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shaayshaay's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
eh_blanca's review against another edition
4.0
No tiene nada ultratrepidante pero me ha encantado. Un poco heterazo para mi gusto pero el tropo de paladín atormentado y protagonista badass me encanta siempre. Deseando leer el segundo.
yannai's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, intersting worldbuilding and well built characters, as always, T Kingfisher fulfilled her promises
readwithiffy's review against another edition
4.25
Ragtag group including a snarky forger, down bad disgraced paladin, assassin, and a scholar on a suicide mission that also dubs as a trippy road trip. Safe to say I giggled a bunch.
my first t.kingfisher book and I thoroughly enjoyed it :) note that it’s mostly character interactions and the plot doesn’t progress but I didn’t care cause I loved the cast. Kind of like a cozy fantasy but fucked up.
the romance… CHEFS KISS! THIS WAS MADE FOR ME AHHHHHH!
my first t.kingfisher book and I thoroughly enjoyed it :) note that it’s mostly character interactions and the plot doesn’t progress but I didn’t care cause I loved the cast. Kind of like a cozy fantasy but fucked up.
the romance… CHEFS KISS! THIS WAS MADE FOR ME AHHHHHH!
takingaselkie's review against another edition
5.0
I love every Kingfisher book more than the last, but this one pretty much blew my face clean off. I loved the hell out of her take on paladins and I can't wait for the sequel.
jayceejarvis's review against another edition
4.0
From the title I assumed this was another of T Kingfisher's YA or middle grade books when instead it is a very strong, well written fantasy romance. The two titles in the Clocktaur War should really be one book, so I recommend having space on your reading list for both before starting The Clockwork Boys. I liked the characters and the unique twists and aspects of a world I've gotten to know fairly well through the Saints of Steel series. Frankly I prefer the Saints of Steel series, but I'm glad I read this duology for completeness--and I actually skimmed the Paladin's Faith a second time to catch some of the references, so it might be worth picking this one up before getting that far in the Saints of Steel if you want to be in on all the jokes. If you haven't read T Kingfisher before, I recommend starting with Paladin's Grace, but if you are hankering for more in the World of the White Rat, this duology is a fine way to scratch that itch.
benalene's review against another edition
5.0
This book is hilarious. The writing style is...different. The author writes in a very frank and matter of fact way that is immensely refreshing. The characters are the down to earth type of people that you would want to get to know (if you can consider an assassin to be a down to earth sort of person...). Did I mention hilarious? I was afraid I was going to wake my partner with all my giggle-snorting as I was binge reading this late at night. It was hard to put down.
maryleong's review against another edition
3.0
A motley crew of criminals (and a scholar) are sent on a suicide mission to discover the origins of the Clockwork Boys, hulking machines that threaten to lay waste to the Dowager's kingdom. I came to this novella by way of the Paladin's Grace series, and as always, T. Kingfisher writes with so much humanity. Her characters are compelling, multifaceted, and yes, laugh-out-loud funny.
Leading the charge is skilled forger Slate, a "guerilla accountant" with the ability to sense magic through smell. She is joined by Sir Caliban, a former Paladin of the Dreaming God who was abandoned by his deity after going on a murderous rampage, and Brenner, an assassin with few compunctions about using violence and even fewer brain cells. Rounding out the gang is Learned Edmund, a misogynistic teenage scholar of the Many-Armed God. Between the four of them, their chances of success are...not high.
Unfortunately, this novella ends abruptly without any major plot progression. There's a lot of delightful banter and lots of minor shenanigans as they make their way to Anuket City, including being kidnapped by demon-possessed deer-people and meeting a gnole (!) There's some character growth, and Edmund learns to be moderately respectful to women. This is all fine and good, but we are not much closer to the main quest than when we first started. I get that this is a two-part series, but there isn't much of anything to resolve in this first part.
Leading the charge is skilled forger Slate, a "guerilla accountant" with the ability to sense magic through smell. She is joined by Sir Caliban, a former Paladin of the Dreaming God who was abandoned by his deity after going on a murderous rampage, and Brenner, an assassin with few compunctions about using violence and even fewer brain cells. Rounding out the gang is Learned Edmund, a misogynistic teenage scholar of the Many-Armed God. Between the four of them, their chances of success are...not high.
Unfortunately, this novella ends abruptly without any major plot progression. There's a lot of delightful banter and lots of minor shenanigans as they make their way to Anuket City, including being kidnapped by demon-possessed deer-people and meeting a gnole (!) There's some character growth, and Edmund learns to be moderately respectful to women. This is all fine and good, but we are not much closer to the main quest than when we first started. I get that this is a two-part series, but there isn't much of anything to resolve in this first part.
obsidian_blue's review against another edition
5.0
Great book one!
And now I have to find out what happens to our merry band. Happy to be back in the world of the paladins.
Full review: Well I finished the second book. I am not pleased. LOL. I loved this one though. It does a great job of setting up the world of the Clocktaur War and develops the characters of Slade (the leader of the group and a forger), Caliban (a disgraced Paladin), Brenner (an assassin) and Edmund (a scholar). How very D&D of T. Kingfisher.
The book follows three of this merry band who are being forced (Slade, Caliban, and Brenner) to figure out who is controlling mechanical soldiers that are laying waste to the kingdom they are in, the Dowager's kingdom.
Most of the book follows the three of them and how they manage to barely get along before they meet Edmund. The love triangle (or whatever that was) wasn't that important to the story). I am going to admit something, I really wished we had ignore the romance for just the sheer adventure of the story. That's not enough for me to knock down the rating of the first book though.
I have read the other books she has written taking place in this same world, [b:Paladin's Grace|50702014|Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)|T. Kingfisher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580209503l/50702014._SY75_.jpg|75730699] so the world building was already familiar to me and much enjoyed. The flow keeps moving even though we mostly stick with Slade and Caliban's viewpoints throughout. Now reading the second book, I wish we had shifted around more to Edmund and Brenner.
The ending leaves our gang in a precarious situation.
And now I have to find out what happens to our merry band. Happy to be back in the world of the paladins.
Full review: Well I finished the second book. I am not pleased. LOL. I loved this one though. It does a great job of setting up the world of the Clocktaur War and develops the characters of Slade (the leader of the group and a forger), Caliban (a disgraced Paladin), Brenner (an assassin) and Edmund (a scholar). How very D&D of T. Kingfisher.
The book follows three of this merry band who are being forced (Slade, Caliban, and Brenner) to figure out who is controlling mechanical soldiers that are laying waste to the kingdom they are in, the Dowager's kingdom.
Most of the book follows the three of them and how they manage to barely get along before they meet Edmund. The love triangle (or whatever that was) wasn't that important to the story). I am going to admit something, I really wished we had ignore the romance for just the sheer adventure of the story. That's not enough for me to knock down the rating of the first book though.
I have read the other books she has written taking place in this same world, [b:Paladin's Grace|50702014|Paladin's Grace (The Saint of Steel, #1)|T. Kingfisher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580209503l/50702014._SY75_.jpg|75730699] so the world building was already familiar to me and much enjoyed. The flow keeps moving even though we mostly stick with Slade and Caliban's viewpoints throughout. Now reading the second book, I wish we had shifted around more to Edmund and Brenner.
The ending leaves our gang in a precarious situation.
sanscha's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This has the bones of something I could love but drowns in constant italicized quips from characters that are almost but not quite interesting enough. Won’t be reading the second part but jumping right to Swordheart.