Legacy of the Clockwork Key blog tour: review

By Laurie T - March 03, 2013

Welcome to our stop on the Legacy of the Clockwork Key blog tour hosted by Itching for Books Book Tours. We have our review and there is tour-wide giveaway.

Goodreads

Legacy of the Clockwork Key (The Secret Order #1)

by Kristin Bailey

YA fantasy/steampunk

Hardcover/ebook, 403 pages

Release date: March 5th 2013

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pre-order: Amazon

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 thetarnished 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.

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About the Author: Kristin Bailey

Kristin Bailey grew up in the middle of the San Joaquin Valley in California. As a kid she enjoyed visiting the beach, camping and skiing with her two brothers.

Now she is a military wife and mother of two young children. She is also terrible about spoiling her pets. She has one fluffy mutt, two cats who think they own the world, and a fish tank with a quartet of fat fish, and two secretive striped ninja-assassin snails.

In the course of her adventures, she has worked as a zookeeper, balloon artist, and substitute teacher. Now she enjoys writing books for teens who enjoy mystery and adventure as much as she does.

Meg has nothing. No parents. No home. No money. No secure future. She is alone and destitute after her parents die in a fire. What she has left is a fire damaged timepiece and she soon knows there is something very different about this timepiece. When advised to take a position as a maid, Meg doesn't want to give up the life she had but she has to.

Legacy of the Clockwork offers readers a wonderful blend of genres from the allure of steampunk-ish machinery, historical details of London, mysteries about her family and a secret group they had links to and the key from the title, and a touch of romance. There is magic and lots of gadgets. Meg is an honorable teen girl, smart, and dedicated once she learns about a group and their sinister plans. There is a young man who befriends Meg and there is a romance though I didn't find their relationship that believable (yet which may change in book two).

Meg is more of an innocent sixteen, not worldly and knowing, which made her endearing. As for those machines--they were cool and I wanted to know more about them, how they worked and such. Kristin Bailey's writing style is pleasing and smooth. The opening scene with Meg simply drew me in with its vivid details and the elegant style of writing. As I find myself saying about many first books in a series, I wanted more--more depth of some characters and the machinery--and hopefully I will get more when the next book is published.

Legacy of the Clockwork Key is the intriguing beginning of a new fantasy series mixing genres and featuring an endearing heroine. This is a world I certainly want to read more of.

Rating: 3