William Wells, a gifted but risk-averse US college dropout living an unadventurous life in London, stumbles upon a mysterious Timepiece with the ability to alter time. When the Timepiece’s previous owner is brutally murdered by unknown assailants, Will flees, only to see his girlfriend, Abigayle, vanish before his eyes when she comes into contact with this remarkable watch.
–from the blurb about The Timepiece
He now finds himself alone in an unfamiliar city, wanted for a murder he didn’t commit and the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance. Whether he knows it or not, Will does have one advantage – control over the most powerful force in the universe: time. The only problem is that he has no idea how to wield it. Those who do, members of a secretive and long-forgotten organisation, are also on his trail and there are no lines they won’t cross to recover the Timepiece.
Thank you so much to O.R. Simmonds for providing me with a digital copy for review! You can find out more about him and his work on his official site here.
Honestly, I love any and all stories that feature time travel. (One of my favorite series, but one I actually don’t talk about much, is the Rubinrot trilogy. Also, the Loki show. Enough said.) It’s always so much fun when characters jump around between different time periods. Plus, I always like reading about the methods of time travel. They’re so varied, and they’re all so fascinating.
Anyway, because of that, I was so excited when O.R. Simmonds gave me the opportunity to read and review The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray. In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, but keeping reading to find out more!
Review
Obviously, since this is a book about time travel, I’m going to start by talking about that. I honestly loved the way Simmonds imagined it; his excellent descriptions and explanations of how the process worked were excellent. Plus, he included a time travel agency, which definitely increased the intrigue in the story. Especially since he put an incredible amount of detail into it; everything from its structure to its machinery was fully fleshed out.
As for the general plot: It was filled with excitement and kept me on the edge of my seat. It had plenty of complexity and, like with many time travel stories, it was interesting to see how the past, present, and future came together for the characters. Simmonds did not hold back when it came to complexity, and I absolutely loved it.
Speaking of the characters, they were brilliantly written and I loved reading about them. But, even though I really liked Will, Frenz definitely stole the show. Not only did he have a brilliant personality, but his wealth of knowledge and experiences made him by far the most interesting character. (There are a couple of other characters I wish we’d seen more of, but considering the twist at the end, I have hope for there being a sequel!)
Though, I do think some of the villains could have used a little more development and depth. The main antagonist had a good amount, but his cronies were just that; two-dimensional henchmen. Still, they were fun to read about and I enjoyed their part in the story, overall.
TL,DR Recommendation
Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable time travel adventure, and I recommend reading it. With a fast-paced, exciting plot and brilliantly written characters, it had everything needed for a great read. So, if you’re a fan of books about time travel, or even just thrilling books in general, then this is definitely for you.
If you do choose to read this one, feel free to drop a comment down below and let me know your thoughts! I always love to talk about books, especially the ones I enjoyed. Additionally, if you enjoyed reading this review for The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray, you can use the Book Reviews tab above to find my full library of reviews. There, you can find plenty of other amazing books.
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