Legacy of the Clockwork Key (The Secret Order, #1)
by Kristin Bailey
Publishing date: March 5th 2013
Publisher: Simon Pulse
403 pages
Book Description:
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.
My Review:
I am not really a steampunk reader and this is actually my first steampunk novel. And as I figured out I actually do like this genre, this novel failed to impress me. What I was expecting is a book full of thrilling and suprising clues, but insead I got a quite simple and predictable storyline.It's not that I didn't like the story, I just couldn't get into it as much as I would have liked. I found myself whishing to be done with Legacy of the Clockwork Key just so I could read another book.
Legacy of the Clockwork Key is set in Victorian London. After Meg's parents died in a fire, Lord Rathford took her in as a maid. The only thing she had left from her family is a pocket watch. Only later she discovered it's not a pocket watch but a key, a key only she could use. Slowly the story untangled itself and she found out about the Secret Order of Modern Amusmentists and about a machine she was supposed to distroy. Along with a few other acquaintances she tries to solve the clues and find a way to distroy a dangerous machine.
As I already said, I was expecting it to be mysterious, but it was quite predictable. You could see how it would end as soon as you started the book. I am not an experienced steampunk reader, but I had a hard time visualizing all the inventions and what really bothered me is that it was never explained how they worked. For Victorian Era, they weren't your everyday inventions, they were odd and I wanted to know on what principles they worked.
The characters were plain and quite forgetable. There wasn't much depth to them, and as I found myself wanting to know more about them and about their past, I never did found out the things I was curious about. At times I was frustrated with Meg. She'd jump healdless into some dangerous situations and than she'd fear the others not so dangerous situations. Meg and Will's relationship was sweet, but I enjoyed Lucinda and Oliver more as a couple.
While I did enjoy Legacy of the Clockwork Key to some point, I'm not sure yet about reading the sequel. If you're a steampunk novel fan, I'm sure you'll enjoy this one as there is a lot of machinery and interesting inventions.
My Rating:
I agree 100%...very just meh. I wanted so much more. I would have been ok with the story being somewhat predictable had the characters engaged me more. Sadly this wasn't the case. Not thinking I'll go back and finish it :-(
ReplyDeleteYeah, it wasn't much better towards the end.
DeleteOn Tuesday I am reviewing a really good Steampunk, and this one just sounds like it may be a little young. Awesome review.
ReplyDeleteI'll be sure to check it out Kim!
DeleteThis is disappointing! I'll probably still give it a try, but I'm sad to hear that it was "meh". Thanks for the honest review :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I didn't really liked this book, but maybe it will work better for you :)
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