Blood and Clockwork by Katey Hawthorne

Amazon/Barnes & Noble/Goodreads

Release Date: March 16th, 2016

Published by: Less Than Three Press

Review by: Dani Hoots

Alistair Click set out to lay to rest the superstitious fears about the Mad Prince’s clockwork tower. If that meant he might bring the ghost city of Avalonia back to economic life, connecting the western kingdoms once again, so much the better. So what if no adventurer who’d entered the tower in the last century of desolation had ever re-emerged? They didn’t have his skill and wit. He could do better.

The tower turns out to be far more than Alistair expected, however. Not only are there clockwork puzzles to open every door, but one of them drops a boy from a strange world into his lap–figuratively speaking, if only just. Marco Murphy was just gaming in his New Jersey apartment, and now he’s stuck in what feels like a never ending LARP nightmare.

The deeper they delve into the Mad Prince’s tower, the darker the secrets they uncover. They’re not entirely sure they’ll ever be able to get out again, either. It’ll take all Marco’s charm and Alistair’s cleverness, plus the strange bond growing between them, to get them out together… and alive.

*Description from Goodreads*

*Copy received from NetGalley*

A great novella that combines fantasy, action, romance, and suspense! Alistair Click has a surprise guest from another world, and he has to figure out how to get them back! But meanwhile, things are going haywire in his home and he needs to figure out why.

Alistair Click is an awesome character and reminds me a lot of Julius Monrey, the Clockmaker, in the manga Alice in the Country of Hears. They both are shy, don’t seem like they want to deal with people on the outside, but really do care deep down. I really enjoyed this character and could relate very much.

The relationship in this story was very cute, but I feel like it could have been flushed out more. It seemed to easy to me and I wished there was a little more lead up. There was also a lot of action and suspense in this story and I couldn’t put it down! I honestly read it all in one sitting and wished there was more.

I give this story a 4/5, as the relationship could have been flushed out more, but the story was really spectacular. If you like fantasy, a little steampunk, or gay romance, this is definitely for you! I really enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone!