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bookwyrm76's review against another edition
4.0
Set in a steampunk London of the 1860s(?), Timekeeper is the first book of a set, but stands on its own well. Danny is a clock mechanic, which may sound like a boring or mundane job, but not in this world. Clock towers do not just show the time here. They set it and maintain it. If the towers are damaged, time runs oddly or in some cases, not at all, and all life is stopped.
Danny's dad is stuck in a town which is Stopped and has been for 3 years. Someone is bombing the clock towers and Danny barely escaped one of those bombings.
Now while struggling with the trauma of that as well as being the youngest mechanic on record, Danny meets Colton the spirit of a tower he's sent to fix. Colton isn't like any boy Danny has ever met. Colton loves fairy tale stories and is struggling with feeling abandoned and neglected because people no longer believe in clock spirits or the God of time.
Can a boy and a spirit find their happy ending? Much more than a romance, this story examines what it means to love someone, seeing parents and heros as real people with flaws, and friendship. Throw in a good deal of diversity. Characters also deal with racism, sexism, and homophobia though it is fairly mild on the page. It is there though so if it something that you are sensitive to, know that going into the book.
Danny's dad is stuck in a town which is Stopped and has been for 3 years. Someone is bombing the clock towers and Danny barely escaped one of those bombings.
Now while struggling with the trauma of that as well as being the youngest mechanic on record, Danny meets Colton the spirit of a tower he's sent to fix. Colton isn't like any boy Danny has ever met. Colton loves fairy tale stories and is struggling with feeling abandoned and neglected because people no longer believe in clock spirits or the God of time.
Can a boy and a spirit find their happy ending? Much more than a romance, this story examines what it means to love someone, seeing parents and heros as real people with flaws, and friendship. Throw in a good deal of diversity. Characters also deal with racism, sexism, and homophobia though it is fairly mild on the page. It is there though so if it something that you are sensitive to, know that going into the book.
fallingwings's review
2.0
DNF @ chapter 6 (page 96)
I did not think I would be DNFing this book. Nowadays, I don't have patience to keep myself reading books that just fail to keep my attention.
Cons:
× Insta love. Ugh. I genuinely believed there would be some time before either of these guys started falling for one another. I was find with Danny being physically attracted to Colton, but them having barely three interactions (in one of them, they hardly spoke) and sharing a kiss on the third one is just...ugh. Then there's supposed to be the thing where Danny's all "resisting his feelings" because he doesn't want to cause harm to the town or be seen as crazy. But it just doesn't work. I couldn't bring myself to care.
× a lot of pointless interactions. I found myself skimming/skipping interactions with certain characters (like Danny's mechanic or his mom) and I didn't miss anything crucial.
× I'm not a fan of how Colton got attention.. It is so toxic and other than a sentence, he's never reprimanded for it.
× This book struggled to keep my attention. The world and premise is super interesting, with clocks responsible for keeping time moving in towns and lore about the Gods and how everything happened, but it quickly fell off. There's nothing really there to keep my interest. The first mystery was resolved within the first five chapters and the only other mystery was left in the background, only brought up to make Danny a sad boy. Again, it wasn't enough to hold me or make me care.
Pros:
× Love the cover
× Interesting premise
I did not think I would be DNFing this book. Nowadays, I don't have patience to keep myself reading books that just fail to keep my attention.
Cons:
× Insta love. Ugh. I genuinely believed there would be some time before either of these guys started falling for one another. I was find with Danny being physically attracted to Colton, but them having barely three interactions (in one of them, they hardly spoke) and sharing a kiss on the third one is just...ugh. Then there's supposed to be the thing where Danny's all "resisting his feelings" because he doesn't want to cause harm to the town or be seen as crazy. But it just doesn't work. I couldn't bring myself to care.
× a lot of pointless interactions. I found myself skimming/skipping interactions with certain characters (like Danny's mechanic or his mom) and I didn't miss anything crucial.
× I'm not a fan of how Colton got attention.
Spoiler
Basically hurting/destroying himself to get people to worry about him/the clock× This book struggled to keep my attention. The world and premise is super interesting, with clocks responsible for keeping time moving in towns and lore about the Gods and how everything happened, but it quickly fell off. There's nothing really there to keep my interest. The first mystery was resolved within the first five chapters and the only other mystery was left in the background, only brought up to make Danny a sad boy. Again, it wasn't enough to hold me or make me care.
Pros:
× Love the cover
× Interesting premise
roannasylver's review against another edition
5.0
A peculiar ripple traveled up his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end. It was much like touching the time fibers, brushing a finger across them to feel the yawning of time open and swallow him whole. He was scattered across the cosmos and deep within the earth, within himself and outside of himself. A minuscule star in the infinite sky. A tiny speck of life in the flow of time.
* * *
Sometimes you read a book and love it so much, in so many brilliant and beautiful ways, that when the time (ha) comes to write a review, or even discuss it with a friend, you can't think of a single thing to say, because nothing will even come close.
This was good. And "good" doesn't begin.
