Author: Kristin Bailey
Format Acquired: Hardcover
Publication Date: March 2013
Publishing House: Simon Pulse
ISBN: 9781442440265
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
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 rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key - a key only Meg can use - that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg has no choice but to follow. She 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.
Review:
After a fire ravages Meg's home and kills her parents, she's forced to work as a maid in Lord Rathford's home - she takes that opportunity because it's certainly better than being tossed out onto the streets. Meg takes her grandfather's pocket watch with her only to find out that the pocket watch is actually a key. A key that will unlock truths and lead Meg into the secret society of the Amusementists - brilliant men who invent dangerous and wondrous machines like a game, hidden from the prying eyes of society.
I like steampunk but I'm sad to say that I wasn't really happy with this book. The characters were boring and flat and the romance was totally nonexistent. I couldn't feel Meg's attraction to Will even from the get-go when she would always make it a point to run to him every time she needed help. Will, on the other hand, was slightly better but not really, he's got a better head on his shoulders and isn't as rash as Meg but ultimately he's as boring as she was.
The one thing I actually wasn't indifferent to were the inventions, or Amusements as they're so called, because they were undeniably elaborate and well-crafted. But it would have been interesting to know how the Amusementists managed to hide these inventions, which are all on the huge side, from wandering eyes. I mean large metal structures that rise out of the ground? A battle between a giant metal ship and a man-made Leviathan? How do you hide such huge hulking things from people? Surely someone would have noticed.
Aside from that, the book gets a little repetitive after a while. Meg and Will and their new found allies run off to different Amusements to collect things needed for their final goal - stopping this machine which has the power to destroy life as they know it. While the Amusements are intricate and detailed and interesting, the fact that they go to each and every one and do the same things over and over and over again kind of dragged and bored me to tears. I suppose the fact that a murderer was out to get them would have added some suspense but I found myself uncaring.
That ending wasn't very spectacular either and this book is actually quite forgettable. A book where I had to wonder how in the world this secret society manage to stay a secret at all. It wasn't bad, it's just boring and I don't know if I want to read the next book. I'll think about it.
Source of Copy: Purchased from Fully Booked
Summary:
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 rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key - a key only Meg can use - that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg has no choice but to follow. She 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.
Review:
After a fire ravages Meg's home and kills her parents, she's forced to work as a maid in Lord Rathford's home - she takes that opportunity because it's certainly better than being tossed out onto the streets. Meg takes her grandfather's pocket watch with her only to find out that the pocket watch is actually a key. A key that will unlock truths and lead Meg into the secret society of the Amusementists - brilliant men who invent dangerous and wondrous machines like a game, hidden from the prying eyes of society.
I like steampunk but I'm sad to say that I wasn't really happy with this book. The characters were boring and flat and the romance was totally nonexistent. I couldn't feel Meg's attraction to Will even from the get-go when she would always make it a point to run to him every time she needed help. Will, on the other hand, was slightly better but not really, he's got a better head on his shoulders and isn't as rash as Meg but ultimately he's as boring as she was.
The one thing I actually wasn't indifferent to were the inventions, or Amusements as they're so called, because they were undeniably elaborate and well-crafted. But it would have been interesting to know how the Amusementists managed to hide these inventions, which are all on the huge side, from wandering eyes. I mean large metal structures that rise out of the ground? A battle between a giant metal ship and a man-made Leviathan? How do you hide such huge hulking things from people? Surely someone would have noticed.
Aside from that, the book gets a little repetitive after a while. Meg and Will and their new found allies run off to different Amusements to collect things needed for their final goal - stopping this machine which has the power to destroy life as they know it. While the Amusements are intricate and detailed and interesting, the fact that they go to each and every one and do the same things over and over and over again kind of dragged and bored me to tears. I suppose the fact that a murderer was out to get them would have added some suspense but I found myself uncaring.
That ending wasn't very spectacular either and this book is actually quite forgettable. A book where I had to wonder how in the world this secret society manage to stay a secret at all. It wasn't bad, it's just boring and I don't know if I want to read the next book. I'll think about it.
Rating:
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