Just Finished Reading .. The Girl in the Clockwork Collar

Girl in the Clockwork Collar

by Kady Cross

Published by Harlequin Teen

On May 29, 2012

Source: NetGalley

Series report: While this book does a good job of recapping past events, it doesn't do as much to refresh the reader's memory about the relationships between the characters.


My summary: In Girl in the Clockwork Collar, the gang of misfits from Girl in the Steel Corset returns for new adventures. Finley, Emily, Griffin and Sam leave London in search of their friend Jasper, who has been taken away by bounty hunters. In New York, they find Jasper and his ex-girlfriend Mei, who are being controlled by a hoodlum named Dalton. Jasper used to be in Dalton's gang, and thus knows the location of something Dalton desperately wants. To ensure that Jasper is willing to help him, Dalton has fitted Mei with a clockwork collar that will choke her if she flees.

My thoughts:  If you enjoyed Girl With the Steel Corset, you'll probably like The Girl In the Clockwork Collar. I thought both books were light, enjoyable reads, but as I turned the pages, I kept wishing for even more -- more character development, more surprises, more of an emotional payoff.

I was very excited to learn that this series was moving to New York for book two. Turn of the century New York is one of my favorite settings for fiction -- I'm crazy about books like The Alienist, The House of Mirth, and Washington Square. 


The characters in the Steel Corset/Clockwork Collar series are all appealing -- feisty Finley, noble Griffin, tart-tongued Emily, and the gentle mechanical giant Sam. I know many readers will be disappointed that there's no trace of Jack in Girl in the Clockwork Collar. I missed him too!

While I did like the characters, I can't say I felt much of a connection with any of them. Each seems to have been assigned an insecurity that they repeatedly obsess about in interior monologue. Griffin broods about Finley's affinity for "the dark side" and Finley frets that a nobleman like Griffin will never choose a lowborn girl like her. But none of this ever gets discussed or resolved, even after two books.

As in The Girl in the Steel Corset, the plot of The Girl in the Clockwork Collar moves smoothly and steadily, fueled by luck and coincidence. There's really never any doubt that the gang will prevail and the bad guys will be defeated.

To me, the best parts of this series are the steampunk elements. I'm not sure I fully understand the Aether or the "beasties," but I enjoyed reading about all the cool gadgetry, like Mei's clockwork collar.  I also appreciate the fact that these books don't end on cliffhangers. Each book has a resolution, while still trying to tempt you to read the next installment. Looks like the gang is headed home to London, which means ... Jack is back!

Have you read either of these books? Or do you have any steampunk recommendations for me? Let me know in comments!

Just Finished Reading ... Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Dreamless (Starcrossed Book #2)

by Josephine Angelini

Published by HarperTeen

on May 29, 2012

Source: e-Galley from the publisher via Edelweiss

Series report: This book dives right in with a minimal amount of recap. You might want to refresh your memory about Starcrossed.

Sorry, this is going to be a bit long, but I have labeled each part so that you can read what interests you.

First, some non-spoilery thoughts on Starcrossed, plus a brief recap:

If you read a lot of YA, there are aspects of Starcrossed that may feel a bit BTDT. Helen, our heroine, is a self-conscious, awkward girl who doesn't realize that she's drop-dead beautiful. Lucas, also gorgeous beyond belief, suddenly shows up at Helen's school. He's part of a close-knit, mysterious family and seems to detest Helen on sight. 

Helen, who is blessed with superhuman strength and plagued by nightmares, learns that the reason she's always felt different is that she is a scion, or demigod. So is Lucas. Each scion is a member of a different House, founded by a different Greek god. 

Since the end of the Trojan War, Zeus dictated that the four Houses could not unite. Thus, members of different Houses feel compelled to hate, even kill one another. (Imagine a kind of demigod gang warfare.) But when Helen and Lucas save each other's lives, this breaks the cycle of hatred between the two of them and they fall madly in love. Great, right? Nuh-uh. They can't act on these feelings, because that would unite their two Houses, which is prohibited. 

