The Clockwork Girl by Anna Mazzola
Publication Date: 03rd March 2022
Genre: Dark Historical Fiction
3.8 Stars
One Liner: Dark, disturbing, and sinister.
Paris, 1750: The winter is brutal, but people are worse. Madeline’s life isn’t any better, but she knows things could be worse. When she gets a chance to make things better, Madeline agrees to put her life at risk. She needs to find out what goes on in the clockmaker’s house and report it to those who hired her for the job. It’s her only chance at freedom, no matter how much the house and the clockmaker scare her.
Dr. Reinhart is a master scientist and wonderful clockmaker. His creations are life-like and show signs of being much more than automata. The bejeweled rabbits and birds might be mesmerizing, but how could the man create these pieces with utter perfection? What is his secret?
Veronique is Dr. Reinhart’s seventeen-year-old daughter. She just came back home after years at the convent. Veronique wants to prove her worth and how she is capable of being trained as her father’s assistant and successor. Reinhart trains her, but Veronique knows that her future isn’t certain until he is satisfied with her worth.
Jeanne, aka Madame de Pompadour, is King Louis’s mistress, one among the many, but with enough control and network to maybe keep her place. However, things get sinister as her position and life are at risk. And what about the larger conspiracy and the King’s love for ‘certain things’?
The world outside seems to be in turmoil. Little kids go missing from the streets. Madeline realizes that she might have uncovered the secret. Will she make it through the day when the dark secrets lead her to the heart of Versailles?
What I Like:
- The story comes from three third-person POVs- Madeline, Veronique, and Jeanne. They are three different women from different backgrounds and with different approaches to life. This added to the narration and kept things interesting even when the pacing was slow.
- The Paris in the book is not glitzy or glamorous. It is dirty, sick, smelly, and simmering a rebellion. The mood of the public (and the response of the royalty) was well established throughout.
- The story combines two major incidents from the period- the automata and the vanishing children. The blending is seamless and sensible. The final reveal doesn’t surprise me because it’s a logical progression.
- The ending is not neatly tied up in a bow. Yes, it is hopeful and positive (that’s why the book has 4 stars from me), yet certain crucial elements were realistic and in line with history.
- There’s no gore or graphical description of brutality, assault, and death. Still, it is present throughout the book.
- The scenes with Dr. Reinhart working on the clocks and creations are cool. I enjoyed reading those.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
- The first half is slow. While some of it was necessary to establish the setting, a few incidents were unnecessarily dragged. Some of the reveals were easy to guess. Leaving them until the end tilted the balance.
- A majority of the action takes place in the last 15% of the book. There’s too much information at once, that too towards the end.
- The story is dark throughout. There isn’t any respite until the end. This is an advantage and a disadvantage. People looking for lighter moments will be disappointed. There were times I wanted something hopeful to keep me going.
To sum up, The Clockwork Girl is a dark and disturbing read set in the dirty and desolate Paris of 1750.
Thank you, NetGalley and Orion Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheClockworkGirl #NetGalley
*****
P.S: I love the cover!
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