Review: Ticker by Lisa Mantchev

Summary:

A girl with a clockwork heart must make every second count.

When Penny Farthing nearly dies, brilliant surgeon Calvin Warwick manages to implant a brass “Ticker” in her chest, transforming her into the first of the Augmented. But soon it’s discovered that Warwick killed dozens of people as he strove to perfect another improved Ticker for Penny, and he’s put on trial for mass murder.

On the last day of Warwick’s trial, the Farthings’ factory is bombed, Penny’s parents disappear, and Penny and her brother, Nic, receive a ransom note demanding all of their Augmentation research if they want to see their parents again. Is someone trying to destroy the Farthings...or is the motive more sinister?

Desperate to reunite their family and rescue their research, Penny and her brother recruit fiery baker Violet Nesselrode, gentleman-about-town Sebastian Stirling, and Marcus Kingsley, a young army general who has his own reasons for wanting to lift the veil between this world and the next. Wagers are placed, friends are lost, romance stages an ambush, and time is running out for the girl with the clockwork heart.

Publication Date: December 1, 2014

I usually have mixed feelings about steampunk books, so I have a tendency to avoid them. However, the description of Ticker intrigued me and I figured I’d give the genre another try. Ticker was a good, quick read, but I think the steampunk elements overwhelmed the rest of the story.

Ticker jumps right into the story which was a little problematic since I could’ve used a little world building before the introduction of all the wild steampunk contraptions. Hearing about the gadgets were neat, but I felt there was a lot of story left out that could’ve cleared up a lot of my confusion over the plot. I did appreciate the story being action-packed because I never felt bored while reading.

The main character Penny was relatable and I loved her strength and independence. She was protective of the people she cared about and willing to take risks if they are being threatened. I really enjoyed the romance in Ticker. It was slow building and didn’t take away from the central plot.

The villain was super scary and I did enjoy the suspense as Penny and her friends try to stop him. The novel concludes in a satisfactory way and I was happy that the book was a standalone. I could see a novella though focusing on the backstory that led up to events in Ticker.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!