Fantastic short spooky story based in Wales. I came across this book whilst on the hunt for books based on Wales to ensure our new Welsh curriculum in school reflected the children and the place in which we live. It is rare to find an English medium book where the main characters have Welsh names and there are references to Wales and the Welsh language throughout the book. This will be prefect to use with upper primary children. On top of that it’s a fantastic story filled with awe and wonder.

This was a fun fae adventure, suitable for children (and adults). I was drawn in by the cover, and the story lived up to it. Seren travels to her godfather’s house, accidentally acquiring a parcel on the way. When she arrives, it is not the happy home she was hoping for. She sets out to solve the mystery, and then to rescue Tomos, her godfather’s son. I really liked Seren, she was a lively and inquisitive character. The Crow was delightful in his grumpy crustyness, and also quite helpful on their adventure. I really enjoyed the story, it was so easy to read and become immersed in, and had a satisfying, happy, and Christmassy ending.

I’d definitely recommend this book to both children and adults looking for a fun adventure with a happy ending. I can’t wait to find out what Seren and Tomos (and hopefully the clockwork crow) get up to in the sequel.

I was given a free copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

The Clockwork Crow is a whimsical treat of a children‘s story. Gothic mansions, family secrets and magical toys - this book has it all.

What I loved particularly about this novel were the beautiful descriptions throughout. Fisher takes us by the hand and leads us through a fictional landscape that seems both familiar and unfamiliar. The first is probably due to the book’s nods to classics such as The Secret Garden, the latter may be due to the somewhat uncanny but never terrifying things that happen to Seren.

And then of course this is a stunningly beautiful book. The cover had me hooked immediately and I was not disappointed by what was between the covers either. The Clockwork Crow is a wonderful MG novel that deals with grief and loneliness in a way that is easily understandable for kids. It is magical and beautifully written. If there is anything to criticise at all, I would maybe mention its shortness. A few pages more would have given the characters a little more depth, but that is but a very very minor point of criticism. — 4.5 stars

What a charming and engaging book this is. I read it in one sitting and immediately ordered book 2 in this new series. Like the Secret garden meets Frozen, with a likeable orphan girl as the heroine and a cranky clockwork crow as the hero. Childrens historical fiction which is accessible to all ages, beautifully written and a real page turner.

Downloaded this one on netgalley, as a reminder before I tackle sequel which looks even better than the first!

Upon re-read, it’s just as good with a wonderful sense of atmosphere


My Original review:

https://shop.rogansbooks.co.uk/the-clockwork-crow-by-catherine-fisher/

Now this one is very good. The Clockwork Crow is the perfect way to call back to children’s books of the past.

In a story that is reminiscent of old fashioned mystery stories, sort of The Snow Spider by way of Jane Eyre and Rebecca – this story has everything. Mysterious strangers on train platforms, clockwork magical creatures suffering from magical curses, Welsh mythology, locked attic nursery rooms we’re forbidden from entering and suspicious servants in a spooky mansion.

The story centres on Seren who has had a tragic time, losing her parents then her guardian. We join her at a spooky deserted train station on her way to live with the godfather she’s never met, his wife and her son, at a remote house in Plas-Y-Fran. After a chance encounter with a weird stranger in the waiting room she is left with pieces of a clockwork bird with a jewelled eye – and a warning not to put it together.

The house she ends up at is deserted apart from some not-so-friendly staff, and the brother she was desperately hoping for seems to have vanished in mysterious circumstances – which appears connected to why she is not allowed in certain locked rooms in the house….

This has the right blend of spooky gothic chills and fairy tale (and Fairy Folk) elements with a feisty investigative main character, who is given enough agency to not feel like she is being swept through a story.

It’s impossible to believe how few pages this story is told in. The prose is economical, but poetic in places and Seren’s experiences are beautifully realised. This could easily become a future classic, and is a lovely standalone story (although I would totally read a series of stories of a young girl and her gothic, talking, cursed, clockwork crow solving mysteries and battling the supernatural across Wales…)