Name: Jamieson's review of Timekeeper by Tara Sim
Item: Timekeeper
Rating: 4
Author: Jamieson

Tara Sim

“I was in an accident. I got out. I'm safe now.” An alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, where a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely. A prodigy mechanic who can repair not only clockwork, but time itself, determined to rescue his father from a Stopped town. A series of mysterious bombings that could jeopardize all of England. A romance that will shake the very foundations of time. The first book in a dazzling new steampunk-fantasy trilogy, Timekeeper introduces a magical world of mythology and innovation that readers will never want to leave.

Timekeeper

Richard Binder

Two o’clock was missing. In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time—and a destroyed one can stop it completely. It’s a truth that seventeen-year-old clock mechanic Danny Hart knows all too well; his father has been trapped in a Stopped town east of London for three years. Though Danny is a prodigy who can repair not only clockwork, but the very fabric of time, his fixation with staging a rescue is quickly becoming a concern to his superiors. And so they assign him to Enfield, a town where the tower seems to be forever plagued with problems. Danny’s new apprentice both annoys and intrigues him, and though the boy is eager to work, he maintains a secretive distance. Danny soon discovers why: he is the tower’s clock spirit, a mythical being that oversees Enfield’s time. Though the boys are drawn together by their loneliness, Danny knows falling in love with a clock spirit is forbidden, and means risking everything he’s fought to achieve. But when a series of bombings at nearby towers threaten to Stop more cities, Danny must race to prevent Enfield from becoming the next target or he’ll not only lose his father, but the boy he loves, forever. The stunning first novel in a new trilogy by debut author Tara Sim, Timekeeper is perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare and Victoria Schwab. Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers—picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Jamieson

TIMEKEEPER is set in an alternate victorian england where clock towers & time is essentially alive and people are subject to the whims of time. Clock mechanics are hired to maintain the clocks, otherwise they can become damaged and throw off time in towns - potentially even Stop towns so that time no longer moves. 

Danny is a mechanic who is sent to Enfield to repair a clock, and when he does some really weird things start happening. Clocks are getting sabotaged and Danny is unsure who to trust. There is also a really cute m/m romance between Danny and another boy that I loved. It was so cute. 

This book was so fun and unique. The way time worked was so interesting and I loved the thought that had gone into this book and it's worlbuilding. The mythology and lore around time was so well developed. At first this book is a bit confusing but once you get a grasp on how time works, it is fast paced and thrilling with an awesome mystery. I also loved that typography was used to visually depict how time was working, for example, lines would be flipped around or repeated as time became distorted in the world. And that was really fun

Full review to come for this book!

Raven Walker

I enjoyed the characters and plot immensely. It was highly entertaining and it was written beautifully. However, it did seem to drag on unnecessarily in some places and flew through scenes in which characters interacted. I feel as though there were so many missed opportunities to develop the characters even more, which is disappointing because the characters were really great.

keith

LOVE LOVE LOVED IT but it was also v slow at some parts to the point that it became a TAD BIT unenjoyable but overall i had a good time 👍🏽

Sahi K

It’s definitely more of a 3.5.

This book has been on my radar for almost 2 years now I think and I always thought I’ll read it someday, but never actually picked it up. Finally I couldn’t avoid anymore when our Stars and Sorcery Book club chose this as our first BOTM of 2020 and I’m happy I finally got the chance to dive into this world. 

The best part of this book is definitely the world building. It’s not always fully explained but I just loved the idea of clock towers and spirits and time being so interconnected to the cities, and the whole mythology behind it. It felt pretty unique and it’s nice to be surprised. I also loved the alternative historical London of the late 19th century, old in some ways, but modern and more industrialized in many others. What faltered for me was the overall pacing of the book. While I have really come to appreciate slow paced books which give the characters the time to breathe, it just made me feel a bit disconnected here, atleast for the first third of the book. Once the plot picked up a little and more events started to occur, then the book felt much more fascinating and I didn’t wanna put it down. The ending felt a tad bit too convenient but I hope it’s explored more in the rest of the trilogy.

I thought the author depicted Danny’s character very well - his melancholy about his dad, his panic attacks due to his own accident and just the effort it takes to go through life day to day feeling so lonely - I could totally feel his despair and kudos to Tara Sim for that. Colton’s character suffers from a different kind of loneliness, being almost immortal and stuck in a place and while I could empathize with him too, we didn’t get enough of his POV for me to feel really connected to him. Their relationship is almost instalove but considering the kind of lives they were living, I thought their relationship development felt realistic. The separations really heightened their emotions and I could really feel their desperate need to be together whenever they could. There were also some amazingly sweet moments between them, especially in the beginning of their friendship and it was just nice to see them smile and talk and not feel so alone. 

Cassie is a great side character and best friend to have and I loved how much she cared for Danny, but showed her worries only by always asking about fixing his auto. She is also immensely supportive of him and I was glad he had her in his life. On the other hand, Danny’s mom felt very disconnected from life in general which pissed me off in the beginning but I slowly came to realize how debilitating her grief must be. Brandon and Daphne were interesting additions to the cast as well and I hope we’ll get to see more of them in the future. 