At this point in the story, Helen and Lucas are given another reason they can't be together --  a reason that the reader learns is a lie. This infuriated some readers of Starcrossed, but hey, this is book is part of a series. If the couple gets together right away, the romantic tension fizzles rather than sizzles.

I really enjoyed Starcrossed.  I found Helen an endearing character, and also loved her best friend Claire "Giggles" Aoki. The story also had laugh-out-loud moments that came out of nowhere, and touching moments as well. I'm also a huge mythology nerd, so I was curious to see what the future held for Helen and Lucas and the rest of the gang in ...

Dreamless

My summary: 

Toward the end of Starcrossed, Helen learns that she is the Descender, the only demigod who can locate the Furies in the Underworld and get them to free the scions from their cycle of hatred and vengeance.  Cruelly separated from Lucas by the Big Fat Lie (see above), Helen spends every night roaming the Underworld, trying to find the Furies. This work is hard, lonely and exhausting, but the knowledge that all the scions are counting on Helen keeps her going. 

One night in the Underworld, she is shocked to find another living person. Orion is also a scion and the two of them have a lot in common. Can't say more without spoilers!  Helen is touched and relieved when Orion offers to help her in her quest. 

Meanwhile, Lucas is acting all broody and jealous, Claire and Cassandra worry that Helen's Underworld quest is slowly killing her, and someone close to Helen betrays her by teaming up with Automadon, a truly creepy new insect-villain. Will Helen manage to find the Furies, assuage their anger, and finally bring peace to the Houses? Or will she die trying?

My thoughts: 

Like Starcrossed, Dreamless is a big, sprawling, imaginative book. If you loved Starcrossed, I'm pretty sure you'll love Dreamless even more. You might have heard that a love triangle is introduced. Yes, that's true, but it is not the blatant-plot-device kind of love triangle or "all the cool kids are doing it" sort of love triangle but a real, honest-to-goodness romantic confusion. Poor Helen is trapped in a tangle of lies and lust that left me confused as to which guy I thought she should choose. I mean, I can't blame her for sending a bunch of flirty text messages to some new guy, since she was told that under no circumstances could she be with Lucas. Never-ever-ever. No matter what.

My favorite part of Dreamless were the Underworld scenes. (See "I am a huge mythology nerd" above.)   That's a good thing, because Helen spends a lot of the book down there. Dreamless has even more action than Starcrossed, features some really scary villains, and introduces some new mythological figures. Loved all that!!

But Dreamless isn't all doom and gloom and romantic angst. The book has plenty of hilarity (a running joke about bed-wetter sheets) and some touching moments (the lonely Orion, the doomed Cassandra, the outcast Hector).  Josephine Angelini is a wildly imaginative writer who has created a unique story world. I'm really looking forward to book three in this series!

Have you read Starcrossed? If not tell me about your favorite YA mythology book or your favorite myth in comments!

YA Hot off the Presses: May 29- June 4

Hot Off The Presses highlights great new YA releases for the coming week. For more information on all my Blog Features and their inspirations, please click Blog Features on the left sidebar.

These books are coming out the week of May 29-June 4.

These three I'm definitely reading! Click on the photos to go to the Goodreads page in a new window.

Dreamless by Josephine Angelini

Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Grim by Anna Waggener

Last week I reviewed:

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep  Click on the highlighted text to open the review in a new window.

Other May 29- June 4 releases -- click on the title for the Goodreads page:

Burning Emerald by Jaime Reed

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Girl Out Loud by Emily Gale

Devine Intervention by Martha Brackenbrough

Search for Safety by John Langan

Thanks to Amber @readingaddict17, I realize that I missed:

Darkness Before Dawn by J. A. London

Tell me in comments: which of these are you planning to read?

