I enjoyed the orginiality of this story. It can be difficult to find fresh ideas and stories in the fantasy genre, so I was pleased when I was able to read The Counterclockwise Heart. I highly recommend it to young fantasy readers as well as seasoned readers.

This is a slow paced, middle grade fantasy about a prince with a clock in his chest trying to save his kingdom, a headstrong preteen witch who is sent on a mission to kill her mother, and a man who has been corrupted by his desire for power. The beautiful cover is what drew me to this book. It gave off a Howl’s Moving Castle vibe. The writing style is that of an omniscient storyteller and I wasn’t expecting that to continue throughout. Although this story was engaging at the beginning it lagged in the middle and I found it hard to get back on track- as I approached the end I was scanning in order to finish it.

Wonderful story! I wish I had read it more quickly, but I was reading this on my phone and so it became rather tiresome to stare at a screen. Next time, I will use a lager device with a bigger screen. I ate the book up in small chunks and it has a lot of charm.

I loved the book all the way up to the last few chapters. I was engrossed in the story and the way the characters have strange things about themselves that they don't understand and fear. I like that the empress is a lesbian. The problem is the way everything concludes is way too tidy. And it has an afterschool special feel to it, like... "The answer was love, all along!" I'm not buying Prince Alphonsus's compassion for the Margrave who he knows tried to kill him on many occasions. Even Esme's character, despite being mostly a tough girl, makes a 180 at the end hugging her dying mom and them singing lullabies to each other...only to go right back to being prickly with Prince Alphonsus. I realize I'm an adult reader and not the target audience but I don't think it should be necessary to have these women (Esme and the Nachtfrau) doing things that are out of character for them just to establish that they have regained the bond that was broken. I dunno, the book was pretty gripping right up to the end and I'll still probably recommend it.

What a wonderful middle grades fantasy novel. Prince Alphonsus is rescued within the palace walls of Rheinvelt by Empress Sabine, who decides to raise him alongside her wife, Imperatrix Dagmar. An onyx maiden arrives in Somber End, terrifying the residents. The maiden is tamed by Guntram, a young boy who has lived a terrible life and seeks acceptance, love, and ultimately, power and control. Alphonsus has a secret though, a clock within his chest that on one fateful day, starts turning counterclockwise. In a quest to find out the maker of the clock, Alphonsus will meet new friends and encounter bitter enemies as he eludes Guntram’s pursuit for revenge. A tale of magic, lies, and sacrifice kept me reading until the end. A must read for middle grade fantasy readers.

I really enjoyed the world building and overall writing style of this story. The author did a great job creating a world that made sense and would draw readers in. This would be a great addition for middle school classroom libraries!

This book jumps right into the world-building and acclimating the reader, "It was the coldest winter morning ever on record in the empire of Rheinvelt when the people of Somber End awoke to find the Onyx Maiden in their tiny village." I think the author does a great job of setting the scene for readers and making sure we feel comfortable with different terminology from the start. This does make the writing more choppy, with the many parentheses, commas, and em dashes, so I would not read this book aloud to students. As an independent reading book, this is a strong choice for middle grade and lower Lexile readers in high school. I do not foresee myself teaching this text, but I do think this is a worthy text to add to your classroom library!

I received an ARC of the Counterclockwise Heart by Brian Farrell from Netgalley. This was a fun YA nice that followed several story lines as they all collided in the last few chapters. Prince Alphonsus as he learned about his own condition and how to help his kingdom. Esme a young magic user (heirophant) who was sent on a terrible mission by the collective of magic users. Guntram a young man who got all he wanted and then had to figure out what he wanted. Also the stories of Birgit, the Onyx Maiden, Leichleben, Aharon, and Sabine keep you wanting more. The story added in a kingdom at war, magic users/ sorcerers fighting, monsters, statues coming to life, and lots of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.

I loved the story and I would have rated this higher if it wasn’t for the fact that the author had to invent words. Instead of just sorcerer or magic user they were hierophants. I understand creating a fictional universe that is dynamic and interesting, and that was accomplished, but just use words that are already in the lexicon... I was confused several times as to wether the Nachtfrau was a single person or a group of magic users opposing the Hierophant Collective because she was referred to as “the Nachtfrau in the Hexen Woods”... is that a group or just one? While this would be a great book to use for context clues to discern what the invented words meant, I didn’t feel they added to the story or the universe the author was creating. That being said, I still loved the story and hope I can go back to Rheinvelt again if there is a sequel!