Our first buddy read for 2022 is here! While exploring the theme of time-travel romance for our Romance Throughout the Year Challenge we stumbled upon this interesting trilogy which related to time magic. While not time-travel in the true sense (for now, anyway), Timekeeper by Tara Sim is an indie series and it brings us much joy to see an author who we liked reading get picked up for Orbit for their Adult Fantasy series. Anyway, that’s for another time so let’s start with the synopsis of this one followed by the discussion (Ariel’s comments are in bold):
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 boy who would give anything to relive his past, and one who would give anything to live at all.
A romance that will shake the very foundations of time.
Content notes: Car accident (off screen), depiction of homophobia, sexism, panic attacks, separation from loved ones.
Timekeeper
Whole book Discussion
If time was governed by towers and a broken clock could stop time altogether… The world of the 1875s depicted by Timekeeper is an intriguing one! This is a Young Adult Fantasy and for someone like me who doesn’t usually enjoy anything Young Adult, this book had me hooked! Our protagonist, Danny, is the youngest clock mechanic. Like some humans, he is able to perceive the flow of time and fix clocks. The clock in the town of Enfield needs a lot of upkeep and Danny is the one called to fix it. Ariel, what did you think of the time and world that this book is set in?
I really appreciated the unique magic system and how it combined with the time setting. The world is an alternate universe where humans were gifted the ability to control time by the gods, which made for a really creative premise. I also was a little wary going into a YA novel, but overall this one was fun and sweet and didn’t feel overly dramatic or too focused on the love interest. Rather, the love story was there but the setting and the world was what mostly captured my attention!
As the book unfolds, a number of things are revealed. The world is bigger than England! There are clock towers around the world and, as I have discovered in book 2, Chainbreaker, the story moves to a different area through the trilogy. The mythological connection to Chronos is depicted well with little stories scattered throughout the book about how the clock mechanics came to be. I felt that the book fleshed out very well and all the questions I had about the history and world building were answered at a good pace.
Yes, I agree! Many historical fantasies that are popular I’ve seen take place either in the US or in Britain, so I am interested to see how book 2 takes the setting to India and focuses on the historical aspects there!
I don’t recall reading much from 1800s India and Timekeeper made me realize how long certain parts of the world have existed. We usually read historical fiction from the 1900s and I reflected on how life used to be simplest in the 1800s. People would get married early. School education was the end of the journey- there was no higher education for the general population.
This Victoria world also does not have to be the same one from our history – I love comparing alternate universes to ours. Ariel, did you notice any differences between this world and ours? Apart from the clocks, I felt that the automata that were mentioned in the book – I imagine them as machines doing things – aren’t something we had!
Yes, the automata presents an added element to a steampunk aesthetic; there are clocks, gears, automata, and flying ships. Adding a dash of magic ability for the main characters to be able to harness time and the consequences of not balancing time quite right created a lovely start to this trilogy!
This is truly a Young Adult novel because there are many times in the book when Danny’s decision and the characters’ jumping to conclusion is based on merely any facts. The plot keeps moving at a good pace though and I don’t have any complaints. This was an enjoyable read for me all around! I have the remaining books of the series (it has been a long time since I have wanted to read a full available series) so I am excited to dive into that soon!
Agreed– there were elements of the story that clearly make this a YA adventure, but overall a fun one in a really creative setting. The teenagers acted like teenagers would; full of passion and wanting to resolve the problem in a heroic manner.
Concluding Thoughts on Timekeeper
This was a great start to our 2022 buddy read year of discussions and discovering new worlds in novels, I’m very glad we read this one! I’d definitely recommend this to anyone looking to read a steampunk themed YA with a diverse cast and a creative magic system.
Thanks for joining us today! Will you pick up this book?
Cover Image: Photo by Luke Stackpoole on Unsplash
Be First to Comment