Brian Farrey

"A prince and a mage must untangle the riddles from their shared past to save the future of the empire-or risk seeing everything they both love destroyed"--

The Counterclockwise Heart

Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . Time is running out in the empire of Rheinvelt. The sudden appearance of a strange and frightening statue foretells darkness. The Hierophants—magic users of the highest order—have fled the land. And the shadowy beasts of the nearby Hinterlands are gathering near the borders, preparing for an attack. Young Prince Alphonsus is sent by his mother, the Empress Sabine, to reassure the people while she works to quell the threat of war. But Alphonsus has other problems on his mind, including a great secret: He has a clock in his chest where his heart should be—and it’s begun to run backwards, counting down to his unknown fate. Searching for answers about the clock, Alphonsus meets Esme, a Hierophant girl who has returned to the empire in search of a sorceress known as the Nachtfrau. When riddles from their shared past threaten the future of the empire, Alphonsus and Esme must learn to trust each other and work together to save it—or see the destruction of everything they both love.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Counterclockwise Heart

Author: Brian Farrey

Book Series: Standalone for now

Rating: 5/5

Recommended For...: middle grade, fantasy, German folktale inspired

Publication Date: February 1, 2022

Genre: MG Fantasy

Recommended Age: 10+ (some dark moments, war, slight violence, slight gore)

Explanation of CWs: There are some dark moments in this book and parents might want to read this book ahead of their child to judge if it’s appropriate for them. The book does discuss war and it’s central to the story. There is also some slight violence and gore.

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . .
 
Time is running out in the empire of Rheinvelt.
 
The sudden appearance of a strange and frightening statue foretells darkness. The Hierophants—magic users of the highest order—have fled the land. And the shadowy beasts of the nearby Hinterlands are gathering near the borders, preparing for an attack.
 
Young Prince Alphonsus is sent by his mother, the Empress Sabine, to reassure the people while she works to quell the threat of war. But Alphonsus has other problems on his mind, including a great secret: He has a clock in his chest where his heart should be—and it’s begun to run backwards, counting down to his unknown fate.
 
Searching for answers about the clock, Alphonsus meets Esme, a Hierophant girl who has returned to the empire in search of a sorceress known as the Nachtfrau. When riddles from their shared past threaten the future of the empire, Alphonsus and Esme must learn to trust each other and work together to save it—or see the destruction of everything they both love.

Review: I absolutely loved this book! It was so vivid and detailed, but not overbearing with the details. The book did well to convey the story and had me speeding to the end to find out what would happen. The character development was equally as well done and for a darker middle grade fantasy I think the author did well to keep it age appropriate.

The only issues I had with the book are that the German words used might be a bit harder for the younger readers and I felt like the book was too fast paced for me, but it would be excellent for younger readers.

Verdict: It was excellent! Highly recommend!


The Counterclockwise Heart

Reviews