Library Read // Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher

A paladin, an assassin, a forger, and a scholar ride out of town. It’s not the start of a joke, but rather an espionage mission with deadly serious stakes. T. Kingfisher’s new novel begins the tale of a murderous band of criminals (and a scholar), thrown together in an attempt to unravel the secret of the Clockwork Boys, mechanical soldiers from a neighboring kingdom that promise ruin to the Dowager’s city.

If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.

One of the last times I visited the library, perusing my GoodReads for books I might borrow, I grabbed and planned to borrow T. Kingfisher's Paladin's Grace. Referring back to GoodReads however, I noticed it was part of a larger series, The World of the White Rat. Instead, I opted to started with the earliest entry in that series, this book, Clockwork Boys. And what a fun time it's been. I'm all for questing books that find a reluctant group forced together to fulfill some odd task, especially when done right. I'd say that's more than the case with this entry. 

The first in the subseries, Clocktaur War, Clockwork Boys first and foremost has adult characters at it's core. No teenaged/young adult journey of self-discovery, more adults coming to terms and accepting who they are. A light romance that thus far has progressed, or is progressing, organically, between consenting, willing, and eager adults spiced up with a bit of competition? I'm there for it. So far we have this larger endgoal of uncovering truths and saving lives, and we've kept that goal in focus, but it's also been accompanied by large relational developments and narrative gains.

I'd like to say that around a third of the way through I put a hold on the sequel book, The Wonder Machine. A hold I mean to pick up later today in fact. And when a romance doesn't feel forced and makes me smile, that's a plus. When the fantasy elements don't require too much suspension of disbelief, when I buy into the worldbuild with ease, that's a plus. This was a 5 star read for me and I'm very eager to see what comes next.