Timekeeper by Tara Sim

Author: Tara Sim
Rating: 5+/5 stars
Genre: LGBT / YA fantasy /
Steampunk
Published November 8th 2016
by Sky Pony Press

Goodreads synopsis:

"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."

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Tell me that you're not intrigued after THIS; because after stumbling over it by chance - thank god for that - I didn't even blink. I went ahead, got it on my Kindle and immediately got to reading it, and I never wanted to stop. 

A Victorian story, taking place in London 1875, where the world's magic is Time itself and mechanics are the ones gifted to guard it. A world where clocks breathes life, a broken one breaks the town around it. In this first installment to a trilogy, Tara Sim takes fantasy with a touch of our reality and put a pinch of mythology to it and BAM; the perfect story was born. 

The story starts with our main character/ youngest mechanic of his age; Danny, is assigned a task to fix a never ending series of problems with the clock tower in Enfield. A boy who dives with  a strong dedication into his work, hoping to prove himself to his boss; The Lead, to get assigned to the job of building a new clock tower; something that's stopped happening hundred of years ago and no one knows anymore how to actually build one. 

Everything about them is myth, or so people thought so. 

A brilliant story with a fantastic setting and a world that will enthrall you and make you speechless. 

I fell in love with this book from the very first word till the last one. I love how Tara takes us right into the middle of the story from the start and revealed the magic as we read on. And oh man, she does it all perfectly. With a beautifully, poetic writing, she brings time and clocks to life. Reading about the myth of Aetas and how he gave powers to humans, how he got his powers from Chronos and how all the time zones, clock towers, and all that started was amazing. To see the gift of mechanics, how they could feel time, feel what it needs, what needs fixing was so good and feels packed. She made it all look like doctors and their patients, a mother and her child; a bond so strongly built with love. 

The characters in this book were so life like and realistic; especially our main character Danny. The guy was so true to his age, young and still learning, he didn't try to be the hero all the time, yet determined feisty, so eager to prove himself and full energy. A touch of guilt to what happened to his father and so head on to save him and bring back time to the town of Maldon. 

I enjoyed his friendship with Cassie and absolutely loved how accepting he was to who he is and so brazen about it. Brave boy that one. 

I liked how to she worked on the side characters just enough to makes us like them and keep us eager to know more. And oh how I enjoyed how she made us like his father without even meeting the guy. 

Genius plot, and Tara did it so damn well. The pace was perfect, the twists were in the right place and completely took me by surprise. I'm so happy I ended my 2016 readings with this perfect book and I can't wait to read the sequel. 

If you're a Schwab fan or a Cassandra Clare one, this book is definitely for you. It's what happens when The Infernal Devices meets A Darker Shade of Magic and The Archived.