Asked or told?” She teased. This was Griffin’s private airship – the Helena, named after his mother. Someone else might fly it for him, but he was one in charge. 

He smiled. “Asked. What do you think of America so far?” 

“It’s grand.” It came out a little more exuberant than she’d planned. She had never been outside England – never been outside London – so this already the adventure of a lifetime for her. Never mind that only a fortnight ago she’d been battling for the safety of all the world against a mad man. That had been terrible and frightening, and not really a proper adventure at all. But this – soaring above the vast Atlantic Ocean with the night wind in her hair and Griffin sitting behind her… this was amazing. 

She felt close to him, enough that it scared her a little. She didn’t even know who she was inside, and he was a duke who could bring down buildings from the inside out by controlling the Aether. There could never be anything but friendship between them, but that didn’t stop her from the occasional day dream. He made her feel like she could do anything she set her mind to – what girl wouldn’t have a bit of a crush? 

“Would you like to know how it really feels to fly?” He asked her.

Review: The Girl in the Steel Corset

The Girl In The Steel Corset, by  Kady Cross
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles, book 1
Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Steampunk, Romance
Published: May 2011
Pages: 473 
My Rating: 

This review contains many spoilers, so beware!

What a page-turner!

England, 1897
Kady Cross herself meant her book as a cross-over between ‘X-men Teens’ and ‘The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen’. She’s right; it’s a book set in that wonderful, ‘steampunkian’, Victorian era, telling about young adults with special powers. Though I haven’t actually read any of the gothic classics, this book seems like sort of an ode to them as well. We all know the movies about Frankenstein, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, etc. Those themes are explored further here, used as an inspiration. Even the descriptive, elaborate writing style adds to the feel of the book.

As opposed to the prequel ‘The Strange Case of Finley Jayne’, this book develops at a slower pace. Although that may be not the right terminology to use here, because the book almost immediately starts in the middle of a violent scene. Whereas ‘prequel-Finley’ seemed to be mostly good with a righteous heart, only partly taken over by her ‘Dark Side’ or ‘Other Self’, this Finley seems eager for blood. Admittedly, when faced with the situation she finds herself faced with, it’s understandable she wants to defend herself, or even hurt her opponent.

When Finley literally runs into Griffins velocycle -a sort of motor-bicycle powered by a special kind of energy (‘Ore’: something Griffs parents found while taking their journey to the centre of the earth. This energy powers almost entire London and is in the hands of Griffin), she finds herself awakening at Griff’s mansion. Griffin turns out to be the Duke of Greythorne. Because she feels imprisoned, ‘Dark’ Finley attacks anyone in her proximity. (Already, it gets kinda old...) Luckily Griff and his friends, Sam and Emily, aren’t normal either. Griff, for example, has a special connection to the Aether and recognizes Finley’s ‘abnormality’ instantly, without judging. He manages to settle her down with his power.

Details about the characters and environment create the right atmosphere. Griff has a nifty velocycle, retro-futuristic cell phones also exist, in the form of personal telegraph machines. Griffs ‘Aether’ machine could be compared to the internet, only broader. It allows him to make contact with those who have passed away, as well as find any information about people/things that is ‘out there’. Of course it doesn’t look anything like our computers, everything is made of metal, brass, wood etc. So-called ‘Automatons’ have taken over many jobs, though lately several of them have gone against their programs, attacking people, amongst them Sam.

Slowly the story evolves, but not so slow you’re losing interest. It’s nice for a change to read a story that goes a little deeper, tackles issues and mysteries before it gets snowed under by heaps of action. Kady Cross takes her time to give the reader more background info on the characters. She does this also by changing the points of view from which the story is told. We see things from not only Finleys view, but also Griff, Sam and Emily.

We learn where Griff got his wealth (actually, his parents did, and since they died in an accident a few years back, that makes him the duke and heir to the estate)and get to know Emily’s brilliance when it comes to fixing both people (sometimes with the help of ‘Organites’) and machines. Sam has been so brutally attacked by an automaton gone wild, he couldn’t have survived without the metal alterations Emily made to his body. He’s struggling to find a way to get over his fear for automatons and accept his new self. He’s coping even more with his feelings for both Emily and Griff, he knows they acted out of love yet at the same time he hates them for practically turning him into the same thing that almost caused him to die in the first place.

Emily’s research on the same automaton that attacked Sam showed nothing out of the ordinary. Its power source is still the same: ‘Ore’. Gradually this strange group of youngsters learn more about the way ‘Organites’ work. They enhance the powers they already possess, which is why Finley can’t control her dark side ever since she’s been treated with the ‘Organites’. Thankfully Griff gradually helps Finley merge her ‘two broken halves’ into one whole.

When Griffs Aunt Cordelia returns home (wearing a nose piercing and ear piercing which are connected by 6 iron chains, 1 for each year her husband has gone missing) we learn that Griffs and Finleys existences are coincidentally connected, their parents journeyed to the centre of the earth together in a group. After a talk with Finleys mom, Finley finally finds out why she is who/what she is.
***SPOILER: Her father was a brilliant scientist who used himself as a test subject often. With the help of Griffs father, he barely manages to return to his usual self after a sort of Jekyll and Hyde experiment gone wrong. For both men the test results were a cause for celebration; for Finley who was conceived after these experiments, they meant something similar happens inside of her. END SPOILER***
At night this ‘bad side’ of Finley mostly comes to live. It’s then she seeks out Jack Dandy, presuming her former employer (the one who came on to her but she fought off) is one of his followers. She feels Jack Dandy to be an equal to her ‘dark’ self, immediately drawn to his physique and dangerous vibe. Still, she can’t help compare him to Griff who’s been kind enough to provide her with shelter and new clothing, and wants nothing but her trust in return. At first. Also, he asked her to fight along their sides against the evil that makes London an unsafe place.

