What a charming start to a new middle grade series.

The Clockwork Crow stars Seren Rhys, an orphan on her way to the home of her godfather in Plas-y Fran. At the train station, a mysterious man leaves in her possession a wrapped parcel that she reluctantly takes to her new home. But it isn't the home she expected. Neither her godfather nor his wife are home, and she finally gets the angry housekeeper to tell her that the companion she was looking forward to meeting, the son of the house, Tomos, has been missing for a year. It's rumored that he was taken by the fairies, never to be seen again.

Even more shocking, the parcel contains a curmudgeonly mechanical crow which surprises Seren by talking to her. Together, girl and bird set off on a magical journey to rescue Tomos and bring Christmas joy back to the household.

Set in Victorian Wales, this lovely story is quickly paced and well written. As a main character, Seren is a spirited young girl and there's just the right amount of magic for young readers. The ending is satisfyingly heartwarming. In this copy, readers are also given a sneak peek into book two in the series, which promises to be equally entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and Walker Books for providing this arc to review. I highly recommend it for young middle grade readers.

Llyfr Da

I love Welsh flavored middle grade fantasy myth romance adventures, and this light and fast paced book fits quite nicely and easily in amongst my favorites. It doesn't have the depth or breadth of something like Susan Cooper's "Dark is Rising" sequence, or Alan Garner's "Owl Service", or Jenny Nimmo's "Magician Trilogy", but it slips in comfortably as an early intro to books like that.

At first you'll think you've stumbled upon a Welsh "Secret Garden". A brooding, unhappy house and household. Mystery boy. Furtive night noises. Locked garden gate. Feisty orphan girl taken in as a ward. An overall sense of unease, although not exactly creepiness. But then the book takes a sharp turn into folktales and myth, (although not, thankfully, King Arthur this time). The title should give you a hint. NO SPOILERS, but there are odd things in the woods and lakes and hollows and hills of Wales, and not all of them are friendly.

The book is briskly paced, with just enough description to set a good scene, but also the economy you need to keep a ripping tale moving. Our heroine is smart, pert, self-possessed, common sensical, and self reliant, with a strong flavor of girrrrl power. She has a wry sense of humor and her dry thoughts and deadpan throwaway lines are often sly, or whimsical, or touching, with the effect being that she becomes a girl's own sort of heroine whom a young reader will undoubtedly like and admire. And of course, if you're going to have a clockwork crow it has to be a sarcastic and put-upon sort of clockwork crow, and that's what you get here. Seren and the crow actually make up a very engaging double act.

So, this is fairly light, but atmospheric and engaging. Croeso i Cymru.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This quick read for middle grade readers will impress fans of fairytales and steampunk. Fairytale fright wrapped up in a fun story that will keep reader on the edge of their seat until the end.

A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Walker Books Us for providing me an advanced reader’s copy of “The Clockwork Crow” for my review.

I loved this book! This is one of those books that immediately makes you feel like you are reading a classic fairy tale. An orphan girl comes to a new town in hopes of a fresh start, but immediately lands on a mystery. The author wrote the story SO well! It is magical, atmospheric, has fantasy, supernatural creatures, a brave heroine and a funny sidekick. I loved how imaginative the story-line progresses with the idea of a simple snow-globe affecting everyone.

I liked Seren as the main character at times, but thought she could improve. In fact, I thought she was a bit annoying at times where she did things without contemplating it beforehand. Moreover, we really don’t get an idea about Seren’s past or why the Jones were willing to take care of her. Yes, there is a note that mentions the connection, but there is no details of it. We really don’t get to know much about Seren’s past. Perhaps the author reveals it on the following book. On a side note, I was also a bit disappointed when the author reveals who the mysterious person is that handed Seren the parcel. It didn’t turn out to be as memorable as I had hoped.

However, leaving Seren aside, I LOVED the crow! He is hilarious and provided the much needed humor in this other dark story. Surprisingly, I also liked Mrs. Villiers. Initially I thought she would be a villain, but I liked that she was a misunderstood character instead.

I am eager to read the second book in the series and I think it might be better than this one. I thought the author did a brilliant job in narrating this story and am eager to read her other works.

I absolutely loved this title. Imaginative and highly entertaining and left me hungry for the next title in the series. I can’t wait to see what adventures await.

ARC Copy...best I describe in a sense, a fantasy version of "Secret Garden" in regards to an orphan English girl from colonial India staying in a vast manor house complete with a grump house keeper and a missing boy hidden somewhere. However the fantasy elements and imagery is fantastic...for example, the clockwork crow does feel like a visual life of its own and personality.

Cozy read for a snowy day. Accessible to reluctant readers without being too simplistic. Characters a bit flat, and no explanation as to why Seren was adopted.