Timekeeper is set in an altered version of 1870s England, where towns are controlled by clock towers. These towers keep time running smoothly, but if damaged, can stop it completely. Danny is the youngest clock mechanic, one of the many who can feel time. But when he is sent to fix a damaged tower, he meets the tower's clock spirit Colton, and they fall for each other in a romance that could potentially alter time.
The characters in this book were completely adorable. I loved Danny and seeing him come to terms with his PTSD, and how even though he wasn't always the friendliest he was so gentle with Colton and explaining to him how the outside world works. Colton was also so precious, and I found it so sweet how he'd do anything to make sure Danny kept visiting. Their relationship was so pure and innocent and they were very cute to read together.
I haven't read a Steampunk novel before, but the premise for this one was extravagant. There's a lot of layers to it that I feel were dropped on me when they could have been spread out throughout the book a little more. The plot isn't very fast moving, so I would've liked it to have felt a bit more full when it came to explaining the nuances between the Victorian era and the world of Timekeeper. Also for such a vivid sounding world, I kind of wanted the prose to be a bit more atmospheric so I could capture the image of the world rather than have it simply told to me.
But I kind of accepted that this was a light fantastical story, reminiscent of a soft steampunk fairytale, and I think accepting that made me enjoy it a lot more. Also I loved that myth and fairytale were acknowledged in this story, and it has me kind of convinced that this book is a Rapunzel retelling (I actually have a few thoughts about this, so if you've read the book I'd love to talk about it).
For a world so elaborate, I sense that there is a lot more to see from it. And with a couple of small strands left hanging in open, I'm looking forward to them pulling me into the next book and seeing where Danny and Colton's story goes.
★★★★☆
YA, Fantasy, Steampunk
Timekeeper (#1) | Chainbreaker (#2) | Untitled (#3)
gay protagonist with PTSD and bisexual love interest
bullying, homophobia, violence, bombs, explosives
This book looks lovely! <3 That cover! I'm okay with light steampunk. :) If you want to read another steampunk YA series, pick up The Girl and the Steel Corset by Kady Cross! That one is so, so, so much fun and the characters are just so memorable and adorable and lovely, just a great cast of characters, and the setting was perfecto.
ReplyDeleteCass @ Words on Paper
I know, I'm obsessed with this cover <3 I haven't read any other steampunk books to compare, so maybe I expected something more stand-out-ish, but I loved it anyway. Also The Girl and the Steel Corset sounds really interesting. I love big casts of memorable characters so I'll definitely check it out! Thank you :D
DeleteI've never read a Steampunk before, but this sounds really good. It also seems like PTSD is well portrayed which is nice. I also saw it on your Mid-Year freakout tag, so I'm adding this to my TBR. Awesome review :D
ReplyDeleteThank you! This is such a cute and light book, and I feel like it was a really good introduction for me into the Steampunk genre. I can't say how accurately the PTSD is portrayed, but I do think it was handled well and I'm interested to see if more of it comes through in the series. I hope you like it!
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