The first (half) of a duology (single book), Clockwork Boys follows a motley suicide squad: Slate, cynical but talented forger; Brenner, somewhat psychopathic assassin; Caliban, former Paladin champion of his God, now left to rot in a cell somewhere; and Learned Edmund, a smart young man so brainwashed by his own religion that he fears even speaking to a woman will liquefy his insides. Their mission: infiltrate their enemy, and discover how the hideous Clockwork Boys are created, or how to stop them, before the brutal siege machines wipe out their entire kingdom.

Despite the constant threat of mortal danger, this is a very fun and lighthearted book. The characters are all very distinct and likable, and there’s enough repetition in the banter between them to make them truly feel like old friends, without going overboard. The plot itself is very short (as I mentioned, half of the true book - of course I immediately bought The Wonder Engine/book 2) and has a decent pace to it. There are new fantastical creatures and a few ongoing mysteries dotted around to keep you curious the whole way through, as well.

My only criticism is littered throughout the previous two paragraphs - it feels like half a book, and ends very abruptly. I hadn’t read the second one yet but I’m fairly sure I’ll feel confident that it should have been published together, as one book, rather than split.

Overall a good read, and enjoys poking fun at the very serious and devout paladin trope. 3.5-4/5.

Three condemned criminals, a forger, an uncouth (but efficient) assassin, and a disgraced paladin in possession of a dead demon, are given a second chance. If they can travel to the neighbouring country and find out how the terrifying clockwork boys (deadly manufactured beings, more siege engine than creature) are made and how to stop them, they'll get a pardon. It's not much of a chance. They all think it's going to be a suicide mission. They are joined on their journey by a scholar, all innocence and preconceived ideas.

This is a quest tale. Four disparate individuals forming some kind of team, but what lifts it well above average is the characterisation and dialogue. Bleakly funny and heartbreaking by turns, I raced through this and immediately bought the second book, The Wonder Engine, because this is a story of two halves. This book deals with the journey, and now i need to know what happens when they arrive.

T. Kingfisher does it again with this superb re-release of one of their older titles. This was a fantastic read from start to finish and I can't recommend it enough!

I love T. Kingfisher's writing, and even though <i>Clocktaur War</i> isn't my favourite read by her I still adored her kind of humour and the unique, very flawed and very loveable characters she introduced us to. It should be mentioned that the ending is rather abrupt, but at least it made me want to read the second book immediately so there's that.

The world Kingfisher builds is once again incredibly intriguing. So are, as mentioned above, the characters: a forger that has to somehow lead this merry band of criminal weirdos, a paladin with a dead demon in his head, an assassin with an uncanny ability to guess a man's clothing size (he's also good at killing) and a scholar with the most misogynist religious beliefs to ever grace the world. Add to that a weird little creature that they meet later in the story and the perfect party for a fun quest is assembled. And then there's also the Suicide Squad situation going on: the first three all have a tattoo that literally eats them alive should they ever go against the orders they were given - to find out more about the menacing titular Clockwork Boys and ways to defeat them. There is a romance simmering that I actually didn't enjoy that much, mostly because it's very instalusty and that's just not my thing as a dedicated connoisseur of slow-as-fuck burns. But I still very much enjoyed the relationships built between the characters, of which I hope there is a bit more development in the second book between some of them.
The story is fun, the stakes are high, the antagonists are scary. All in all, Kingfisher strikes once again. I do feel that she's grown as an author since writing this work and I love her more recent novels more, but if you like her style of stories, this one is definitely a recommendation.

At this point I'm willing to read everything Kingfisher has ever written. Clockwork Boys is another wonderfully weird tale that manages to hit the perfect balance of adult but whimsical. I loved all of the characters, even if the Paladin had me rolling my eyes at his stubborn naivety. The world building is the highlight as always, I did struggle a little to picture the clocktaurs but it was no detriment to my experience.

I am slowly making my way through T. Kingfisher's blacklist and have so far enjoyed absolutely every book of hers that I have picked up!

