Timekeeper (Timekeeper, #1)

by Tara Sim

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.

• ISBN10: 1510706186
• ISBN13: 9781510706187
• Publish Date: 24 November 2016 (first published 8 November 2016)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Imprint: Sky Pony Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 424
• Language: English

Reviews

[dragononabook]

4.5 stars

I read this a long time ago, as one of my first forays into YA, and it was still as magical during my reread as it was the first time I picked it up. The world building was unique and interesting, and although some of the characters I thought deserved more development *cough*Daphne*cough*, they were generally well rounded. I'd definitely recommend this to a friend.

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[paperbackjedi]

3.5 stars.

[Stephanie]

This was okay. I wanted to like this, but I feel that the pacing was very slow and bogged down in things that weren't clearly explained. Good idea, so-so execution.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.5★ Audiobook⎮I had really high expectations for Timekeeper. I waited a couple of months before starting it and in that time I’d begun to worry that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as everyone else seemed to have enjoyed it. This is a majorly hyped book and I usually fall on the underside of popular opinion with hyped books. However, listening to Timekeeper was one of those rare times when I feel a book is worthy of the hype.

I’m not saying it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever heard, so don’t raise your expectations to unrealistic levels. Rather, appreciate it for what it is: An extremely well-told story. It’s hard to compare Timekeeper to anything else because it’s so original.

It’s steampunk, but also not. There are elements of science fiction and fantasy, but not enough of either to pigeonhole it firmly into one category. Timekeeper lies in between a lot of mainstream ideas. It doesn’t conform to any singular thing and therein lies its beauty.

My favorite thing about Timekeeper is that Sim breaks up the narrative by periodically infusing the story with more traditional storytelling. She uses real world mythology to build the foundation for her fantasy world and conveys the information in a way similar to what Nicola Yoon used in The Sun Is Also A Star. This method of storytelling provided refreshing breaks from the plot.

Considering the whole plot of this story revolves around a fantastical concept that is entirely foreign to readers, Sim explains it all wonderfully. Timekeeper is a highly balanced story. I was able to grasp the roots of this concept quickly and easily, while adjusting my understanding of it as the plot progressed. Timekeeper was an easy listen, especially for all of its fantasy elements. I had no trouble concentrating on it during the day while attending to other tasks. My attention never wavered from it.

For a debut novel, Tara Sim has hit a home run with Timekeeper. Each character is well-developed and independently memorable. The romance is sweet in its innocence, although I still think there is room for further development. I will absolutely be listening to the sequel, Chainbreaker, when it comes out in November.

Narration review: A lot of the ease-of-listening had to do with the narration, done by Gary Furlong. He’s new to me, but he is a keeper! Furlong’s narration of Timekeeper was flawless. Seriously, I have not one complaint. I was a little ambivalent at first, worrying about acclimating to his accent, but it quickly grew on me. And it’s impressive to think that he performed the entire audiobook in a foreign accent. Apparently Furlong’s native accent is Irish, not English. Could’ve fooled me! ♣︎

➜ This audiobook was graciously gifted to me by its publisher, Forever Young Audiobooks, in exchange for a review containing my honest thoughts and opinions. Thanks, Forever Young!

[layawaydragon]

I have tried audio books before but it didn't work out. I was so excited for Timekeeper I just had to give it another shot. I'm so glad I did!

Not only did I LOVE Timekeeper but I'm going to keep trying audiobooks out now since this went so well.

