The Time of the Clockmaker by Anna Caltabiano (Young Adult, 7/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 August 2015, Gollancz, 288 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content: some major peril, very minor teen romance

Summary from Orion

Lost in time and stranded on her own, the new Miss Hatfield must discover the secrets of the Tudor court. But danger and love are never far away...

 

Her mentor shockingly killed in front of her, Rebecca Hatfield must flee the place and time she knows. She has lost her family, her dearest love and her ability to live a normal life. All she has left is the gift - or curse - of her immortality, and the bizarre clock that allows her to travel in time.

But when she too is attacked by the mysterious black-clad figure, Rebecca finds herself stranded in Tudor England. The clock has been stolen and without it, she can never leave the past. Alone, without friends or resources, she must risk the danger of Henry VIII's court and hunt down her attacker.

But someone else is waiting for her...

Nayu's thoughts  

Having really enjoyed book 1, I was eager to find out what happened next to Rebecca. Her predecessor's death was a shock to me and her, (since it's in the summary it's not a spoiler), especially the way it happened. I was interested in the finer details of Tudor England, the people that Rebecca met were from a wide range of backgrounds, some taking quite a liking to her, others not so much. The costumes and objects are talked about in a fair amount of detail – enough I could picture it in my mind but not so much I was bored.

The area I had an issue with is what Rebecca did, or rather didn't do. There were points where I felt she wasn't doing all she could to get the answers she needed. Yes, I understand she had to take things slowly to avoid raising suspicion, but when presented with obstacles it didn't seem as if she had taken on board her previous experiences, it felt as if she was needlessly hesitant, and wasn't trying hard enough.

Despite being annoyed with Rebecca for part of the book, there were a few laughs especially when she kept being cornered by certain characters who are rather entertaining. When we finally got to the showdown with the clock, it was pretty awesome in how it panned out. I think both this and knowing what Rebecca had been like in book 1 saved this installment of her life from having a lower grade. 

Find out more on Anna's website.