The plot has been pretty much covered (and is well-paced with some good twists; I saw them coming but still enjoyed the ride), so I'll just focus on two things I haven't been able to get out of my head since reading. The representation of grief, loss, trauma and PTSD... and the divine, searing, overwhelming pieces of... time.
"I was in an accident. I got out. I'm safe now."
From the first time Danny said those words, that mantra of head-preserving and breakdown-prevention, I knew this was something important. I actually gasped, because I *knew* what was happening here, I knew what had to have happened to him.
Sometimes you don't get out. Even if you do. Even years later. Sometimes you're never really safe.
But reading books like this, that show trauma and healing (even slow, even disjointed, even derailed) with such rawness, honesty, truth and importance... it helps. And the responses to trauma, different and all valid - Danny, his mother, Matthias, and his best friend Cassie (whose interactions I *loved*) have all been through horrible things, and they all respond in different, exceedingly realistic ways.
Sometimes trauma means you live with the scars. Sometimes you deal with them in ways that damage yourself or others. Sometimes it means you never leave home without buckling your seatbelt (and making sure others do the same).
The other piece of this book I adored beyond expression was the nature of time as an all-permeating, universe-vast force. Actually, this is what I sort of imagine "The Force" of Star Wars to be like: an ocean full of crashing waves. Not a spectrum of light and dark, good or evil; time and the Force are neutral parties, a wilderness, a depth that humans have not yet begun to plumb. But the deeper you go, the more of yourself you lose... but oh, the more you SEE.
Some books are like touching the face of God. Or at least tapping into unknowable magnificence, a tidal wave or a storm that threatens to sweep away fragile humanity in its beauty. I live for these glimpses. These fresh lungfuls of clean breath amid stale air. Timekeeper gives us many.
So very recommended.
* * *
Sometimes you read a book and love it so much, in so many brilliant and beautiful ways, that when the time (ha) comes to write a review, or even discuss it with a friend, you can't think of a single thing to say, because nothing will even come close.
This was good. And "good" doesn't begin.
The plot has been pretty much covered (and is well-paced with some good twists; I saw them coming but still enjoyed the ride), so I'll just focus on two things I haven't been able to get out of my head since reading. The representation of grief, loss, trauma and PTSD... and the divine, searing, overwhelming pieces of... time.
"I was in an accident. I got out. I'm safe now."
From the first time Danny said those words, that mantra of head-preserving and breakdown-prevention, I knew this was something important. I actually gasped, because I *knew* what was happening here, I knew what had to have happened to him.
Sometimes you don't get out. Even if you do. Even years later. Sometimes you're never really safe.
But reading books like this, that show trauma and healing (even slow, even disjointed, even derailed) with such rawness, honesty, truth and importance... it helps. And the responses to trauma, different and all valid - Danny, his mother, Matthias, and his best friend Cassie (whose interactions I *loved*) have all been through horrible things, and they all respond in different, exceedingly realistic ways.
Sometimes trauma means you live with the scars. Sometimes you deal with them in ways that damage yourself or others. Sometimes it means you never leave home without buckling your seatbelt (and making sure others do the same).
The other piece of this book I adored beyond expression was the nature of time as an all-permeating, universe-vast force. Actually, this is what I sort of imagine "The Force" of Star Wars to be like: an ocean full of crashing waves. Not a spectrum of light and dark, good or evil; time and the Force are neutral parties, a wilderness, a depth that humans have not yet begun to plumb. But the deeper you go, the more of yourself you lose... but oh, the more you SEE.
Some books are like touching the face of God. Or at least tapping into unknowable magnificence, a tidal wave or a storm that threatens to sweep away fragile humanity in its beauty. I live for these glimpses. These fresh lungfuls of clean breath amid stale air. Timekeeper gives us many.
So very recommended.
linguisticali's review against another edition
I loved the premise of this but couldn't get into it. It lacked atmosphere.
tckcallahan's review against another edition
4.0
Cute story. Fascinating idea. Interested to see what more comes out of this world.
stefanh's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
danielled75's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun book to read, the setting, the steampunk vibe, the characters, the mythology and the gingerbread
Danny is a Timekeeper which means he has the ability to fix clocks, I know sounds easy, but when something goes wrong with the clock, the town is effected (example the 2 is missing, so time goes from 1:59 to 3:00, if the weights are wrong on the pendulum the town speeds up, if the clock stops, the town stops).
Danny is given an assignment to fix the clock tower in Enfield, he is unsure about this assignment since he is filled with anxiety and guilt after surviving an explosion at one of the other clock towers. Danny is told that he will be working with a new apprentice, something else that he is not happy about. After
showing up at Enfiled, he is met with who he thinks is the apprentice, a young quiet male who seems eager to learn and help Danny fix the clock. After a few trips out to Enfield, Danny realizes that the young male that was helping him was not the apprentice that was assigned to work with him, but is in fact the clock spirit for the Enfield Tower.
Danny has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that clock spirits do exist, despite hearing rumors of one of the teachers at the academy fell in love with a spirit. Colton (the clock spirits name) has taking an extreme liking to Danny, and Danny finds out that Colton has been hurting himself, which in turns effects to tower, just to get Danny to come out there.
While Danny is fighting with his feeling for Colton, he is also trying to figure out how he can possibly save his father from Maldon. Along with trying to stop the other clock towers from possibly being destroyed. When I found out who was behind the attacks and why, I felt both anger and pity.
One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the breaks in the story which explained the mythology background of Chronos and his children. I do hope that there will be more of that in the future books.
One character I hope shows up in the next book is Cassie. She is Danny’s best friend and she works as a mechanic fixing cars. When she first appeared in the book, I fell in love with her, she reminds me of Winry Rockbell from FMA.
I know Timekeeper just came out, but I am looking forward to the next book and seeing more of Danny, Colton and hopefully the rest of the characters.
Danny is a Timekeeper which means he has the ability to fix clocks, I know sounds easy, but when something goes wrong with the clock, the town is effected (example the 2 is missing, so time goes from 1:59 to 3:00, if the weights are wrong on the pendulum the town speeds up, if the clock stops, the town stops).
Danny is given an assignment to fix the clock tower in Enfield, he is unsure about this assignment since he is filled with anxiety and guilt after surviving an explosion at one of the other clock towers. Danny is told that he will be working with a new apprentice, something else that he is not happy about. After
showing up at Enfiled, he is met with who he thinks is the apprentice, a young quiet male who seems eager to learn and help Danny fix the clock. After a few trips out to Enfield, Danny realizes that the young male that was helping him was not the apprentice that was assigned to work with him, but is in fact the clock spirit for the Enfield Tower.
Danny has a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that clock spirits do exist, despite hearing rumors of one of the teachers at the academy fell in love with a spirit. Colton (the clock spirits name) has taking an extreme liking to Danny, and Danny finds out that Colton has been hurting himself, which in turns effects to tower, just to get Danny to come out there.
While Danny is fighting with his feeling for Colton, he is also trying to figure out how he can possibly save his father from Maldon. Along with trying to stop the other clock towers from possibly being destroyed. When I found out who was behind the attacks and why, I felt both anger and pity.
One aspect of the book that I enjoyed was the breaks in the story which explained the mythology background of Chronos and his children. I do hope that there will be more of that in the future books.
One character I hope shows up in the next book is Cassie. She is Danny’s best friend and she works as a mechanic fixing cars. When she first appeared in the book, I fell in love with her, she reminds me of Winry Rockbell from FMA.
I know Timekeeper just came out, but I am looking forward to the next book and seeing more of Danny, Colton and hopefully the rest of the characters.
evieburrows's review against another edition
3.0
maybe 3 stars, maybe 2.5 stars
cool premise, disappointing execution (and weird pacing)
cool premise, disappointing execution (and weird pacing)
rjdenney's review against another edition
2.0
2 STARS!!!
I’m feeling really disappointed as I’m writing this review. I was really hoping that I would love the hell out of this book. It’s LGBT, it takes place in an alternate Victorian era, and it had a sliver of a mystery thrown into it. But sadly it was B-O-R-I-N-G. I enjoyed the romance between Danny and Colton, but the story kept dragging on and on and on and nothing seemed to be picking up until about 300 pages in and that is not a good thing. I liked the story surrounding clock spirits and there were tiny bits of this book that I did like, I will say that. I’d also never read anything to do with steampunk before and so this was my introduction to that too and I’m now more interested in that sub-genre and will be checking it out.
I was truly hoping that the “mystery” in this would save it for me (because you all know I love my Victorian era mysteries) mysterious clock tower bombings in an alternate Victorian era? It sounded awesome as hell but in the end it fell flat and though I really wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the entire book and sadly I won’t be carrying on with the trilogy. If you’ve been wanting to check it out I’d say borrow it from the library and then decide if you want to buy a copy or not.
I was sent a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Sky Pony Press. All thoughts are my damn own. :-) - Richard
I’m feeling really disappointed as I’m writing this review. I was really hoping that I would love the hell out of this book. It’s LGBT, it takes place in an alternate Victorian era, and it had a sliver of a mystery thrown into it. But sadly it was B-O-R-I-N-G. I enjoyed the romance between Danny and Colton, but the story kept dragging on and on and on and nothing seemed to be picking up until about 300 pages in and that is not a good thing. I liked the story surrounding clock spirits and there were tiny bits of this book that I did like, I will say that. I’d also never read anything to do with steampunk before and so this was my introduction to that too and I’m now more interested in that sub-genre and will be checking it out.
I was truly hoping that the “mystery” in this would save it for me (because you all know I love my Victorian era mysteries) mysterious clock tower bombings in an alternate Victorian era? It sounded awesome as hell but in the end it fell flat and though I really wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy the entire book and sadly I won’t be carrying on with the trilogy. If you’ve been wanting to check it out I’d say borrow it from the library and then decide if you want to buy a copy or not.
I was sent a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Sky Pony Press. All thoughts are my damn own. :-) - Richard
mistressviolet's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A love story with diverse characters, a unique premise, and a happy ending. I enjoyed the steampunk Victorian setting, the little hints of magic, and the unusual romance. However, the pacing was a bit slow, for my taste.
Good, but not a favorite.