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A review by annettebooksofhopeanddreams
The Girl in the Clockwork Tower by Lou Wilham
4.0
Did someone say fairytale retelling? I'm not entirely sure if my shelf with fairytale retellings is complete. It's very possible that I've read more than I shelved properly and yet I never grow tired of them. I think that it's the mix of having something known mixed with something new and exciting. I think it's because fairytales always promise magic in some way. And I think it's because they always give me a warm feeling. When BookSirens offered me this arc, there was no way I was gonna say no.
Let me start with saying that this book might not be for you if you need a lot of actual action in your book. Although the stakes are high and although our characters end up in quite a lot of dangerous situations, most of those issues are solved cleverly and not violently. I personally loved that. Those characters weren't hotheads rushing into something and winning because of plot-armor. These characters had to scheme and plan and think and learn and grown.
And while our main characters were doing all that, we got to know the world they were living in. Even though the book isn't action packed, it's not filled with long info dumps either. On the contrary. Since our characters have lived in this world their entire lives, we're not getting explanations at all. We're being shown the world. And that's so much better! Everything we need to know, we learn because it happens, because we're witnessing it or because our characters are dealing with the consequences.
However, it were the characters I loved most about this book. Especially our little seer is an amazing character. She's not the fighter type, but so often we're shown how brave she is, how kind she is and how she's willing to fight for herself AND this world. Luckily she has a great captain fighting for her too and helping her wherever he can. It was easy to fall in love with them and to root for them! Even though we all know that the tale of Rapunzel isn't always happy and the author does keep all the core elements.
Let me start with saying that this book might not be for you if you need a lot of actual action in your book. Although the stakes are high and although our characters end up in quite a lot of dangerous situations, most of those issues are solved cleverly and not violently. I personally loved that. Those characters weren't hotheads rushing into something and winning because of plot-armor. These characters had to scheme and plan and think and learn and grown.
And while our main characters were doing all that, we got to know the world they were living in. Even though the book isn't action packed, it's not filled with long info dumps either. On the contrary. Since our characters have lived in this world their entire lives, we're not getting explanations at all. We're being shown the world. And that's so much better! Everything we need to know, we learn because it happens, because we're witnessing it or because our characters are dealing with the consequences.
However, it were the characters I loved most about this book. Especially our little seer is an amazing character. She's not the fighter type, but so often we're shown how brave she is, how kind she is and how she's willing to fight for herself AND this world. Luckily she has a great captain fighting for her too and helping her wherever he can. It was easy to fall in love with them and to root for them! Even though we all know that the tale of Rapunzel isn't always happy and the author does keep all the core elements.