Timekeeper was one of those books that is just so much fun and so easy to fall in love with that you don’t want to have to actually think about dissecting it for a review. I know that if I were to put on my more critical eyes and reread this story I would be able to pluck out a few things to complain about but, at this moment, I’m sitting here and beaming because I fell in love with these characters and this world too much to complain.

The characters were just so perfect. Danny, our protagonist, was written so incredibly well. His anxiety and PTSD - following an accident which nearly caused his death - was portrayed perfectly. He was raw and rough at the edges but it made him such a real character in my eyes. I loved that he had a hidden strength inside him that we got to see develop across the story and that his struggles (especially because he was also grieving the loss of his father) were also given proper attention. He really came to believe in himself by the end of the story and well-written character growth/development is my favourite thing of all time (so that made me super happy)! Danny’s short fuse did irritate me a little at times though. He made some impulsive decisions on a few occasion that made me shake my head but I was simultaneously pleased that he flawed enough to give him depth as a character.

Colton was such a little cinnamon roll. If you love August from [b:This Savage Song|23299512|This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1)|Victoria Schwab|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445529989s/23299512.jpg|42855493], you’ll love Colton all the same! They both have this magical quality to them - after all, Colton is a clock spirit - but he still managed to have this wholesome human side to him as well. I loved that Colton was a little naive and uncertain at times. It was realistic that he didn’t have a big, vibrant or dominating personality seeing that he had lived by himself for a very long time and had never even left his tower before/experienced life beyond its borders. I love his thirst for knowledge and stories and that that he also had this slightly alarming, primal side to him as well (like we saw when he got jealous). It reminded us that we could never quite forget that he wasn’t quite human.

Both the platonic and romantic relationships in this book were handled so well. Danny’s relationship with Cassie was on point. I always love seeing a believable f/m best friendship with no hints of romance. Cassie was so supportive of Danny and, as a whole, she was quite a lovely addition to the story’s cast. I hope she gets even more of a spotlight in the sequel. The romance was also just…



Colton and Danny were literally the most adorable little things! The development of the relationship was perfectly paced but I also loved seeing their struggles, as cruel as that sounds. Colton’s nature as a clock spirit came with a lot of difficulties and they both had to compromise to make their relationship work. It was nice to see them both work through their problems and I cannot wait to see how it is going to fair in the sequel.

The storyline was just fascinating. It's based on the premise that time itself is tied to physical clock towers. Time can be fractured, twisted, manipulated and even Stopped if you tamper with your local clock tower, meaning that if you were to steal a numeral from a clock face that hour would actually go ‘missing’ in time too - as in, time would skip from one o’clock to three o’clock if you stole the two. I don’t know about you but I have never read a concept like this before. I found it absolutely fascinating! I loved that it intertwined with this new mythological lore and that, as a result, time always played a monumental role in shaping English culture. Exploring this world was so illuminating and enthralling. I was hungry for answers so the fact that our protagonist, Danny, was a clock mechanic (which allowed us to explore the clocks further) worked perfectly. There was never a moment where I was bored or lost. I was completely glued to my seat, flipping through this story with ease. It was a definite page-turner.

The one thing that I think could have been improved upon is the time setting. The Victorian era is a rich period of history and somehow this story didn’t quite capture its atmosphere like I would have hoped. What the author said in the author's note was perfect and solved so many queries I had but at the same time, I think this story may have worked better if it had been set in a fantasy world that drew inspiration from the Victorian era instead. Some of the liberties the author had to take were just a little too far-fetched and combined with the fact that this story had magical creatures of a sort - clock spirits - it just would have made more sense for the story to have a unique world as its setting.

Overall?

This was such a fun and delightful read. It was gritty and raw at the same time as being entertaining and feel-inducing. I loved all of the characters and the plotline. I struggled with some aspects of the world-building but as a whole, I’m thoroughly impressed with Sim’s storytelling. For a debut author, she has so much potential and I hope to see more works of her out soon - both within this world and outside.

Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.