Review – The Doomsday Vault (The Clockwork Empire, Book 1) by Steven Harper (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: November 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0451464293
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Clockwork Empire
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“In a clockwork Britannia, Alice’s prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale—towards a clandestine organization, mad inventors, life-altering secrets, and into the arms of an intrepid fiddle-playing airship pilot.”

I really enjoyed this steampunk novel. This is the first book in the Clockwork Empire series; there are four books in this series.

I liked the main characters a lot and enjoyed all the crazy clockwork inventions. The book is engaging and fast-paced and I was surprised at how quickly I read through it.

The book switches between Alice’s viewpoint and Gavin’s. Alice is the daughter of a Baron with poor prospects after the Clockwork plague took some of her family and resulted in her family being shunned. Gavin is a soon to be airship pilot whose unfortunate encounter with pirates changes the course of his life forever.

I loved Alice’s obsession with mechanical things. Her struggle to remain supportive of her father and blend with society’s conventions coupled with her love of adventure and excitment makes her a complex character that’s interesting to read about. Gavin’s incredibly skill with music and his love of air travel makes him an interesting character as well.

I enjoyed the alternate world created here. This is a world that has been ravaged by the Clockwork plague, yet enhanced by the genius Clockworkers the plague occasionally creates.

The story was filled with mystery and excitement. It flowed well and was very easy to read and stay engaged in; I had trouble putting it down!

Overall I would recommend to those who are interesting in steampunk mysteries with some action and adventure in them. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Mount TBR Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Pick Your Genre (Steampunk) Reading Challenge