Clockwork Alchemist

The Thief's Apprentice #1

by Sara C. Roethle

The clock ticks for London… Liliana is trapped alone in the dark. Her father is dead, and London is very far away. If only she hadn’t been locked up in her room, reading a book she wasn’t allowed to read, she might have been able to stop her father’s killer. Now he’s lying dead in the next room, and there’s nothing she can do to bring him back. Arhyen is the self-declared finest thief in London. His mission was simple. Steal a journal from Fairfax Breckinridge, the greatest alchemist of the time. He hadn’t expected to find Fairfax himself, with a dagger in his back. Nor had he expected the alchemist’s automaton daughter, who claims to have a soul.Suddenly entrenched in a mystery too great to fully comprehend, Arhyen and Liliana must rely on the help of a wayward detective, and a mysterious masked man, to piece together the clues laid before them. Will they uncover the true source of Liliana’s soul in time, or will London plunge into a dark age of nefarious technology, where only the scientific will survive? Clockwork Alchemist is classified as Gaslamp Fantasy, with elements of magic within alchemy and science, based in Victorian England.

Genres: Steampunk, Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction

298 pages, Paperback

First published October 20, 2016

About the author

Sara C. Roethle is a Fantasy author and part-time unicorn. She enjoys writing character driven stories in various fantasy realms with elements of Celtic and Norse myth, humor, and metaphysical ponderings.

Her series include:

Tree of Ages
The Thief's Apprentice
The Moonstone Chronicles
Xoe Meyers
Bitter Ashes

Reviews

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This Victorian Era gaslamp UF was a bit of a disappointing flop. Which was a real pity as the premise was really awesome!

Arhyen is London's best thief but stumbles upon some trouble on his latest mission to steal the journal of a famous alchemist when he finds the alchemist himself dead on the floor with a knife in the back and his automaton "daughter" claiming she has a soul of her own! Before Arhyen knows it he is caught up in a bit of a murder mystery conspiracy plot.

I think the story had potential to be a lot of fun but was held back by the writing and pacing being a bit plodding. While reading I had the feel that the story itself was fine, especially in the early stages, but that Roethle just never managed to make things click so that I got caught up in the story.

The main characters seemed fine but none of them really developed into the interesting characters they promised to be in the early stages. The dialogue was also an issue as the lack of humour left the story feeling a bit dull.

All in all this was a disappointment that lost my interest more and more as it progressed.

Rating: 2 stars.

Audio Note: Shiromi Arserio had a nice voice but was a little monotone with the delivery which did not help this story at all.

[Dev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick fun read but it just didn't really have a lot of depth and definitely doesn't leave me wanting to continue the series. I don't dislike either of the main characters but they are pretty two-dimensional and also I definitely feel like the series is going to focus more on romance as it goes on, which I try to stay away from. If you're just looking for a really light read where you don't have to think about it much then this is a decent option, but I just don't care enough to continue with it.

[Okuta Otherside · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book since the first sentence! I'm not easy to pleased but I'm really enjoy this book writing style. The idea about combining alchemist, mystery and Victorian era makes this story more interesting. The characters also lovable too. I want to read the next book!

[Bob Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this story. It's an interesting idea with some fairly interesting characters. However, the pace is slow and the dialog is too on the nose for my tastes. A good edit to reduce the word count by 10-20% would probably make it a much better read.

[Victoria Limbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clockwork Alchemist is set in what I think is a mildly steampunkish version of Victorian style London as it is becoming more industrialised and using the beginnings of machinery to take over hundreds of people's jobs. Arhyen, the self proclaimed best thief in London, finds a female automaton in the house of an Alchemist while stealing a journal for his most recent employer. Unable to think of the automaton, who introduces herself as Liliana, as a machine when she looks and act so human, Arhyen agrees to take her with him when she asks to leave. This decision complicates his seemingly simple task and takes him and Liliana, along with detective Ephraim, on a wild adventure.

Clockwork Alchemist is packed with fun adventure, dark mystery and action. It is very well written from the POV's of Arhyen and Liliana, their monologues and thoughts and feelings bonding with the reader every step of the way. I like the way the mystery unfolded piece by piece and threw in twists to keep you unsure of who the villains really were. Double crosses and triple crosses had me wondering who would ultimately be trustworthy, I even suspected one of the heroes of the story many times.

Arhyen and Liliana are a fantastic duo along with witty and calm Ephraim. Their individual personalities are fun to read and invoke many emotions. I adored Liliana. She was such a strong girl who wasn't sure of her place in this human world and why she could feel more than a machine had any business to. I can't help but feel there is far more to learn about how she works and why she has emotions and desires beyond the explanation in this book. Arhyen is a lovable thief. He is a gentleman, polite, full of heart and strong enough to take care of himself in deadly circumstances.