And... the winner of yesterday's drawing of the ARC of Vicious Deep is....

Congratulations, Tabitha!  I hope you enjoy your first mermaid book!

If You Like ... Mermaid Books

If You Like.... is hosted by Melanie @ Reclusive Bibliophile.

This week's theme is Mermaids!

Zozelini/Flickr Creative Commons

Literally Jen, one of my blogging friends, loves mermaid books. LOVES them. I like them, but I guess I haven't yet found the mermaid book that just blows me out of the water.

Many mermaid books have a similar plot. A girl feels different but isn't sure why. She's probably missing at least one parent. She discovers ... she's a mermaid! A cute mer-guy shows her the barnacled ropes under the sea. Then she has to make a tough choice: life on land or in the water. What to do?

Nothing's wrong with that plot, you say?  Okay! These are my two favorite mermaid books so far. Clicking on the titles takes you to Goodreads!

Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
I thought that Tracy Deebs did a fantastic job of describing what life under the water might actually feel like. I wasn't crazy about the love triangle in this book and the way it was resolved. But if you love mermaids, you should definitely read it! Hurry up, because book two, Tempest Unleashed, comes out on June 5!

Mermaid's Mirror by L.K. Madigan
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan is a forever-on-my-keeper-shelf kind of book. So when I saw that this fantastically talented author wrote a mermaid book, I read it!  I loved Lena, liked her family dynamic, and the love story in this one really worked for me!

Since Literally Jen reads so many mermaid books, I also asked her to give me a list of her faves and here they are:

Mermaid Summer by Mollie Hunter (LitJen says this one may be out of print)

Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon

Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova

Help me out on my quest to find that perfect mermaid book. Tell me about one that you loved! If you don't read mermaid books, you can tell me that too :) 

On Tuesday at 9 am EST I'll draw a winner for my ARC of Vicious Deep out of commenters on this post. You can still leave a comment if you don't want to enter. Just don't fill out the form below.

THE DRAWING IS OVER!

Be sure to check out the list of mermaid books that other bloggers and YA librarians have recommended over at Reclusive Bibliophile.

Extra Extra 6

Extra! Extra! is a new-ish weekly post featuring brand new additions to my TBR pile as well as a summary of what's new on the blog.
To read about the inspiration behind my blog features, click the highlighted text.

Today I'm trying out linking to Stacking the Shelves at Tynga's Reviews. Check out the great blogs that have posted their Sunday news over there....

WHAT'S NEW IN MY TBR PILE?

Two new ARCs: 

Smashed by Lisa Luedeke

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

Both of these look super-cool and edgy! Click the highlighted titles to check them out on Goodreads.

And now, without further delay, here are the answers to the "Which of this six things did Adrian Ivashkov really say? 


If you missed my quiz, here it is again. It originally ran with my Golden Lily review. If you missed that, click on that highlighted text to the left.

Adrian really said some the following quotes in The Golden Lily. Others were made up by me. Can you guess which are which?

A: "I've been known to roll the dice now and then."

B: "Sage, your new boyfriend is so excruciatingly polite he must be a serial killer."

C: "Slushes. Do you know how much I love those? Cherry, especially."

D: "Believe it or not, I do think some women should keep their clothes on."

E: "I find prostitutes vastly important."

F:  "I absolutely deny requesting a pirate tattoo. Because I already have one."

Answer: Adrian really said A, C and E. I made up the others. Heh heh.

What's coming up next week on the blog?

Monday: I'm joining If You Like Again and we're talking mermaid books. I know we have a lot of mermaid fans out there, so come join us!

Tuesday: Another exciting installment of Hot Off The Presses: New YA Releases May 29-June 4. We have another blockbuster release week. Come check it out so you don't miss anything!

Wednesday and Thursday: Reviews of Dreamless by Josephine Angelini and Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

Friday: FREEBIE FRIDAY will be back!  Yay!!!

