Amina 's Reviews > The Time Keeper

✰ 3.75 stars ✰

“Time is steady, true, predictable, and faithful. ’Tis men who play tricks. Men who aim to defy time, to deny its passage.

But, in the words of the great Rabbie Burns, ‘Nae man can tether time or tide’.”

​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Meagen Mahoney's latest middle-grade novel The Time Keeper is a heartwarming and fast-paced read where time is literally of the essence for its protagonist thirteen-year-old Malcolm McKenzie, the apprentice to James "Jack" Alexander, 'a watchmaker, a clock-maker, and, most importantly, a genius of invention' finds his master missing one morning, leaving only a mysterious note behind highlighting specific clock-repairing jobs that he has entrusted him to follow up on. ⌚​ Eager to be worthy of his master's expectations and trust, while also inundated with the heavy despair that his best friend, Peter, Jack's son's health is steadily worsening by the second, he sets off on what he thinks is a simple task - only to find himself caught up in a race against time to not only find a mystical miracle cure to whatever ails Peter with the help of a mysterious clock he has to repair, but also to fend off all those who are determined to keep its whereabouts a secret for it poses a threat to the very doctrine that they follow.​ 😥

“How do you solve a puzzle when you aren’t even sure what the clues are?”

​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ If I were to describe the book in three words, it would be these very words engraved upon a certain item in the book - 'Compassion, innovation, mortality.' For it is three core facets that made Malcolm such an endearing character, if not a realistically believable one. For you felt compassion for him and his desperation to save the one friend who has been by his side for all the good days that followed from his foster years. 'If there is even the tiniest, most miraculous chance... I must try. I’ll regret it forever if I don’t.' 😟​ It is his eagerness and kindness that makes him feel scared and worried about those around him. He has a helpful and wholesome nature that shines with how he is not afraid to ask for help from his foster sibling, pickpocket Maddie, or does not shy away from expressing his concerns for those who even show him a morsel of kindness.

​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ He was also thoughtful, innovative and creative by applying the skill sets he's learned from his master to try and solve the hints laid out that can lead the way to the cure. For it is also that fights to save Peter's life that puts his own life in danger, risking everything that he believes in to not give up until he has tried everything he can for his best friend's sake. The writing had heart and humor with a dose of friendship and adventure that resonated in the way in which Malcolm's fears and his choices felt very real.​ 🥺 He made mistakes, he was scared, he behaved like a child struggling to do what is right - seeking to find justice for those who have been wronged​, but never faltered in his courage and his principles. The intrigue and excitement behind t​he cryptic codes hinted at various solutions, one which while leaping through many obstacles, kept you guessing till the final ​puzzle piece slowly fell into place.​ 👍🏻

“There’s nothing that binds us all together like the passage of time,” as Jack would say. “No matter if you’re a prince or a pauper, your fate is in the hands of time. The great leveler.”

​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Edinburgh in 1902 was a time where science and ​religion clashed over their doctrines - each fighting to prove that the ways of their principles were the only ones to be adhered to. It was also a time where female doctors were slowly entering the medical field, but not being taken seriously, despite their own capabilities. For these very components alone, the author incorporated these challenges into Malcolm's own conflict, which I thought made for a unique premise. It heightened the tension and tied the characters together for each was striving to win over the other, each not hesitating 'When power is threatened — by science, by change, by women — people and institutions will fight to keep it.' 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️​ It shed light on a part of history that deserves to be noted at how change was brought about, despite the struggles & obstacles they faced. The author brought the streets and the lives of the characters to life in an interesting and engaging way that made me hopeful that as they set sail on another chapter of their lives that the author may in time consider revisiting them on another adventure of mystic and marvel.​ ✨