Book ReviewLegacy of the Clockwork Key

Reviewer's Rating: 
4
I truly enjoyed this book...and yet, it failed to rock my world because (see explanation in review).
Category: 
Publisher: 
Simon Pulse, 2013
Synopsis: 

BOOK ONE: THE SECRET ORDER. When a fire consumes Meg's home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key - a key that only Meg can use - that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg is compelled to follow. Meg has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect - and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg is swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge.


First let me say, kudos on the cover!  Dark, whimsical, historical, mechanical bird?  Yes please!  And with a synopsis that hints at romance with a stable boy?  Huzzah! 

Kristin has written us a nice steampunk novel with a steamy first love to boot.  All the elements I love to read are here and they are well written.  The pacing is zippy, the plot of whodunit well woven, and the creative juices were flowing for all the mechanical devices and trickery involved. 

From page one I knew I was going to enjoy this novel and that joyful discovery remained throughout the story to the final page.

Where this book fell from my top rating would be two-fold.  As great as the descriptions were for the numerous mechanical imaginings, I would suggest in future books to employ an illustrator to help us 'see' what the author sees.  Scott Westman's Leviathan series is a perfect example for when an author has a complicated and convoluted creation in his world, to show us is much more effective than to tell us what it looks like.  The second pitfall in this book were the characters themselves.  I would say the majority of the focus in writing was given to plot, creations and a spicy romance, and yet, despite the romance being well written, I felt the characters themselves felt a bit flat.  They did not read as flesh and blood people to me and this kept them one-dimensional in my mind ergo forgettable in the long run for me as a reader.

But if you are looking for a fast read written with a super-imaginative mind, this is the book for you!

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