I loved the reversed roles in the scene where Griffs aunt Cordelia tries to enter Finleys mind to find out whether or not she is guilty of something. (Because whenever Finleys dark side takes over lately, she can’t seem to remember anything she did.)
***SPOILER: Finleys dark side fights Cordelia off, Cordelia’s nose starts bleeding from the strain, while Griff tries to disconnect their minds through the Aether. He succeeds but has to let his guard down, all ghosts lingering in the Aether overtaking him, almost causing his brain to explode because of the overwhelming pressure. To find refuge he manages to throw himself into the pool, the pressure escaping him in the form of steam. Finley comes to his rescue, disregarding her pounding headache, the burns the steam cause and scoops Griff up into her arms, carrying him back into the house. For a few steps that is, until Griffins male pride takes over and gently asks her to put him down. When Aunt Cordelia learns Finley is innocent and sees the way she cares for Griff, she is finally able to trust her. END SPOILER***

The scene in which Finley receives an exotic gift from an admirer, along with an invitation to a masked ball in Piccadilly Circus, is one of my favourites. I love the way Jack woos Finley.

Another lovely scene is the one where Griff comes to get Finley back, after she’s fled the mansion to stay at Jack’s.
***SPOILER: Sam challenges Finley to a fight, hoping to provoke her evil side to make his friends see she’s dangerous after all. When Sam nearly kills her, Finley almost kills him by molesting his artificial heart. Emily, Finley and Griff manage to rescue him but Finley decides to run. As soon as Griff finds out Finley is missing he reckons she must be at Jack Dandy’s and goes over there. He threatens to throw her over his shoulder if he must. Jack retorts in his charming cockney accent ‘that even he ‘as goose bumps.’ Griff *does* walk out of there with Finley over his shoulder. END SPOILER***

I liked every character, though it took me a while to like Sam. I got his hatred, but still didn’t take a liking to him.
I found Finleys two sides fascinating, even more so once they were ‘fighting’ for their place at the same time. Her shyness opposed to her boldness, her fear opposed to her anger, etc.
Griffin was likeable and cool in a careless way, but a bit distant. Still witty in his own way.
Jack Dandy was great, claiming to be a bad guy when it was clear his heart was in the right place, especially when it came to Finley.
Emily’s obvious heritage in the form of her accent, red hair and freckles softened her brilliance which was intimidatingly so. Her power to ‘speak’ to machines was one really tailormade.
Renn was likeable too, the only thing that left me in the dark is the way he disappeared from the book...

The plot wasn’t huge or epic, but the story had enough action the entire time. Actually the plot was very meager, compared to the length of the story. I expected something bigger. However, I was curious to find out what ‘The Machinist’ was planning and why he needed a tunnel that ended right in one of Queen Victoria’s rooms.
***SPOILER: ’Twas a very humorous moment in the book, when the team appeared through a hole in the floor of Queen Victoria’s room (after a claustrophobic tunnel trip in the place where Sam got attacked by the automaton), her majesty staring right at them. Just as it was funny Queen Victoria’s wax statue was stolen from Madame Tussaud’s and delivered at Jack Dandy’s doorstep, dressed in nothing but her undergarments! END SPOILER***

I can’t say I disliked ANYTHING in the book. Not a single chapter, paragraph or word even. I kept turning pages, wanting to know. I felt giddy and at awe the whole time, this is my new favorite book and author. Maybe for the sequel she could do with a better, more epic plot. Because of that and the fact that the story was maybe a little too elaborate compared to it, I give it 4,5 stars instead of 5.

My last point of critique is the absence of that one kiss I know all readers must have been waiting for. There was plenty of romance in the book, moments I wished I could experience myself, but I missed that kiss. Desperately. Because sense, sensibility and social classes can’t and mustn’t rule over true love. Right?

Review: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne

The Strange Case of Finley Jayne , by Kady Cross (e-book)
Series: The Steampunk Chronicles, book 0.5  
Genre: YA, Sci-fi, Steampunk, Romance
Published: May 2011
Pages: 78
My Rating: 

Finley Jane kicks ass. Literally. So does Kady Cross for creating her.

This was a short and sweet read. Kady's way of writing is beautiful, I enjoyed her sentences as much as the steampunk world she created. It sort of felt like an ode to 'Frankenstein', with its dark atmosphere, mystery, intrigue and even a mad scientist. But on the other hand it was sweet and feminine too.

It's so good to finally read about a strong female heroine, even though the heroine feels her 'other self' is sort of evil. From what I've read so far, I don't think she's evil. She has a strong sence of justice and is willing to defend the innocent. That she enjoys the process doesn't seem wrong to me at all. She hasn't killed anyone yet, only maimed them ;)

I love Finleys sarcasm, her honesty, her big heart, her bravoury, her wits, her quick reactions. I love how she throws the failure of Lord Vincents steampowered horses (the same horses she saved Lady Phoebe from, during a carriage-ride spun out of control!) right back in his face when she finds us his nasty plans.
I love how she's overwhelmed by the riches and kindness she finds herself in when becoming her employers daughter's companion. The poor girl, Lady Phoebe, is married off to Lord Vincent, a middle aged inventor who will ensure her fathers gambling debts will be paid for. I like the way Finley finally realises why she's really hired after having a conversation with Lady Morton, Phoebes mother. I like the way all the girls seem to bond so easily and enjoy each others company and the treats of life amidst all the peril surrounding them.

The world Finley lives in is amazingly cool, steampowered inventions all over, such as carriages, sewing machines, mechanical horses and automatons.

I'm hooked, which is a good thing because 'The Girl In The Steel Corset' lies waiting for me. The book, that is. Not Finley ;)

I'm coooming!!! :)