Clockwork Boys is the first in a duology and has recently been re-released. It's set in the White Rat world, same as the Saint of Steel series, and is the first book in the Clocktaur War duology.

The novel is centered around a group of four characters who set off on an espionage mission to Anuket City. Forger Slate was convicted of treason and her death sentence was converted to leading what is essentially a suicide mission. She selects demon-possessed and disgraced former paladin Caliban for her missing, as well as her ex-lover and assassin Brenner. Last, Learned Edmund, an irritating scholar, is assigned to the group to represent the interests of the church.
The quartet are tasked with finding out about the Clockwork Boys, deadly mechanical soldiers who have been terrorising their lands.

The plot essentially takes the form of a classic quest, but it shines with Kingfisher's usual quirky elements, a touch of horror, and gentle humour as her characters face their challenges. There's a strong focus on Slate's olfactory gift - for me, smell is something powerful and I appreciated the importance and the descriptions of smells in Clockwork Boys. I loved the dynamics between the characters and how their perception of each other changed, I snorted at some of the dialogue, and generally grew to care for this band of misfits thrown together on this dangerous quest.

I already look forward to reading the second book in this duology and will also be picking up the Saint of Steel series.

An auto buy author for me, fully cemented after reading this.
A suicide mission, with a rag tag gang tasked with gathering intel on the murderous monsters set on invading the kingdom, can they succeed where others have failed? An adventure full of pitfalls and failings, heart and snarky. First in a duology with a cliffhanger, yet satisfying ending.
I just adore the vibes and solid beautiful writing style, the humour, the horror, the romance, the instantly loveable characters, the mystery and the fantastical. Great pace and world building. The character work is so well done, the banter between the misfits is great and there's so much emotion portrayed within the individualality of their personalities. I gobbled this up, it was a lot of fun and a joy to read! Can't wait for the next book.
Thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the arc, all thoughts are my own and left voluntarily.

seriously LOVED this book, it was such a fun journey of a dark fantasy type world! I’m so eager to see what the author does next in this series….

Forger slate is convicted of treason, she faces a death sentence. However, her unique gift for sniffing out magic earns her a reprieve of sorts. She is given the task of heading along on a mission with formerly demon possessed paladin named Calliban, her murderous ex lover and an irritating sexist scholar. Their mission together is to learn about the Clockwork boys, deadly mechanical soldiers from a neighbouring kingdom who have been terrorising their lands.

Will they succeed? If they do rewards await them, but they must survive a long treacherous journey up against mythical dangerous creatures. They must reach Anuket City, however people before them have never survived this journey, Slate has a bad feeling she and her fellow travelers won’t be returning….

This was a really fun, magical and compelling read. It had me gripped from the beginning, had me laughing throughout and eager to know what happens next. I can feel a slow burn romance on the cards in the next books… I’m excited to see how the other books turn out, and of course it ended on a cliffhanger 😭

I've been in a reading slump for an entirety of march and picked this up on a whim. Best decision EVER.

This was it funny and witty, the writing was just so easy to sink into.

This is to me is a found family. A dysfunctional found family BUT STILL they understand and accept each other for who they are, they learned from each other, and they show love how they could with the capacity that they had.

Caliban has the patients of a SAINT because I defo would have offed Edmund from the first interaction. Thankfully he becomes less of a cretin lol. (She writes her characters so well that even the worst ones draw out a strong reaction within me lol)

Another great T. Kingfisher book! After reading and loving Paladins Grace last month I didn’t expect anything less.
Once again the author combines dark humour with typical fantasy elements giving them just that little twist that makes it all feel fresh and entertaining. We have a quest storyline, a band of lovable misfits and lots of humour.
I think this would make a great first book to start with if you’re new to T. Kingfishers stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

Clockwork Boys is the newest captivating fantasy release from T. Kingfisher and like all the T. Kingfisher books I've read in the past, I absolutely could not put this one down.

The story follows an unlikely group (headed by Slate the forger) as they attempt to infiltrate enemy lines and discover the secrets behind the clockwork boys - the mechanical soldiers that are destroying the kingdom's army. The mission is likely a death sentence but can this ragtag ground band together to survive the mission and uncover the truth?

