I will read absolutely anything T. kingfisher writes. I was so happy to get an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

I cannot wait to read the second book! I was so invested in the quest our characters go on. This book blends T.Kingfisher’s signature humour, horror and fantasy. This one is more fantasy leaning but with some monstrous magic elements. I love T,Kingfisher’s imagination for the absurd macabre.

I love how down to earth and relatable our main character is. There are no superhuman, chosen one, 18 year olds who are going to save the world here. We have an intelligent, short, thirty year old forger who has sneezing fits when sensing danger. Amazing. I loved the main character and their will they/won’t they romantic tension with the disgraced paladin they took from a prison for this mission. All of the characters are flawed, interesting, recognisable. They take on the typical character classes from video game and role play fantasy but they are so charming and real! We have a forger, a paladin, an assassin and a religious scholar. They have clashing personalities, values and beliefs but they are on a shared quest. Their differences make for such humorous friction throughout their journey.

Huge fan of this and I immediately want more! I’ve read at least ten T.Kingfisher books now and they’ve all been phenomenal!

At this point you could put anything written by Kingfisher in front of me and I would devour it with the gusto of a person starved. Yes, this may follow a similar formula to some of her other past self-published work, but that doesn't mean I don't crave a quirky story, eccentric characters or danger filled fun quests any less... if anything it makes me crave them more.

I don't know what kind of drug Kingfisher weaves into her stories, but they never fail to get me hooked, and Clockwork Boys was no different. The story is written from two different viewpoints: Slate, our convicted forger with a nose for magic and Caliban an ex Paladin who was locked up after he found himself possessed by a demon and murdered an entire convent... not the most auspicious duo, but in true Kingfisher fashion they quickly worm their way into your hearts, Slate thanks to her sarcasm, wit and ability to lead even when she has absolutely no idea where she is or what she's doing, and Caliban in that way only a Paladin can be... pure on the outside but filthy underneath it all. The pair are joined by Brenner, Slate's ex and assassin and Learned Edmund, a scholar with slightly backward takes on the fairer sex. I'm not sure rag-tag crew really cuts it for this one, but somehow they all work together and allow Kingfisher to take the story down some absolutely hilarious routes.

I've always loved Kingfishers ability to write her main characters as older, Slate is in her 30's and Caliban almost 40, not only because it's such a rarity in fantasy, but because it adds an extra depth and humour to the story. They're weary, of the world, of other people's bullshit, and it also makes the budding romance that blooms between the two of them feel that much more realistic.

Clockwork Boys is set in the same world as Swordheart, which was my first Kingfisher novel, and I did enjoy the little nods to the other book thrown throughout... especially the gnole that cropped up towards the end of the story. Her worlds are as quirky as her characters and plots, with magic and magical creatures aplenty, but Kingfisher also manages to add a little menace and horror without it getting too scary for us scardy cats. The plot of this one is largely quest/journey based, I say this because they don't actually reach the true end of their quest in the book, rather it ends with them finding themselves at Anuket City. Most of the time, this would annoy me a little, especially with how the story just ends, but Kingfisher has this ability to just make everything feel magical and entertaining, so no moment feels wasted.

Even the romance, and boy do I apparently enjoy a disgraced Paladin who swears his loyalty to a convicted felon, took a hot minute to get going. Slate absolutely thirsted over Caliban the first time she saw him clean shaven, but it took a while for any feelings other than her wanting to climb him like a tree to develop. Allowing us time in both of their heads showed the slow and steady pace these feelings took, they don't even kiss in the first book! But it was hilarious watching them thirsting/longing for one another but not acting on it out of embarrassment or misguided chivalry. Their interactions, whether romance based or not, really stole this book for me and I just loved seeing their relationship develop.

I'm absolutely going to be picking up the second book, mainly cause I'm desperate to know what happens now they've made it to Anuket City, and why exactly Slate never wanted to return. Kingfisher has yet to let me down, and if you like your stories on the slower, but no less entertaining side, quirky characters and an even quirkier fantasy world, I would absolutely give this a read.

Clockwork Boys is a fun, witty fantasy. We follow a group of misfits, thrown together on what is likely be, an impossible suicide mission to find out the mystery behind the deadly Clockwork Boys. The characters have great banter, and it's a very easy to read book. The time slipped by quickly.

There is a lot going on as the characters encounter a lot more peculiarity than they expected, coming across many strange things and creatures. It all sets up for what could be a satisfying resoltion - I just wish we got some answers in this book! It feels like half a book, where we haven't even reached the climax yet so it felt a bit strange that it ended where it did. The author did say in the acknowledgments it was a story they split in two, which makes a lot of sense.

Recommended for fans of comic fantasy, with eccentric characters.

Clockwork Boys by T. Kingfisher is such a good book. I couldn't stop reading this book for a second. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic.

This is my second Kingfisher book, and it had the same ironic humour and jumble of characters which I really enjoyed. Some of the novel felt quite repetitive but overall I enjoyed Slate's POV and I'm excited after reading that cliffhanger!