↣I love the worldbuilding. Original, doesn't just focus on Britain like the rest of the world doesn't exist.
↣It felt gaslamp-y enough for me. But I'm not huge into the genre so YMMV.
↣I personally loved the snippets of mythology between chapters. It helped me "get" what the tension between clock mechanics and the public were.
↣A+ PTSD representation and anxiety.
↣I LOVE how it handles money and bills. You damn right that's something to worry over and should be included. Going hungry is fucking awful and given how many people struggle with home and food security, not enough books or characters deal with it as well.
↣I liked Danny's mum. She's struggling too and a full person. She's admitted to fucking up as a mum and trying. She's also a smoker, which sounds weird to be happy over but both my parents are smokers and it's odd to never see it in fiction unless it's a villain. She's not a villain, she's a victim too.
↣I love how she's there for Danny when he needs it and they finally talk and work out their troubles. I'm glad to see a relationship that isn't an abusive nightmare or perfectly perfect.
↣I love Danny & Colton!!! They're solid people apart but so, so adorable together. Them getting to know each other? *swoon* Even their fighting was cute.
↣I love Danny's best friend, Cassie who happens to be a girl. She's a kick ass auto mechanic and their friendship is goals.
↣It's not all about the romance, there is the bombing plot and other mechanics to deal with. Usually, I'm head over heals for this. Of course, this only happens when I WANT the book to go back to the romance....*sigh*
↣I guessed who was behind it only a bit before Danny, and that was the only thing I predicted.
↣I cannot wait for the sequel this November!
↣Narrator was amazing, really brought it to life and just sounded perfect. I can still hear him in my head for certain lines and *dreamy sigh*


The biggest drawbacks for me was trying to review and quote using the audiobook format. Trying to find a quote that I didn't bookmark the area sucks. Then going through all the bookmarks because I bookmarked EVERYTHING sucked.

I ended up getting frustrated and said fuck it for my review. Any tips for a newbie audio reviewer? I'd love to hear them!

[jnikkir]

This book was SO GOOD. Probably more like 4.5 stars, honestly. The world is really cool, the main characters are great (the secondary characters are a bit flat, but whatever), and THE SHIP IS MY EVERYTHING. It stands alone REALLY WELL (so, don't wait to read it!), and I'm super excited for the sequel. 33

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

Timekeeper is a book that I have heard a LOT of blogger friends talking about. Over the summer I finally read the blurb and then I realized what all the fuss was about. There aren't many good LGBT fantasies out there and this one sounded really intriguing! Alternative histories? Clocks with hours gone missing? Clock spirits? Steampunk is not a genre that I have a lot of experience with, so when I saw Timekeeper I knew I wanted to read it, but wasn't quite sure what exactly I was getting myself into.

This book's protagonist is Danny, a young clock mechanic whose father is trapped in a Stopped town and who just wants him back. In fact, his entire life's work as a clock mechanic has been working towards getting on the crew of builders who will attempt to re-start the town, something that has never been tried before. Instead he is assigned to a clock that seems to be in constant disrepair and it's here that Danny meets Colton, the spirit of Enfield's clock.

I loved these two characters so, so much! I'll admit I was a little skeptical of how Tara Sim could make a relationship between a human and a spirit work, but she did a fantastic job pulling it off! I feel like Colton in this situation could have easily come off as too naive or helpless, but instead he was adorable and certainly able to hold his own. Although Danny had his problems, I ended up loving him as well. His problems were easy to sympathize with, even if they weren't always easy to understand. I also really enjoyed Danny's relationship with his his best friend Cassie and thought she was a fantastic secondary character! I can't wait to see what role she plays in future books.

While the characters are fantastic, the world building is where Timekeeper really shines. Like I said, I'm not incredibly familiar with steampunk alternate universes, but I really felt like I could see this one! The clocks and their mythology could have been really confusing and hard to imagine, but it's all so intricate that it seems almost like some forgotten piece of our own world mythology.

This book has a little bit of everything - fantasy, romance, mystery, it's all here. There were times when I had no idea what was going on and I was surprised by more than one twist! This book had me on the edge of my seat! My one complaint is that the writing seemed a little bit too simplistic. I loved the whimsical nature the story had at times, but it is almost written as if it is aimed at a younger audience. As a result it seemed too cute, losing some of the urgency that I think was intended. This didn't necessarily take much away from my reading experience, but it's something to keep in mind.

Timekeeper is an incredibly unique book in a sea of high fantasy, dystopia, and retellings (not that I have a problem with any of those, of course). The world building and characters were amazingly well done and the story kept me guessing until the very end! It wasn't a perfect book, but it was a really great read that I'd definitely recommend for fans of alternate history and fantasy. I cannot wait to get my hands on book two!