Book Review: A Clockwork Heart

Author: Liesel Schwarz
Publication Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Del Rey
Series: The Chronicles of Light and Shadow #2

FOR BETTER OR CURSE. That might as well have been the wedding vow of Elle Chance and her new husband, the ex-Warlock Hugh Marsh in the second book of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, historical adventure, and paranormal romance into storytelling magic.

As Elle devotes herself to her duties as the Oracle—who alone has the power to keep the dark designs of Shadow at bay—Marsh finds himself missing the excitement of his former life as a Warlock. So when Commissioner Willoughby of the London Metropolitan police seeks his help in solving a magical mystery, Marsh is only too happy to oblige. But in doing so, Marsh loses his heart . . . literally.

In place of the flesh-and-blood organ is a clockwork device—a device that makes Marsh a kind of zombie. Nor is he the only one. A plague of clockwork zombies is afflicting London, sowing panic and whispers of revolution. Now Elle must join forces with her husband’s old friend, the Nightwalker Loisa Beladodia, to track down Marsh’s heart and restore it to his chest before time runs out.

These men had no idea who they were dealing with. And enlightening them was going to be such fun.

Sated, she stood and straightened her cloak. A gentle psychic tug caught her attention and she stared in the direction of the university. The pull she felt was the desire of men. She could feel herself being summoned.

“I think I need something stronger than tea.” Marsh walked over to his liquor cabinet. He selected one of the decanters. It was filled with bright green liquid that could only be absinthe.

Elle smiled at the use of her nickname. He used to call her ‘ells Bells or later simply Bells for short.

Elle Chance, our leading lady, is back in action, and this time she is married! Yep, you heard right. She is married to ex-Warlock Hugh Marsh. However, not everything is peachy keen for the newlyweds. Hugh has supposedly given up his warlock ways; however, he finds himself in the middle of a rather odd case which leads to trouble and ends up leaving Elle alone and to fend for herself. Elle doesn’t want to give up flying and is faced with more huge decisions in this book. This book is not full of romance or tales of happily wedded bliss. Readers will see some big changes in the life of Elle.

I was drawn to this book for many reasons. Some of those are the steampunk feel, the bright red hair, and the strong, vibrant female characters. Elle is by far my favorite. I was immediately drawn to her because her ambitious nature is so unlike what I am used to in books. There are ambitious female character, yes, but Elle breaks the mold. She is witty, smart, and so courageous. I was just so taken with her character right from the start. Not to mention the fact that she is an oracle and her powers and abilities are very creative and unique on the author’s part. I also love Loisa, a vampire of Nightwalker, who is a nice alternative to Elle and with her we are able to see the extent of Schwarz character development skills!

I love the supernatural that encompasses these books and I am excited to see where we are going to go from here. This book is a perfect mixture of steampunk and fantasy! The next book is releasing next June, and I am just hoping that I can wait that long. I would recommend this to people who are ready to try something new, and maybe even branch out of a genre that they read very often. Elle is the perfect heroine and lady pilot to take any reader on an exciting new journey!

***A copy of this book was provided to me by the publishers at Del Rey in exchange for my honest review***