Early Review – A Clockwork Heart (Chronicles of Light and Shadow, Book 2) by Liesl Schwarz (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Size: 304 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: August 13, 2013
ISBN: 978-0345545084
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow
Source: eGalley from Netgalley.com
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

I got a copy of this book to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This is the second book in the Chronicles of Light and Shadow. The third book will be titled, Sky Pirates, and is due out in June of 2014. I absolutely adore this series. I loved the first book in this series and this book was even better. Elle is fantastic fun to read about and the steampunk elements in the story are really well done.

Elle and Marsh are having some trouble with their marriage. Elle loves Marsh but wants to be free to pilot her plane wherever she wants, she is also chafing at being forced to perform the duties of the Oracle. Marsh has given up his Warlock powers to be with Elle, but finds himself bored by her constant absences. While Elle takes a charter to Singapore, Marsh decides to help Commissioner Willoughby solve a strange mystery of missing people and tick-tock men. When Elle returns to find Marsh missing she doesn’t know if it is a change of heart on his part or if something more sinister is going on.

I really enjoy these books a lot. They are wonderful steampunk reads with a paranormal element to them. They are incredibly engaging and well written and the main heroine is a lot of fun to read about.

Elle is spunky and fun and is struggling with something a lot of women struggle with when they get married. She wants to be her own woman and not lose herself in marriage, yet she desperately loves her husband and is struggling to balance the two. As in the last book she is hilarious, very resourceful and lots of fun to read about.

Nightwalker Loisa Beladodia was the other driving character in this book. She joins forces with Elle in the search for Marsh and is another incredibly fun character. She is petite and beautiful and absolutely vicious. She also is very witty and has a great sense of humor.

There are some new additions to the story. The evil White Lady is delightfully frightful. Old Jack, whom Elle meets in the Shadowlands, is absolutely intriguing.

The plot is well done and has a very historical investigative urban fantasy feel to it. There are tons of steampunk elements in the story and I absolutely loved that. A number of fantastical steampunk devices are well explained and they are incredibly creative. Schwarz has done her homework and she really does steampunk excellently.

There isn’t a ton of romance in this book; it is mostly action, investigation, and mystery. I really found the story engaging and hard to put down and was absolutely on the edge of my seat trying to guess how things would turn out. The book ends very harshly and will probably upset some readers, but I enjoyed the ending and am curious as to how things will play out in future books.

Overall I absolutely loved this book. I love the characters; they are fun and entertaining. I love the world and the plot as well. In this book we are introduced to numerous fascinating steampunk devices, the Shadowlands, and a number of delightfully shady new characters.

Highly recommended to steampunk and urban fantasy fans out there. There isn’t a ton of romance here but the world, characters, and steampunk elements are incredibly well done. I would recommend to those who enjoy The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger, The Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest, or the Swinburne and Burton series by Mark Hodder.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
– Get Steampunk’d Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Paranormal Reading Challenge
– Young Adult Reading Challenge