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Mechanical Heart

Sarah Pennington (Goodreads Author)

4.67 · Rating details · 9 ratings · 7 reviews

Can you save someone who doesn’t know if she’s alive?

Breen lives locked away, separated from the world by the walls of her clock tower and the machine of gems, gears, and magic that replaces her heart. That is, until an unexpected visitor appears in her tower, offering a dangerous gift: freedom. His promises awaken hope for a life unbound by the tower walls — but she knows ...more

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Paperback, 408 pages

Published August 7th 2019 by Independently Published

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Book for 2019

394 books — 178 voters

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4.67 ·

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· 9 ratings · 7 reviews

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Aug 06, 2019 Kyle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: best-of-the-best, characters-i-love, cool-magic-systems, gaslamp-fantasy

A gripping and richly-detailed fantasy that kept me glued to the page until the very end. It's clearly a Rapunzel retelling, but it goes far beyond the typical fairy-tale retelling tropes to build a unique, fully-developed world and a cast of distinctive characters. I particularly liked the intricate magic system and the tasteful inclusion of characters whose deafness fit naturally into the story instead of being used as a plot device. Plus, heartwarming relationships and plot twists that litera ...more

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Aug 06, 2019 Deborah O'Carroll rated it it was amazing

Shelves: august-release, z-sorting-shelf, got-for-review, retellings, steampunk

THIS BOOK! I’ve been so excited for it and anxiously awaiting its release FOREVER and now it’s finally here and aaahhh! I. loved. it. The premise is the coolest ever: Steampunk Rapunzel in a clock tower. By one of my favorite authors. Um, yes please!

I was utterly hooked from the first chapter and I absolutely love this world, these characters, and the writing style!

The characters! I adored them. The story is really about friendships (instead of the expected romance—though to be honest, I will ad ...more

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Jul 14, 2019 Merenwen Inglorion rated it it was amazing

Shelves: devoured, great-ya, retellings, rtc, siblings

I'm always conflicted when I finish a good book, and sit down to write a review. Do I start with the characters? The setting? The twists?
Characters will do for now, because they were my favorite part of it. Luis, in particular; he's a wonderfully pointed, sarcastic side character. Grace should receive mention as well, as she's a sweet character--with backbone (that isn't to say she "kicks butt" or anything like that, but she's firm, clever, and knows how to deal with people)!

Josiah, brother to G I'm always conflicted when I finish a good book, and sit down to write a review. Do I start with the characters? The setting? The twists?
Characters will do for now, because they were my favorite part of it. Luis, in particular; he's a wonderfully pointed, sarcastic side character. Grace should receive mention as well, as she's a sweet character--with backbone (that isn't to say she "kicks butt" or anything like that, but she's firm, clever, and knows how to deal with people)!

Josiah, brother to Grace, is a knight in shining armor. Or rather, he wants to be. He's frustrated with his inability to make wide, sweeping changes that benefit the masses, and is stuck with sloughing through political mazes. Which he does remarkably, I must say.
Breen is a captive, but she's far from helpless. She figures things out on her own, and isn't ready to accept help/spill her story right away. When it comes to fiction, I typically ignore this flaw in characters (accepting help a tad too hastily), as it tends to be a staple in fiction, and I understand that most authors want their story to move along. A common problem with having a character come off as reluctant is the fear of dragging the story and making readers lose interest. With this story, the reluctance gave everything a bit of flavor! It forced other characters to react, heightened the suspense, and made the friendships all the richer for having stuck through the trials.
Speaking of trials, there are:
Determined antagonists (kind of obvious to the reader, not so to the characters, as the readers get to see the antagonists behind their facades).
Fears.
Doubts.
Politics.
Alchemy.
Never a dull moment to be had.

Miscellany things I loved: The accuracy of the sign language (it's written in the style of regular speech, but the visible interactions--emphasis on facial expressions, etc--are spot-on). Breen's reluctance for help. It was just the right amount of stubborn. Also, the banter between Luis and Josiah; the friendly needling, sarcasm, advice. And you can see the cover, right?

