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rainbow_grace's review
2.0
This is a good first novel, but it could have been so much better. It reads like a second draft, not a polished manuscript.
Petra is an engaging, relatable character most of the time. I cannot say the same for Emmerich; I really didn't like him at all. He keeps waffling on the important things, changing his mind about what he wants. Petra deserves someone better, someone who can give her all of his heart.
Many turns of phrase in the novel are awkward and/or overly simplistic, 'telling' rather than 'showing.' I don't think there's one complex sentence in the whole thing. This does make it an 'easy read' for those who don't really read or for whom English is a second language, but I found it frustrating. I like my reading material to have a mixture of complex and simple sentences, to break up the text and give it some interest.
It feels like the author sometimes manipulates the plot to make the characters do some things that don't really fit the picture she's created previously. Petra forgives Emmerich way too easily for the stupid things he does, and another character changes sides without enough motivation.
At one point, a character is burning to death, and she carries on a calm conversation with another character, ignoring the pain of the fire in her flesh. This is completely impossible, as this pain is probably worse than anything she could have ever felt or imagined before; there is no way she'd be able to speak clearly and intelligently.
There are some wonderful descriptions of the city and university, and Emmerich's 'copper eyes' are referred to numerous times, but I have no idea what Petra looked like. I tend to do this in my own writing as well, so I notice it as I'm working on it myself: there are too few descriptions of characters. We should 'see' the story, not just be told what's going on.
I enjoyed finding out what happened to Petra, and I think the plot was very good. I'm looking forward to Ms. Johnson's next novel; I'm sure her skills will be sharpened and her writing will be improved with each successive piece she creates.
Petra is an engaging, relatable character most of the time. I cannot say the same for Emmerich; I really didn't like him at all. He keeps waffling on the important things, changing his mind about what he wants. Petra deserves someone better, someone who can give her all of his heart.
Many turns of phrase in the novel are awkward and/or overly simplistic, 'telling' rather than 'showing.' I don't think there's one complex sentence in the whole thing. This does make it an 'easy read' for those who don't really read or for whom English is a second language, but I found it frustrating. I like my reading material to have a mixture of complex and simple sentences, to break up the text and give it some interest.
It feels like the author sometimes manipulates the plot to make the characters do some things that don't really fit the picture she's created previously. Petra forgives Emmerich way too easily for the stupid things he does, and another character changes sides without enough motivation.
At one point, a character is burning to death, and she carries on a calm conversation with another character, ignoring the pain of the fire in her flesh. This is completely impossible, as this pain is probably worse than anything she could have ever felt or imagined before; there is no way she'd be able to speak clearly and intelligently.
There are some wonderful descriptions of the city and university, and Emmerich's 'copper eyes' are referred to numerous times, but I have no idea what Petra looked like. I tend to do this in my own writing as well, so I notice it as I'm working on it myself: there are too few descriptions of characters. We should 'see' the story, not just be told what's going on.
I enjoyed finding out what happened to Petra, and I think the plot was very good. I'm looking forward to Ms. Johnson's next novel; I'm sure her skills will be sharpened and her writing will be improved with each successive piece she creates.
treatyoshelfbookclub's review
4.0
This was my first time going into reading anything steampunk and i really loved the details in this story. The book is set in 1881 but with amazing clockwork and very advanced technology but still a sense of being in the past. I love the mix of technology and old timey aspects to this book. Brooke takes you into the world of Chroniker City and as you read you can visualize everything and have it be such an amazing notion in your mind you wish it was real.
In The Clockwork Giant you get brought into the world of Petra Wade. She is a girl but isn't allowed to be an engineer which is the dream of a lifetime for her. She has taught herself how to be a clockwork engineer with the help of her employer. The sexist views of the Guild only allow males to study at the institution and she has to find a way in. I love the way she tries to get into the guild its such a simple way but just how she tries to pull it off is adorable.
When Petra meets Emmerich Goss her world gets turned upside down when he offers to pay her to help him on a top secret project that no one is supposed to know about. But he can see in her the real potential and clockwork ingenuity that he might be lacking. After they are tasked to build a clockwork giant, things go awry and Petra has some tough decisions to make and so does Emmerich.
This book is amazing, and I think I've fallen in love with steampunk. It really pulls you into the past, but has semi futuristic aspects that is just amazing. It has love, mystery and amazing technology. Definitely a good read and I definitely want to read the next in the series!
review here: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2012/02/book-review-clockwork-giant-by-brooke.html
In The Clockwork Giant you get brought into the world of Petra Wade. She is a girl but isn't allowed to be an engineer which is the dream of a lifetime for her. She has taught herself how to be a clockwork engineer with the help of her employer. The sexist views of the Guild only allow males to study at the institution and she has to find a way in. I love the way she tries to get into the guild its such a simple way but just how she tries to pull it off is adorable.
When Petra meets Emmerich Goss her world gets turned upside down when he offers to pay her to help him on a top secret project that no one is supposed to know about. But he can see in her the real potential and clockwork ingenuity that he might be lacking. After they are tasked to build a clockwork giant, things go awry and Petra has some tough decisions to make and so does Emmerich.
This book is amazing, and I think I've fallen in love with steampunk. It really pulls you into the past, but has semi futuristic aspects that is just amazing. It has love, mystery and amazing technology. Definitely a good read and I definitely want to read the next in the series!
review here: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2012/02/book-review-clockwork-giant-by-brooke.html
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