Silver is 11, an orphan, and lives with her mean Aunt, Mrs. Rockabye in Silver’s sprawling ancestral mansion, Tanglewreck. Something has gone horribly wrong with Time and a sinister man shows up at Tanglewreck looking for a clock called the Timekeeper. Silver is a ‘child of prophecy’ and only she can find the Timekeeper.
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I couldn’t let go of the feeling that it was a lot like Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials. The main character is a slightly feral child, who is the only one who can bring something about. There is a coldly beautiful woman, who takes an interest in the child. She also experiments on children. There is a boy who becomes her traveling companion. There are alternate times and universes, and a few popes. Sadly, there are no talking polar bears.
It is a well written book. I just couldn’t let go of the Pullman comparisons.
