I was very excited about reading this book. I am fascinated and enjoy reading about clockwork. The story started out well in which we find out about how the world is ran on clocks. Each town has their own. Without them, there would be no control of time and the town (and its people) would just stop. So in order to make sure the clocks keep running, there are mechanics specialized in repairing them. Danny is one of those mechanics. So adept in his skill he is the youngest of the bunch. And so the story goes. I was very interested because there was a little mystery in play since someone was trying to destroy these clocks. There was also some romance going on as well. A couple of things that bothered me though and they were... 1. Once the romance began, it seemed to focus in on that for quite awhile. It not only bored me but annoyed me as well. Colin, the boy Danny was falling for, just seemed too childlike. It almost felt like Danny was a pedophile when reading about them. I know Colin is supposed to be "innocent" but it seemed like too much. 2. At the end, when they find the culprit behind everything, it just seemed to go back and forth for the longest time. "Why did you do it?"... "You don't understand" and then in a few pages the same thing and then again and again. Other than that, I liked it and will probably read the next book.
Set in a Victorian England, the clock towers keep time from fracturing and the Timekeepers keep the clocks ticking along smoothly. Danny Hart is a time mechanic like his father and he hopes to one day free his father and citizens of a Stopped town where a clock tower broke 3 years ago. Meanwhile, he has been assigned temporarily to the clock tower in the little town of Enfield where small things keep going wrong. Danny begins to suspect sabotage even as he learns an unsettling yet still intriguing truth about the clock tower â it does indeed have a clock spirit. Colton seems equally intrigued by Danny and the two share a spark of romance that may or may not go anywhere.
This book was so much more than I was expecting. First, I was sucked in by the mythos of Chronos and how time was shattered but brought back under control by the clock towers and their spirits. Through out the book, we get little snippets of this mythology â never enough to bore and they always intrigued me. Then we learn more about the clock mechanics, their rigorous training, and how it's more than just sprogs and bolts. There's also this slightly mystical ability to feel the flow of time coupled with intuition of knowing just what the clock needs to run smoothly.
Danny Hart enters the picture and he has plenty going on in his life. He's the youngest mechanic to graduate from the training program. His dad has been absent for the past 3 years trapped in the stopped city of Malden and no one has figured out how to free the city yet. Also, the lad survived a nasty accident himself and he's suffering from PTSD. Lastly, he has finally come out of the closet, now that being gay is no longer a hanging offense. Few people are understanding, including his mom. Luckily, he has a stalwart friend in Cassie, a lass who has been his friend since childhood. As you can see, I was totally caught up in Danny's character and definitely wanted to follow him around and see what he could accomplish in this book.
When Colton, the clock spirit in Enfield, first appears, he doesn't tell Danny what he is. Danny guesses early on in their friendship but this presented yet another problem. Few people believed that the clock spirits were real so it wasn't something he could readily explain to folks. Then as their romance begins, he finds it even more difficult to chat about Colton to folks. The romance is light, sweet, fumbling, and has a few misunderstandings between the two. I look forward to seeing where the author takes their relationship in the next book.
Danny becomes convinced that someone is sabotaging the tower in Enfield and so the hunt for clues begins. I enjoyed this little mystery and I only began to suspect the culprit late into the story. I was delighted that the tale hid the true nature of this person for so long. That made the reveal that much more delicious to me as the reader and it hit a hard punch to Danny when he figured it out.
As for side characters, I felt they were nicely developed and weren't simple stand ins. Mrs. Hart is obviously grieving for her lost husband and is ready to move on. I think she's a bit afraid to care too deeply as her son is in the same line of work and has already escaped one nasty accident. Cassie is a mechanic herself, though she tends to enjoy automobiles most. Daphne greatly intrigued me. She has a facial tattoo, wears men's work clothes, and is rumored to have a parent from India. I hope there is more about her in the next book. I was charmed by Matthias, an older friend of Danny's who went through a hardship and now is a teacher instead of a mechanic. He often took Danny under his wing in a paternal uncle-ish sort of way.
All together, it's a great start to the trilogy. I saw that some folks stuck this book in the steampunk genre but I wouldn't call it steampunk. I don't recall a single thing being steam-driven. Regardless of what genre you place this book in, it's going on my top shelf.
I received a free copy of this book via The Audiobookworm.
The Narration: Gary Furlong was a great pick for this book. I loved his rich, older voice for Matthias. He had the perfect on-the-cusp-of-manhood voice for Danny. His female voices were believable and varied (the ladies didn't all sound the same).
This book was so much more than I was expecting. First, I was sucked in by the mythos of Chronos and how time was shattered but brought back under control by the clock towers and their spirits. Through out the book, we get little snippets of this mythology â never enough to bore and they always intrigued me. Then we learn more about the clock mechanics, their rigorous training, and how it's more than just sprogs and bolts. There's also this slightly mystical ability to feel the flow of time coupled with intuition of knowing just what the clock needs to run smoothly.
Danny Hart enters the picture and he has plenty going on in his life. He's the youngest mechanic to graduate from the training program. His dad has been absent for the past 3 years trapped in the stopped city of Malden and no one has figured out how to free the city yet. Also, the lad survived a nasty accident himself and he's suffering from PTSD. Lastly, he has finally come out of the closet, now that being gay is no longer a hanging offense. Few people are understanding, including his mom. Luckily, he has a stalwart friend in Cassie, a lass who has been his friend since childhood. As you can see, I was totally caught up in Danny's character and definitely wanted to follow him around and see what he could accomplish in this book.
When Colton, the clock spirit in Enfield, first appears, he doesn't tell Danny what he is. Danny guesses early on in their friendship but this presented yet another problem. Few people believed that the clock spirits were real so it wasn't something he could readily explain to folks. Then as their romance begins, he finds it even more difficult to chat about Colton to folks. The romance is light, sweet, fumbling, and has a few misunderstandings between the two. I look forward to seeing where the author takes their relationship in the next book.
Danny becomes convinced that someone is sabotaging the tower in Enfield and so the hunt for clues begins. I enjoyed this little mystery and I only began to suspect the culprit late into the story. I was delighted that the tale hid the true nature of this person for so long. That made the reveal that much more delicious to me as the reader and it hit a hard punch to Danny when he figured it out.
As for side characters, I felt they were nicely developed and weren't simple stand ins. Mrs. Hart is obviously grieving for her lost husband and is ready to move on. I think she's a bit afraid to care too deeply as her son is in the same line of work and has already escaped one nasty accident. Cassie is a mechanic herself, though she tends to enjoy automobiles most. Daphne greatly intrigued me. She has a facial tattoo, wears men's work clothes, and is rumored to have a parent from India. I hope there is more about her in the next book. I was charmed by Matthias, an older friend of Danny's who went through a hardship and now is a teacher instead of a mechanic. He often took Danny under his wing in a paternal uncle-ish sort of way.
All together, it's a great start to the trilogy. I saw that some folks stuck this book in the steampunk genre but I wouldn't call it steampunk. I don't recall a single thing being steam-driven. Regardless of what genre you place this book in, it's going on my top shelf.
I received a free copy of this book via The Audiobookworm.
The Narration: Gary Furlong was a great pick for this book. I loved his rich, older voice for Matthias. He had the perfect on-the-cusp-of-manhood voice for Danny. His female voices were believable and varied (the ladies didn't all sound the same).
