BOOK REPORT for Timekeeper (Timekeeper #1) by Tara Sim
Cover Story: Nigh on 2 O’Clock
BFF Charm: Big Sister
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Talky Talk: Too Much Gimmie
Bonus Factor: Sassy Best Friend
Relationship Status: Better as Friends
Cover Story: Nigh on 2 O’Clock
This cover ties in well with the story, but there’s nothing all that special about the imagery. It’s not terrible, but not great either. It’s perfunctory.
The Deal:
In a universe in which time is a controllable force, the Mechanics who can fix clock towers and reknit the threads of time are relied upon to keep the world moving in the right direction. At 17, Danny Hart’s is the youngest Mechanic in history—and he was the most talented, until an accident nearly took his life and left his confidence in tatters.
Danny’s first mission back is a struggle, until his new apprentice Brandon helps him through it. Brandon is calm and willing to learn … and it doesn’t hurt that he’s also really easy on the eyes.
BFF Charm: Big Sister
Danny’s a sweet kid. He worked hard to reach the level of success he found before his accident, and tries very hard to regain that success afterward. But PTSD can be brutal, and Danny struggles with a lot upon returning to the job. I’d love to be able to help him, even if I know nothing about being a Mechanic. I give good hugs and would be more than willing to hold Danny’s hand if he needed it.
Swoonworthy Scale: 7
Danny came out to his family and friends a while ago, and has kissed a couple of guys, but hadn’t found a guy with whom he really clicked. Until, that is, he’s sent to Enfield to fix the town’s clock tower.
Talky Talk: Too Much Gimmie
In the universe Tara Sim created for Timekeeper, time is a sort of magic controlled by clock towers. And because of the need to keep time running smoothly, technology has advanced at a quicker pace than it did in our universe. Sim’s worldbuilding is good, but I struggled with the hows and whys of time being able to stop and start seemingly on a whim. You know that theory about fantasy stories in which authors are given one “gimmie” that readers will believe without question, but everything else needs to be believable and/or backed up well? Too much of Timekeeper is gimme, and there isn’t enough of the believable elements to make the world feel truly real.
Bonus Factor: Sassy Best Friend
Danny’s best friend Cassie is a spunky young woman who bucks the time period’s normal gender roles (e.g., she works as a mechanic and wears trousers). She’s also a true friend to Danny, but doesn’t shy away from calling him on his crap and forcing him to do the right thing when he waffles.
Casting Call:
Asa Butterfield as Danny
Relationship Status: Better as Friends
I enjoyed our time together, Book, but by the end we were just killing it rather than it flying because we were having fun. And you, of all people, should know that we shouldn’t waste it.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Sky Pony Press, but got neither a private dance party with Tom Hiddleston nor money in exchange for this review. Timekeeper is available now.