Leave me a comment with a link to your Sunday update post, or if you're not a blogger, tell me in comments what you're reading next!

Just Finished Reading: Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Dark Frost

by Jennifer Estep

Will be published by: Kensington Teen

on May 29, 2012

Source: NetGalley

Series report: Estep does a fantastic job of recapping in the early chapters of this third book of the series. Dive in and enjoy!

My summary: Still feel like you need a recap of books one and two? Click this highlighted text to read my summary of Touch of Frost and Kiss of Frost in a new window. 

Dark Frost begins immediately after the events in Kiss of Frost. Gwen and some classmates are getting a homework assignment done -- visiting a museum before school resumes from winter break -- when a sudden, violent Reaper attack leaves them shaken. Gwen knows what's up -- the Reapers are looking for the Helheim Dagger, an artifact used during the final battle of the Chaos War. That conflict ensured that the evil Norse God Loki was imprisoned. If the Reapers find the last artifact, they free him. Using clues from her mother's diary, Gwen resolves to find the dagger first.

My thoughts:  There are so many things I love about this series. The pan-cultural mythological world Jennifer Estep has created is fresh and interesting. Gwen is a great main heroine, and I love the will-they-won't-they romance between Gwen and Logan. The secondary characters are all well-developed and appealing -- Nickamedes, Daphne, Carson, Grandma Frost, and of course, Vic! Plus, the action scenes are fantastic. If you're a reader who loves weaponry and sword fights, you'll be very happy. 

Just Finished Reading .... The Golden Lily

The Golden Lily

by Richelle Mead

Published by: Razorbill/Penguin Group

on June 14, 2012

Source: bought from bookstore

Quick spoiler-free Bloodlines recap: 
Alchemist Sydney Sage has been under suspicion since she aided fugitive Rose Hathaway in the Vampire Academy series. In Bloodlines, Sydney is sent to Palm Springs to protect Moroi princess Jill Dragomir, the only living relative of the reigning vampire queen.  So Jill and Sydney enroll as students at the exclusive Amberwood school.   This assignment offers Sydney a second chance to prove her loyalty to the Alchemists. Syd needs to do her job as a bridge between the vampire world and the human one, while staying true to Alchemist principles, which consider magic immoral and vampires unnatural and dangerous.  Still, Sydney can't help but become a little attached to Jill and her undead entourage, like eccentric reclusive Clarence and rakish bad boy Adrian.When Moroi girls start turning up dead in L.A., Sydney knows she needs to get to the bottom of what's happening.

Spoiler-free summary of Golden Lily: With the culprit from Bloodlines brought to justice, Sydney is looking forward to a normal life at Amberwood: going to class and working as a research assistant for eccentric Ms. Terwilliger. A Dhampir team has arrived in town to research the process by which vampires who have been turned Strigoi can be turned back by the use of spirit. The team need Sydney's help, but she's reluctant to provide it. After having to face down a murderer in Bloodlines, Sydney is also concerned with learning to protect herself. To further complicate matters, she's met the perfect guy. Brayden is smart and serious. So why does Sydney find herself drawn to someone else, someone completely wrong for her? Sydney also begins to suspect that there's a new group targeting vampires. When someone close to Sydney is abducted, she'll have to decide if she's willing to betray Alchemist principles to save a life.

My thoughts: I know that some readers find Sydney dull in comparison to Rose.  Not me! I love Sydney. She's so responsible and serious, but underneath it all you just know there's a wild girl waiting to come out!

In Bloodlines, Sydney started out wary of vampires, then grew to know them as individuals and began to change her mind. In Golden Lily, she's getting more comfortable with the whole vampire lifestyle, but she's still struggling with the ethics of magic. She knows that magic saved her in Bloodlines, but her Alchemist upbringing is causing her a lot of internal conflict in this regard. Good stuff!

Adrian. AdrianAdrianAdrian.  Were you waiting for me to say that?