In Tara Sim’s young adult debut novel, Timekeeper, time does wait for man—and one man in particular. To keep the balance in this steampunk Victorian London world, special people who can sense the fibers of time are trained to be mechanics who keep the clocks in the towers running spritely.
At 17, Danny is the youngest person to become a fully instated mechanic. Although Danny has achieved this milestone, his life is angst-filled and complicated. Danny has had the recent misfortune to be working on a clock when it inexplicitly explodes. The scar on his chin from the accident is minor compared to the mental scars he tries to hide. He is fearful of being in another explosion—or worse, trapped like his father in a town where time stopped because the clock spirit abandoned the tower.
Furthermore, the first love of Danny’s life is forbidden, not because the object of his affection is a male, but because the boy is a clock spirit. Danny knows the romance is dangerous and tries to stay away from the spirit, but life puts them together in unexpected heart- and time-stopping ways. Since no one will believe Danny, he must race against time itself to save those he loves and those to whom he has a responsibility.
This is an enjoyable start to a promising new trilogy.
