A review by kimberlybea
Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti

4.0

Clockwork Heart is a fantasy* that brings in elements of steampunk, romance, and mystery to create a terrific escapist read. Taya is an icarus, a courier who flies above the city of Ondinium on lighter than air wings. When she saves the life of an Exalted, a member of the highest caste in Ondinium, she is entangled in a mystery involving terrorism and treason. Also involved are two very different brothers, scions of the exalted Forlore clan: charming and brilliant Alister, who works on the Great Engine, and the awkward, sarcastic Cristof, who voluntarily lives in the poorest sector fixing clocks. The world-building here is solid: social classes do not mix in Ondinium, and the Exalteds do not even expose their faces to the lower classes, instead walking about robed and masked. It's a caste system kept rigidly in place by the belief that the Lady rewards the virtuous by moving them up the social ladder in their next lives. I really like the interaction between Taya and the Forlore brothers, which reminded me of the "romantic suspense" novels I used to love in my misspent youth. The plot moves quite quickly, with plenty of excitement and a healthy dose of social criticism. If there is one false note in this tale, it is in the mystery itself, the clues to which came to light a bit too easily, in my opinion. But I was willing to overlook that (or maybe excuse it, since I was reading on the plane, and that's not my best reading environment) for the sake of the imaginative world-building, intriguing characters, and exciting plot.
*If you see the word "fantasy" and think wizards and dragons, Clockwork Heart will defy your expectations. There is no magic here, except for ondium, a lighter than air metal. So maybe it's science fiction? All I know is I liked it!