At the end, I can say this was an interesting beginning to a different kind of fantasy which didn’t completely blow my mind, but kept me engaged enough to continue. It has great world building, a lovely cast of characters, a cute but forbidden romance and a fascinating mystery that’ll keep you guessing. I might not be rushing to pick up the next book yet, but I’m very interested to continue the series - particularly because the sequel takes place in a British occupied India and I really want to know how the author weaves India’s colonization into this story.

Alexia

Thank you Netgalley and Skyhorse Publishing for the ARC!
A very advanced Victorian London with clocks that control time and the responsibility of mechanics paralelled with the Chronos myth. Full review on my blog.

Una Londres victoriana de avanzada con relojes que controlan el tiempo, cuyo funcionamiento recae en los mecánicos. En paralelo, el muto del dios Chronos. Reseña completa en mi blog.

Jennifer

While I wait for Tara Sim's debut adult novel to be published (it comes out next year), I decide to pick up her debut YA novel Timekeeper (since this has been on my tbr for years). Since I'm missing London a lot & will be returning there in a few months time reading Timekeeper feels like what drinking a mug of hot beverage is like: there's a sense of familiarity - reading a book that's set in place I really connect to at a personal level, but the worldbuilding also feels refreshing; the very intriguing magic system (the clocks can control time) and the presence of a more inclusive worldview.

I'm quite taken by the worldbuilding, to be honest. It's immersive, well-researched, and doesn't shy away from the grey areas. From my conscious effort of reading more diversely this year, I have realised that it's one thing to include diversity within the worldbuilding but it's another level to incorporate diversity from a more inclusive vantage point. Thankfully Sim accomplished the latter. 

While this book is definitely inspired by Victorian England, Sim's reimagining of this alternate universe strives the delicate balance between the historical themes (the cultural repurcussions of colonialisation and the experience from a marginalised individual) and creative liberty (the more inclusive worldview and the technological advancements). If anything, the foundation that's set in Timekeeper is definitely a very promising one. It creates a canvas in which the subsequent installments could solidly develop from.

On the flipside, I wish I'm more emotionally invested in the characters. I think both Danny and Daphne have a lot of potentials to be solid characters, but since a big bulk of the novel is focused on establishing the worldbuilding their headspace haven't quite landed onto me yet. Hopefully I'll warm up to them more in the next few novels in the series.

Aside from the slight lack of character engagement, I do think Timekeeper cements Tara Sim as a solid writer with her own merit: very interesting concept and the worldbuilding is refreshing that it's well-researched and incorporates a more inclusive worldview (and there's the willingness to explore the grey areas). If you love alternate history and are looking for worldbuilding that doesn't fall prey to black & white thinking, this one's worth checking out!

N.B. Content warnings: https://booktriggerwarnings.com/index...

(3.5 stars out of 5)

Lauren

Alice

Elizabeth Raines

I really liked the premise of this book but I felt like the story was just bland and predictable.
PROS
-I enjoyed the premise and the general plot of the book.
-The Victorian/steampunk atmosphere was cool.
-I was curious throughout the book to see what would happen next.
CONS
-The characters were dull and I felt like there was no real development with them.
-I think it would have been interesting to have a POV with the "enemy" and I'm not really sure what happened to him in the end. 
-The writing wasn't anything special, bland.

I might be interested in what happens next but I will not be continuing the series.

Maya

Read this book for my bookclub and we LOVED it. 
The setting and the worldbuilding is just so immersive. I love the victorian steampunk aesthetic. 
The characters are really lively and just seeing them interact with each other was wonderful. The pacing was perfect! It started slow and build up gradually, although I will say that the climax felt a teeny tiny bit too long (but you will have to see for yourself).
We weren´t even halfway through the book when we decided that the second one would be our next read (so far we have only read the first book of anything but this made us break that habit). 
If you enjoy steampunk, a queer lovestory and adventures in the victoriann age this book is definitely for you! 

9.5/10 (5/5)

r o s i e 🏳️‍🌈

Excuse me, I've found a new obsession: DANNY & COLTON. 

I'm gonna say it in advance: I won't be capable of explaining this very well, and this review won't be structured in any way. Instead it'll be all over the place, just like my feelings right now.
 
I just loved EVERYTHING about this. I fell in love with the writing, the setting, the mechanics, the towers, the clock spirits (especially a certain blond one), the way time was explained, DANNY. 
I can assure you now that I would die for both Danny & Colton. I loved Danny from the first page on, same as I fell for Colton instantly. If anything, my love for them only grew throughout the book. Seeing their relationship develop was so BEAUTIFUL. Living the story through Danny's eyes, feeling what he felt, his fears, his wants, it was so brilliant and I loved every second of it. 
My amazing friend who convinced me to read this book described the reading experience perfectly in a single phrase: golden nostalgia. GO READ THIS RIGHT NOW, while I keep screaming over Danny & Colton over here.

Richard Binder &
Timekeeper by Tara Sim

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