A review by jupitersuns
The Clockwork Three by Matthew J. Kirby

adventurous dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I liked some of the writing style. But it fluctuated between good writing and what seemed more like a rough draft between chapters. 

Good read-- But there were a few iffy moment that were questionable that made me rate it at 3.5 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Chapters that mention the Content Warnings:

Death/of parent: littered throughout the book Racial Slurs: Chapter 11 page 148, uses the G-word that is a slur for the Romani people. Only used once. Kidnapping: Mentioned throughout the whole book Injury: Mentioned throughout the whole book Gun violence: Chapter 13, a rifle is used as a warning shot. Chapter 25, a pistol is used and a character dies Grief: Mentioned throughout the whole book, but for different reasons pertaining to each character Fat phobia/ body shaming: Chapter 3, only mentioned once, but is super rude. I cannot tell if it was supposed to be for Character Development for the MC Hannah. But it was baffling to read. Animal Death: Chapter 13, starting on page 181 until 189. Mentions of killing and preparing a snapping turtle for soup. I know that turtles can be used for food, but it was quite upsetting for me bc I have a pet turtle. Child Abuse: Mentioned throughout the whole book for MC's Giuseppe and Fredrick Child Death: Only mentioned a few times. Working in the factories--caused by machine accidents. I believe in one of Guiesspe's chapters there is a mention of child death.

SPOILER FOR RANT ENDING

I do not like how the ending came out to be for the VERY end. Guiesspe gets to go back to Italy but Pietro could not. Madame Pomeroy is described as super rich, and could have easily bought a ticket for Pietro so he could go back to Italy as well. But he is told to stay behind because the Reverend could take care of him. Which is stupid because he deserves to get back to his family too. Hannah gets a promotion to be Head of Maids at the hotel even though from my understanding she is about 12. And she wanted to go back to school but apparently not. The main characters were all around tweens: Giuseppe 11, Hannah 12, and Fredrick 13. It still would have been upsetting if she was a real teen, but a little more of understanding. There was also a weird jealousy moment of the character Walter and Hannah. It can be concluded that Walter fancied Hannah, but she is still a kid. I'm not sure if Walter is supposed to be a teen or older, since it was described that he was drinking in a bar and seemingly drunk. I do like the plot lines of each character, but Hannah's seemed the most unrefined compared to the other two.