Kate Ristau

i really liked the way this book improved upon the first. this one was better in all respects; i think the author grew quite a bit as a writer between them. the explanation of what the clockbreakers do was in this book, when it should have been in the first, but since it was missing in the first book, i was glad to see it here.

the story was exciting and fun, and it was well written, with parts that were suspenseful and parts that made us laugh. the use of the word "stupid" is still in the show more book, but it's not sprinkled everywhere and is much more reasonably used when it is, in a way that i think kids would really use it. the flow is better, the pace is better, the explanations are better (although not fully explored to this grownup's satisfaction, anyway), the writing is cleaner and tighter. from the first page i knew this was going to be a big improvement on the first in the series, and it was.

the whole family is excited to read the next/final book. show less

we had fun with this; almost every time we stopped reading, my son would exclaim "that's it??" and "please, just a little more." i could even use the threat of not getting more of the book to get him to get things done.

it's really nice to see a main character in a wheelchair, and the focus isn't on her injury or what she can't do, but her strengths and heroism. i loved that. she didn't shy away from talking about it, but it wasn't who she is, either. i am sure that as the series continues, show more she becomes the hero she is trying to be, and saves her dad and puts her friendships back together. i like that saving her dad is going to be a thread through all of the books (i assume) as i'd figured, when reading, that she would save him at the end of this one.

i wish there was some more explanation throughout. charlie isn't surprised almost at all to find that she and her friends cross a door and have time traveled to ancient greece. she isn't surprised to find that she is a clockbreaker (and what clockbreakers are isn't really explained in detail either). she isn't surprised to find that her dad, and her friends and their parents, are part of this world and have powers of their own. the word "stupid" is also used a lot, way more than necessary. more than i'd like my kid to hear, anyway. i also wasn't thrilled with the way the kids talked to each other, especially when they were fighting. i'm not sure what i would have wanted it to be like, since they were fighting, but i wasn't sure i wanted my kid to be hearing what i was reading 100% of the time. maybe i'm too sensitive there, though.

i also wish i knew more about greek mythology because ristau draws a lot from those stories. i heard she is going to put out companion pieces about the myths and stories that inspire the clockbreakers books, and i really can't wait to read those.

i'm excited to see where this series goes, and where charlie and her friends go. i know that this was an earlier book of ristau's as well, and i'm curious to see both how she improves and how the series moves forward. there's some really good writing in here and i know there's more to come; we're excited to keep reading!

"'Not all battles are fought with swords.'" show less

this is a great way for kids to learn about some basic greek mythology (and the concept of mythology in general). the tone is light and jokey, and even so this is chock full of information and stories. i actually learned a bunch myself and was surprised at how little i knew. (like holy shit, the whole icarus and his wings that were attached with wax that melted when he flew too close to the sun, which i thought was always a story about hubris and about over confidence and not being careful show more was a story that started with him being trapped in a labyrinth and his dad made the wings so he he could fly and escape - a totally different story and meaning than i knew.)

this is the best of kate's books that i've read.

"Heroes don't just emerge out of nothing and neither do monsters. We tell their stories. We create their futures." show less

there is lots of good writing and exciting antics happening in this one. like in her other series, there is also a lack of explanation in the world building and the magic and the mythology. but the themes of loss and justice, and being a kid of color in portland (as well as the portland landmarks everywhere) were on point.