Skip to main content

The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer

Brief synopsis (no spoilers)
India Steele is the daughter of a watchmaker who died recently. He wished to pass his shop on to her, but since she's a woman, that wasn't possible. So, hoping it would be in her best interests, he willed it to India's fiancee. But after India's father's death, her fiancee broke off the engagement and kept the business. India now must struggle to provide for herself, but no watchmakers in town will hire her. Matthew Glass arrived recently in London from America, and is in search of a particular watchmaker. He enlists the help of India, to find the man.

Category
Fiction

Why I chose this book
Recommended by Amazon

My personal opinion (the review)
I really enjoyed this book. I was hoping it would be YA-level, so I could share it with my kids, but I don't think it qualifies. But in general, the book was excellent: the story line was interesting, the level of detail was satisfying, the language was clean. I liked it, and I'll probably buy the rest of the series.

Warnings
Language: None
Violence: A handful of scuffles, nothing major
"Adult" situations: One situation that is not graphic, but not youth-approved
Death: None

Movie rating equivalent
PG-17 - It's not R, but I don't plan on allowing my youth to read it

Protagonist description
India is a strong, independent soul, but she also craves approval

Point of view of story
First, focused on India

Book length
Medium-long

Story flow
Excellent

Grammar and spelling issues
A couple minor things- nothing really distracting

Character connection (no spoilers)
I definitely want more backstory of pretty much all major characters

For series:
Independent or integral (stand-alone or back story dependent)
Unknown

Series review as a whole
Excellent, so far

If you only have time for one, read: (which one)
Start at the beginning - The Watchmaker's Daughter

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Matched By Ally Condie

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow. (Amazon) Category: YA dystopian Why I chose this book: Recommended based on other things I have read, it's been on my list for a while My personal opinion (the review): Of the many popular dystopian/futur

Slave, Warrior, Queen by Morgan Rice

Brief synopsis (no spoilers): Ceres is a young woman (17) living in an oppressive Empire, with an equally oppressive mother. She has ties to a rebellion, and stronger ties to her brothers. She is basically thrown around her world constantly- enslaved, imprisoned, set loose, etc. Each time, she puts herself in the best position to cause the most damage to whatever she hates most. Category : YA fiction, fantasy Why I chose this book : Recommended on the library website My personal opinion : It's complicated. I loved the action, the pace, the unknown special power, the strong female lead character, the general story line. But I disliked the coincidence (see Emma Coats, rule #19, link below)- Ceres got out of trouble so many times. Mostly by fighting, but a couple times by coincidence. I disliked that the "Queen" phase never came, before the end of the book. Maybe that's part of the series, but the next book doesn't mention that in its title. I disliked tha

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare

Brief synopsis Clary and Jace continue their Shadowhunter path, chasing after demons and one "bad guy" in particular. They're attracted to each other deeply, and they're also siblings. Eww. With the help of werewolves and vampires, the good guys fight a bunch of demons led by a madman. Category YA Fiction Why I chose this book My daughter wanted to read the series, so I decided to give the next book a try. My personal opinion  (the review) I'm very disappointed. The characters are caricatures- complete personifications of one particular trait, each. The plot is predictable (the good guys will win, in the end). Jace and Clary are basically invincible. The only thing the story has going for it is the cliffhangers. Throughout the book, it felt like the story was constantly begging, "wait, don't put me down- there's another surprise coming!" I don't recommend this book at all. Warnings Language: A couple f-words at the beginning, less