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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
This was an absolutely enjoyable read. This story has mythology, a lgbt main character romance, and it's all set in a steampunk society. I look forward to reading the next books in the series.
Attempted reread late summer 2023
(started August 2nd gave up 40 pages later on September 22nd)
I imagine that if I had the energy to reread this - and didn't remember so much about it - that I'd still enjoy it just as much the second time around. But I remember too much and it's not a book that I love enough to read just for spending more time with the characters. Will possibly try rereading it again when my memory of it is less vivid, but right now it's just cluttering up my life.
Original Review
Check my blog later in March 2017 for my review.
Brief thoughts? Love the idea of clock towers. Like the wonderfully flawed characters. Want to know why the spirits all kind of look alike. (And if I can have one, too.)
This book was not at all what I expected. I definitely went into this story with certain preconceived ideas and hardly any of them were fulfilled. Pretty much the only one that was had to do with the story being a rather sweet steampunk story.
I picked this book up because I've been craving steampunk and, oddly enough, not reading much this year. I've gotta say, the steampunk, while rather light on the actually gadgets and accessories, was topnotch.
I love the idea of clock towers that kind of control time and spirits that embody the towers. (If anyone else has ever seen the anime D.Gray-Man, this story reminds me a lot of Miranda Lotto's. A lot.) The only slight complaint I have here is that I would have liked to know more.
The world is interesting and intriguing and there is so much about the clock towers and spirits that even the people living in the world don't know - so I'm hoping this gets covered in the sequels.
The characters are all interesting, though perhaps not always the most likable. And, honestly, that's what made me adore them. These are all flawed characters. They make poor decisions, or stupid ones. They're not perfect and because of that, they're interesting, relatable. And, really, the whole hero/villain quote I've got up there illustrates a good deal about this story. In this book there's not really heroes or villains, just people - and I love that.
(And I gotta note, I'm pretty sure that Danny, our main character, has PTSD. Of course it's not called that because back then they didn't have such a thing, but that's sure what he acts like to my very untrained eyes. And I love it. I think the author really took a chance and I love the outcome.)
I would have liked to see more of the story through someone other than Danny's eyes. Except for two small sections, he's the sole narrator. And while he's interesting and I do like him, I kept wanting to know more about the other people. Especially Daphne, who I think might be my favorite character.
The romance was cute - perhaps a little too cute for me at times, and maybe moved a little too fast. But I get why that was, as the romance was actually part of the plot. (Surprisingly enough. And enjoyably enough. It's not often I read a book where the romance and plot are so intertwined.)
While I liked nearly everything about the story and my biggest complaints so far are that I wanted 'more' - there are a couple notes I need to make.
The first is that the language is on the flowery side. Some people will like that. Me? I prefer a much more straightforward writing style, so I was occasionally impatient with the descriptions.
And, I'll be honest, the book sags in the middle. The first hundred to a hundred-fifty pages were awesome and the last hundred pages were five star material in and of themselves. But that middle section just seemed to languish a little. (And made me really glad that the last hundred pages were so spectacular.)
(Originally posted on my blog: pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com)
(started August 2nd gave up 40 pages later on September 22nd)
I imagine that if I had the energy to reread this - and didn't remember so much about it - that I'd still enjoy it just as much the second time around. But I remember too much and it's not a book that I love enough to read just for spending more time with the characters. Will possibly try rereading it again when my memory of it is less vivid, but right now it's just cluttering up my life.
Original Review
Check my blog later in March 2017 for my review.
Brief thoughts? Love the idea of clock towers. Like the wonderfully flawed characters. Want to know why the spirits all kind of look alike. (And if I can have one, too.)
This book was not at all what I expected. I definitely went into this story with certain preconceived ideas and hardly any of them were fulfilled. Pretty much the only one that was had to do with the story being a rather sweet steampunk story.
I picked this book up because I've been craving steampunk and, oddly enough, not reading much this year. I've gotta say, the steampunk, while rather light on the actually gadgets and accessories, was topnotch.
I love the idea of clock towers that kind of control time and spirits that embody the towers. (If anyone else has ever seen the anime D.Gray-Man, this story reminds me a lot of Miranda Lotto's. A lot.) The only slight complaint I have here is that I would have liked to know more.
The world is interesting and intriguing and there is so much about the clock towers and spirits that even the people living in the world don't know - so I'm hoping this gets covered in the sequels.
The characters are all interesting, though perhaps not always the most likable. And, honestly, that's what made me adore them. These are all flawed characters. They make poor decisions, or stupid ones. They're not perfect and because of that, they're interesting, relatable. And, really, the whole hero/villain quote I've got up there illustrates a good deal about this story. In this book there's not really heroes or villains, just people - and I love that.