All in all, this is a wonderful book to read. Oh, might I add: the steampunk element isn't terribly heavy--mostly aesthetic, with fantasy elements--so there isn't anything to get confused by if you don't often read steampunk. ...more

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Aug 08, 2019 C.B. Cook rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, e-books, fantasy, favorites, homeschool-authors, need-sequel-now, ohmygravy, pure-awesomeness, retellings, steampunk

I love a good fairytale retelling, and this book was no exception. Mechanical Heart is the first book I've been able to read by Sarah Pennington, but I've been following her blog for a long time, and I've been able to read some things she's written on there. Because of that, I was not at all surprised at how much I loved this book! The world was absolutely amazing and so well developed, and I couldn't put the book down.

[Probably some minor SPOILERS below, so if you want to read this book without I love a good fairytale retelling, and this book was no exception. Mechanical Heart is the first book I've been able to read by Sarah Pennington, but I've been following her blog for a long time, and I've been able to read some things she's written on there. Because of that, I was not at all surprised at how much I loved this book! The world was absolutely amazing and so well developed, and I couldn't put the book down.

[Probably some minor SPOILERS below, so if you want to read this book without knowing anything about the plot... just go buy it!]

The plot itself wasn't necessarily fast-paced or full of action that keeps you reading, but it was more suspense-driven. There was so much character development, and I loved getting to know these characters, especially Breen and Josiah. I also really liked the approach the author took to the characters' interactions in the clock tower. Grace provided a great contrast to Josiah as well, and I loved that the little sister was taking over. That played into the plot so well. (I'm trying so hard to avoid spoilers...) The tension with Madame and my own questions kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. While I guessed some of the plot twists ahead of time, I was still surprised by a lot of things, which was awesome.

Breen was probably my absolute favorite. I loved having a deaf main character, and the author handled that aspect of Breen's character so well... plus it plays into the story in an important way later on. Her development really tugged at my heart, too. Basically, she's awesome and the best and I want to give her a hug. <3

Josiah was also pretty awesome. I loved his character arc too, and I also loved that he did his own research throughout the story. He wasn't a typical stuck-up noble, but you can also see that he has his shortcomings, too. He was a really well-rounded character, and I would love to see more of both him and Breen. :D

There's not anything I really disliked about the book. There were a lot of senate/government meetings, but they provided important information and tied in really well with the rest of the plot, so they weren't boring. There's also a lot of magic and alchemy, if that's something that concerns you.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book for review, but all opinions and comments are my own. ...more

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Aug 02, 2019 Brie Donning rated it it was amazing

Amazing book. Review to come.

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Jul 19, 2019 Grace T rated it really liked it

RTC after release date (since that's what someone else is doing and idk the proper policies xD). Definitely enjoyed it, though!

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Aug 08, 2019 Kathryn McConaughy rated it liked it

Mechanical Heart is a Rapunzel/Hunchback of Notre Dame retelling in a steampunk world. It has an engaging world, political maneuvering, and colorful magic, but the real strength of this story is definitely in the characters. I love their voices. Luis is probably my favorite, whether he’s helplessly trying to keep Josiah from doing Yet Another Crazy Thing or he’s inventing something to save the day. He tries to be the voice of reason, but he’s such a faithful friend that he lets Josiah drag him i ...more

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Genres

Retellings

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Fantasy

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Science Fiction > Steampunk

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Young Adult

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About Sarah Pennington

Sarah Pennington

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Sarah Pennington has been writing stories since before she actually knew how to write, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She is perpetually in the middle of writing at least one or two novels, most of which are in the fantasy and fairy tale retelling genres. Sarah’s first published work, Blood in the Snow, received a perfect score and Special Unicorn status in Rooglewood Press’s F ...more