I really love Kingfisher's beautiful writing and this book hooked me right from the very first chapter. This is an engrossing, well paced read and I thought the premise was such a fascinating idea. I cannot wait to see where the story will go in book two and I'm already counting down the days till it releases.

While I really enjoyed the plot of this story, my favourite aspect was the characters. I loved this little group and I really enjoyed seeing the dynamics between them, especially as the story progressed. I thought Slate was a brilliant main character and I particularly liked seeing how things developed between Slate and Caliban.

Clockwork Boys is a unique, engaging fantasy tale, full of T. Kingfisher's trademark wit and banter. If you're looking for an entertaining adventure story that will keep you hooked till the very last page, you won't want to miss Clockwork Boys.

Let it be known - I absolutely love T. Kingfisher! (like really, is there another author out there who creates such oddly charming demon possessed characters?... I think not)

Clockwork Boys is the exact compelling story with top tier humor and blend of fantasy that I need in my life. In this first installment of the Clocktaur War duology, we follow a bit of a rag-tag bunch of ‘heroes’. Caliban - a former Paladin, Brenner - an assassin, Slate - a forger and finally The Learned Edmund - a scholar who is one of the few who is not some sort of criminal fugitive of the state. The bunch find themselves on a suicide mission to investigate a neighbouring country that’s creating deadly killing clockwork monsters...yeah, I know. SIGN ME UP.

This was a fun read from start to finish and I had SUCH a good time and I fully recommend it, also, absolute bonus is that it’s a duology (yes more of them please) AND it’s not too long, the perfect little slice of reading time!

Thanks so much to @titanbooks for having me on the tour!

A forger, paladin, assassin and scholar team up to go on a potentially suicidal mission to find out more about dangerous mechanical soldiers known as Clockwork Boys.
I very much enjoyed the interactions and chemistry between the various characters. My main issue was that I would have liked to have seen the world fleshed out a bit more. There was a bit more world building towards the end of the book and would have appreciated this earlier too.

Thank you Netgalley and Titan Books for the free eArc in return for an honest review.

"When did you two learn to ride?” he asked.
“Nineteen years ago.”
“This morning.”
Caliban put his hands over his face. “We’re going to die." - This pretty much sets the tone for the book.

Turns out I love a book with a thrown together band of misfits go on an epic adventure, that is expected to end in death.
I admit, there were a few parts that I completely lost track of what was going on, but equally, there were some moments that were were really well written and captivating. Particularly the rats....
Looking forward to the next book.

The reason Kingfisher is an instant auto buy author for me is how she builds her characters, the dark humour that fits so perfectly to each cleverly crafted person is something that gives Kingfisher her unique voice, and Clockwork Boys is no different.

When convicted of treason, facing a death sentence, Slate assembles a questionable group for a suicide mission, which, if they succeed, rewards and pardons await.

- Slate - A forger with a unique gift for sniffing out magic (literally).
- Caliban - A (ex)paladin formerly possessed with a demon.
- Brenner - A murderous assassin, and Slate’s ex-lover.
- Learned Edmund - A genius scholar, with naive and sexist views.

The dialogue between Slate and Caliban is the highlight of this book for me. It’s fast paced, touching, darkly comedic and truly one of Kingfishers best works in my opinion. I devoured this book, in a few days, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who’s read any of Kingfishers previous works, or if your looking for a place to start, this is the perfect introduction.

Fantasy loves a good quest as well as the goal we usually have a great band of characters coming together, changing along the way and of course more than a few exciting adventures along the way. There have been times it has fallen a little too much into stereotypes but there are always some authors happy to play with the format. Delighted to say we can to that latter group T Kingfisher’s deliciously entertaining fantasy novel Clockwork Boys which starts a new series with a very unusual set of characters and some unexpected adventures and dangers to face.