(And I gotta note, I'm pretty sure that Danny, our main character, has PTSD. Of course it's not called that because back then they didn't have such a thing, but that's sure what he acts like to my very untrained eyes. And I love it. I think the author really took a chance and I love the outcome.)
I would have liked to see more of the story through someone other than Danny's eyes. Except for two small sections, he's the sole narrator. And while he's interesting and I do like him, I kept wanting to know more about the other people. Especially Daphne, who I think might be my favorite character.
The romance was cute - perhaps a little too cute for me at times, and maybe moved a little too fast. But I get why that was, as the romance was actually part of the plot. (Surprisingly enough. And enjoyably enough. It's not often I read a book where the romance and plot are so intertwined.)
While I liked nearly everything about the story and my biggest complaints so far are that I wanted 'more' - there are a couple notes I need to make.
The first is that the language is on the flowery side. Some people will like that. Me? I prefer a much more straightforward writing style, so I was occasionally impatient with the descriptions.
And, I'll be honest, the book sags in the middle. The first hundred to a hundred-fifty pages were awesome and the last hundred pages were five star material in and of themselves. But that middle section just seemed to languish a little. (And made me really glad that the last hundred pages were so spectacular.)
(Originally posted on my blog: pagesofstarlight.blogspot.com)
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was not the target audience for this book. It was a fever dream wrapped in a neurotypical love fantasy
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
3.5 stars
This book was very creative, and I love that the romance sub-plot was GLBT. I also really liked the setting (steampunk Victorian England) as well as the magic and mythology! Sadly, overall … I did not enjoy and like Timekeeper as much as I wanted to. I really really wanted to love it, and my expectations might have been too high … which could be part of the problem.
Like I said, I can really appreciate the creativity that went into this book, the fact that it’s GLBT, and the thought and work that went into creating the setting, magic, and mythology and/or creation story. It can’t be easy to make up a brand new mythology for a world! The romance was very cute as well, and I really care for the main couple.
The characters on their own, though, were a little flat for me. I went into the book wanting to love them, and ended up feeling … not very much for them at all. This made me really sad, and made getting through the book a little difficult. I was sent an e-book of this novel by the publisher, and as some of you may know, I really struggle with reading e-books (that’s also why I have no photos of the book on my social media, or included in this post. Sorry!) So I read some, and audiobooked some. The narrator for the audiobook was alright, but I didn’t really care of his voice or reading style either.
Like I said, the setting was very interesting and creative, as was the plot, but some parts lagged a little, and where in some books I can get through the slow parts due to the effective writing, the writing in Timekeeper did not really enchant me.
Now, I’m refusing to leave my opinions at that, and will maybe try to read a physical copy of this book if I ever get my hands on one, because the formats (e-book and audiobook) definitely had some effect on how I experienced this book, and I really want to give it another chance. I am also currently reading Chainbreaker, the sequel to Timekeeper. I also definitely recommend this book to those who have had it on their TBR, and those who enjoy historical fantasy, steampunk, and cute romance plots!
This book was very creative, and I love that the romance sub-plot was GLBT. I also really liked the setting (steampunk Victorian England) as well as the magic and mythology! Sadly, overall … I did not enjoy and like Timekeeper as much as I wanted to. I really really wanted to love it, and my expectations might have been too high … which could be part of the problem.
Like I said, I can really appreciate the creativity that went into this book, the fact that it’s GLBT, and the thought and work that went into creating the setting, magic, and mythology and/or creation story. It can’t be easy to make up a brand new mythology for a world! The romance was very cute as well, and I really care for the main couple.
The characters on their own, though, were a little flat for me. I went into the book wanting to love them, and ended up feeling … not very much for them at all. This made me really sad, and made getting through the book a little difficult. I was sent an e-book of this novel by the publisher, and as some of you may know, I really struggle with reading e-books (that’s also why I have no photos of the book on my social media, or included in this post. Sorry!) So I read some, and audiobooked some. The narrator for the audiobook was alright, but I didn’t really care of his voice or reading style either.
Like I said, the setting was very interesting and creative, as was the plot, but some parts lagged a little, and where in some books I can get through the slow parts due to the effective writing, the writing in Timekeeper did not really enchant me.
Now, I’m refusing to leave my opinions at that, and will maybe try to read a physical copy of this book if I ever get my hands on one, because the formats (e-book and audiobook) definitely had some effect on how I experienced this book, and I really want to give it another chance. I am also currently reading Chainbreaker, the sequel to Timekeeper. I also definitely recommend this book to those who have had it on their TBR, and those who enjoy historical fantasy, steampunk, and cute romance plots!