Release date: March 5th 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pre-order: Amazon
A teen girl unravels the mysteries of a secret society and their most dangerous invention in this adventure-swept romance set in Victorian London.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. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny in this captivating start to a trilogy.
Review
Actual rating 2.5 starsLOL.
Where is that special something I was looking for?
Where is it?
Yea, it reads like a steampunk book, it's good, the plot was nice, the prose okay. But guys, for a traditionally published book, this was just not good enough. If this was published three years ago, I'd go ballistic for it but at the current standard, this just didn't cut it.
You know, if this book was made into an epic-fantasy video game, I'd be happy to play it. But as a book, it lacks powerful characters and substantial plot. Seriously guys, it felt very video-game-ish to me - so you are this girl who is thrown into this adventure to unlock the mystery bla bla bla.
Meg as the main protagonist was absolutely pathetic. She has zero self-confidence but at the same time likes to do things without proper planning and consideration. She trust people. Too easily.
It was very unwise to trust him, but in my heart, I knew it was the right thing.
I understand that women during that era tend to be poise and gentle but even after I factored that into account, Meg is still a weak and uninspiring character for me.
Page 110: A mystery lingered, a deadly one. I needed to reach the heart of it before someone took my life.
Page 384: This was all my fault. If I had never opened the key, none of this would ever happened.
Uh...girl, I think opening the key to save your life is the wisest thing you ever did.
She describes a lot of her emotions but I couldn't feel them, I couldn't connect with them at all. She narrates like a freaking news presenter!
The romance. Jeez, I didn't get it at all? First, obviously because I didn't find Meg as likeable and second, people don't fall in love just because they spend a lot of time together LOL. So Will spent a good proportion of the book saving Meg's ass and they supposed to love each other? I can understand it from Meg's point of view because she repeatedly thinks Will is handsome plus she practically owes her life to him but from Will's point of view? Meh. You wouldn't love a girl just because she sewn your shirts, would you?
And at third quarter of the book, Will backs up because he thinks Meg deserves better than him because he is penniless?
It's not like you are quadriplegic! You can still feed the girl you said you love by gee...I don't know...working?
The supporting characters? Double meh. Plain and boring, won't waste time talking about them because then, I'll get grumpy.
The plot.
THE PLOT.
Ugrhhh~
Like I said before, everything was too well-planned like a video game plot. Coincidence? Well, Meg certainly is a bloody lucky person then.
I better stop now before I rant on and on because actually, the book isn't too bad. I finished it so that's something. But would I recommend it? Probably not.
**An ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.
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| 3 poker faces. |
Favourite Quote
"What will I do with you?"
He said the words softly, reverently. My heart answered a million possibilities, and they all filled me with hope and wonder. I loved him. I knew in that moment, I'd never again need wings to fly.
About the Author
Kristin Bailey grew up in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley in California. As a kid she enjoyed visiting the beach, camping and skiing with her two brothers.
Now she is a military wife and mother of two young children. She is also terrible about spoiling her pets. She has one fluffy mutt, two cats who think they own the world, and a fish tank with a quartet of fat fish, and two secretive striped ninja-assassin snails.
In the course of her adventures, she has worked as a zookeeper, balloon artist, and substitute teacher. Now she enjoys writing books for teens who enjoy mystery and adventure as much as she does.
www.kristinbailey.com | twitter.com/KBaileyBooks
3 comments:
If I could like this review I most definitely would. :D
It's too bad this book didn't work for you. I had high hopes for it but I'm so discouraged now. It sucks when books don't live up to their potential.
@ Sarah: I know I can add a like button on blog posts but again, I really suck at HTML code. Thus...
@ Christa: 100% agreed. I mean, come on. Yes to steampunk books but this? *sigh*
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Hi! I welcome comments and feedback! But because I suck at HTML code, I don't know how to add reply button to each comment (I tried googled it but I think this template doesn't allow such change), so I will be very lousy at keeping track of the comments but it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate your comments! ^_^