The Dowager is at war against a magical threat from her enemies in Anuket City a rampaging advancing army known only as the Clockwork Boys. Add in a deadly plague known as the Blight and things have got very desperate. The latest plan is to send a band of skilled prisoners with nothing left to lose on a mission to find out what powers them. The lead is the smart forger Slate with a slight skill of witchy foresight, the laconic assassin Brenner who is also a skilled thief and now joining them the disgraced former paladin Sir Caliban once a famed hero who after being possessed by a demon ran amok killing part of his temple…the demon is apparently dead. They may not be the best and brightest but they’re all anyone has got.

T Kingfisher continues to be an author who combines excellent storytelling with a dash of humour, lightness and then throws in a handful of weird darkness and all combined with skilled character work and this novel sings as a read to me. While we have a quest story these aren’t the usual heroes we are expecting. Slate and Brenner are far more rogues who see crime as a business and yet now accept they must do this or be killed. Slate is funny, learning to be a leader and balancing two headstrong men who occasionally want to kill each other. Brenner and Slate have a complicated relationship and share the banter. Now we add in Caliban who is a skilled warrior, incredibly gallant and carries so so much guilt and developing feelings for Slate in a refreshing adult complicated not quite yet romance way. None of these three are from stock fantasy casting and each takes the reader focus on the page. They’re human not heroic and yet trying their best we see signs they will do the right thing (just not always perhaps the expected way). I loved the tensions, interplay, banter and developing relationships in the group. Latre on we get a young priest from a group of very intelligent geniuses who also think women are inferior. This adds to the dynamics as you’d expect in unusual ways!

Adventure wise we have the focus suitably on the group coming together and then in standard fantasy narrative a long ride awaits. Kingfisher though tries not to d the expected. Bandits here are negotiations with fellow criminals not fights. There is a stunningly strange and eerie sequence in a magical forest that links to the plot of Caliban’s demon possession in unexpected and interesting ways and we also have glimpses of vast and unknow magic. When the Clockwork Boys make their appearance, we see both the massive damage they cause and their inhuman nature. Nothing in this story feels easy. The pacing is brisk and very much in this story also focused on us getting to know out initial trio and they also getting to know each other. My one reservation is the ending feels a little sudden, Kingfisher does say in the afterword this was just one very very long novel, and this is the just the first half. Not a problem as we now know there is a second book at least in this series and I very much want to know what happens next as I sense things are about to get really interesting.

Clockwork Boys is an adventure that avoids doing the usual. Its funny, dark, romantic and has a touch of bawdiness too when needed. I love the way these contradictions work rather than overpower each other and that makes it a hugely engaging and refreshing read. I highly recommend it!

Absolutely loved this! A read in one sitting book filled with a great cast of characters, high stakes fantasy adventures, humorous shenanigans and a whole lot of heart. I love that Kingfisher has so much humour in her books (much of it laugh out loud) but they never become silly. Her plotting is tight, her world building imaginative and she always creates such a great sense of camaraderie between her misfit bunch of characters. This is a great entry point into this author’s body of work, but be warned you’ll be chafing to pick up book two immediately,

T Kingfisher never misses!! This book has her signature unique and loveable characters, the way she takes common tropes and plot lines and turns them on their head, her cool monster/creature design, and strong dose of humour. I absolutely loved it and I'm intensely upset that I will have to wait a while for book 2.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another delightful story from T.Kingfisher! Combining interesting characters, amazing world-building and funny dialogue, the author gives us an adventure that keeps you on your toes.

Clockwork Boys has the best kind of misfits off on a deadly adventure together. Despite the high stakes action there is humour and a lightheartedness to the writing that draws you in as a reader. I felt a strong bond with the characters almost instantly. The hint of romance is a nice added touch as well to the groups dynamics. T. Kingfisher seems to deliver such vivid and interesting characters. I don’t really mind what they are doing or the plot as the character work is so well done. Saying that the plot is interesting and felt very classic, they are on a long perilous journey and the found family theme is central to this. The story seems to abruptly end, which I wasn’t as keen on but also makes me eager to pick up the next instalment.
Definitely a great book for any fantasy adventure lover.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.