Breath of Bones by Tricia Goyer and Nathan Goyer
Historical Steampunk. 288 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
When darkness falls, a new guardian emerges.
Kateřina Dubová has always aspired to walk in her father’s footsteps as a respected journalist, and the Second World War presents a unique opportunity for her to prove her worth to the world. A tip about an assassination attempt on a high-ranking Nazi official, Reinhard Heydrich, the “Butcher of Prague” leads Kateřina into the shadows of the Nazi occupation. Soon she discovers things are not as they seem.
As intrigue unfurls, Kateřina joins forces with Josef Loew, a descendant of the famous Rabbi Loew, renowned for creating a mystical guardian in the form of a golem to protect the souls of 16th-century Jews in Prague. In the chaos of war, some believe a new golem can once again bring help to those in need.
Like flickering candles in the abyss, Kateřina and Josef work to protect the innocent and end the evil that plagues their world. Yet, in their quest to save the Jewish people, have they inadvertently created a new danger? Could the very entity they had forged to protect become their greatest enemy?
My Review:
Tricia’s impeccable research methods always bring a unique layer to her stories. I love that she created and wrote this story with her son – that’s something incredibly special and beautiful in it’s own right – and how you can see the influence of both on the story. Their styles are great paired together and their strengths shine through this epic steampunk WWII mashup.
I love a good steampunk story, and it was such fun to see what elements of the historic setting the Goyers polished up with the steampunk spin. Honestly, I’m kind of shocked the two worlds mashed so well together – though I shouldn’t be. Having seen it, it now feels so natural. The world may have been my favorite part of the book. Between the German, Czech, Jewish, and speculative fiction cultures, the worldbuilding and setting in this story is just phenomenal.
But I also just love how the Jewish legend of the Golem is woven into the war and plot. It feels lightly like one of my childhood favorite movies, The Iron Giant, but in a different era and country and with a different purpose and history.
The pacing in this one is slower than I’m used to and it did take me a while to get invested in the story. I never really got to a point where I felt like it “picked up” so to speak; I just adjusted my expectations of how this particular book was paced. That said, I still enjoyed the story! It just wasn’t the page-turning suspenseful story I expected. It was more of a slow burn, subtlety building tension kind of story, that had a different kind of suspense that kept me intrigued for different reasons than I expected.
Katerina’s tenacity and resilience are admirable, and Josef’s empathy and passion for his people and those who suffer is incredibly noble. I loved how the two paired together and dovetailed into each other’s stories. They each wrestled with their own goals, desires, and ghosts, and it was intriguing to see how each backstory and relationship with their parents impacted them. The story deals with themes of self-worth, identity, conviction, and suffering. The characters wrestle with the impossible balance of living in a German-occupied world while doing something that matters to fight against the suffering and persecution – and looks at what action and integrity mean in such a morally-depraved and dangerous situation.
Content: there’s a subtle, clean romance, no swearing, and some mild fantasy/war violence. The story deals with the persecution of WWII in a non-gruesome, but still honest way (one of the things I appreciate about Tricia’s fiction). I’d probably feel fine giving this one to a young teen.
More
Book 1 in the Clockwork Chronicles is Breath of Bones (4 Stars)
Book 2 is Flight of Fate
Book 3 is TBD
This trilogy should be read in order!
On GraceBought
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