This is a tale of self discovery, what truly makes someone 'human' and acceptance. There is a hint of romance but above all Aryhen and Liliana compliment each other, and their friendship fills the parts of them that they never knew were missing.

Such a great gem here and I can't wait to see what mischief they cause in book 3. This trio are fun, daring and attract trouble at every turn. Clockwork Alchemist is well worth picking up and trying if you like alot of adventure and mystery, a hint of Steampunk and a step back through history.

(I stumbled upon this book while browsing Amazon- It is available on Kindle Unlimited)

[TheHomesteadReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

*********************************************

Title: Clockwork Alchemist
Author: Sara C Roethle
Series: The Thief’s Apprentice Book 1
Pages: 281
Genre: Gaslamp Fantasy, (Mild) Steampunk Sci-fi Mystery
Rating Out Of 5 Stars: 3

*********************************************

“We all have our cages to break free from. If I didn’t help you, I wouldn’t be deserving of ever getting help myself."


*****My Thoughts*****
In this first installment of the series Roethle establishes both our main cast of characters and the directive of her narrative very quickly. We understand their personalities, how they will develop and interact and what actions they will predictably take. The Steampunk elements were not as predominant as I was expecting but I found I preferred this with the way the environment the characters were in was presented. There were two issues I found with the general story. The first issue I did have was with the settings they were placed in, I often forgot this was supposed to be set in London. At times it had a more “Gangs of New York” feel. The second was just the general timeline. I realize this is an alternative setting but the descriptions of certain inventions, clothing and operations made it difficult to establish when it was supposed to be set.
The story itself is a well written follow the clues mystery. A bit cookie cutter in style but still pleasant to read. I will definitely be reading the next instalment soon to see how the story progress with the addition of its new antagonist.

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Review of audio edition*

Liliana is a biological automaton born in a laboratory with a clockwork heart, she questions if she even has a soul. And it seems every scientist in London want to get their hands on her.

This story is much more gaslamp than steampunk. in the same vein as Frankenstein it deals with the concept of humanity and whether life can truly be artificial.

The narrator reads well, her soft voice adds a weight to the words being said, as if each word is the most important word in the story. while she doesn't vary the voices as much as I like, it was still clear each time a new character spoke, making the flow of the story easy to follow and enjoyable to listen to.

[alan l jarbeau Jarbeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward scissorhand's daughter meets the Artfull Dodger!

If this novel is considered what is referred to as steampunk i have been missing a genre that proves to be excellent. The novel seems to incorporate several different genres which I enjoy victorian mystery,fantasy,and a touch of impending romance sometime in the future. I enjoyed the characters of lilana,ephraim,and arhyen. You couldn't possibly not emphasize with lilana 's struggles to deal with the feelings she was experiencing on top of losing her father,and being sought after for her father's formula for producing a soul,plus being targeted for her blood as a means of bypassing the need for the formula itself. The story was very well written,and moved along at a pace which captured the reader Interest,and made it difficult to put down the novel for any length of time. The novel had plenty of intrigue,action,and suspense peppered with humor and a touch of impending romance between Arhyen and Lilana or so it seems a possibility . I recommend it to all readers to consider trying it i am sure you will not be disappointed.

[Christine Scotney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very well written about a thief who lives in London, when horse drawn carriages and long flowing dresses were in. I'm unsure of the time period, or if it is an alternate London, but that doesn't matter to the story. The leading man is Arhyen, a self proclaimed, best thief in London, he is hired to find the journal of a renowned Alchemist, but upon his arrival to the Alchemists abodes he finds him dead, and the place ransacked. While searching for the journal he comes upon a young lady who is the Alchemists Daughert, she gives him the journal. Lilianna accompanies him back to London, she is an Automaton, made of flesh, like humans, by humans, but she is different she has emotions, Automatons do not have these, they are just blank beings with their sole purpose of obeying humans. When the pair arrive back in London they have a masked man after them, and a few other people who want the journal which sets them on an adventure of them not knowing who is who, and who they can trust. A very good read

[Genie Stelnicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure

An engaging thief finds his life complicated when he finds an unusual automaton in a deserted location where he has been hired to find a specific journal. Surprisingly, the automaton has skills beyond the usual bland servers and helpers that are all the rage in London. She helps him find the journal in exchange for being taken with him when he leaves. And so we're off. As various groups of criminals pursue them, as well as the Law as dead bodies keep appearing, our young thief and the automaton are learning there is far more to her than anyone expects.

Set in an alternate London, this is a fairly light escapade, in spite of dangers faced. It's enough of a fun read that I'm quite willing to go with them into their next adventure, which clearly leads from experiences in this book.

[Kristen Kooistra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Arhyen and Liliana were great characters to journey with. I don't read much steampunk, but this was my second for the year and much better than the other one I read.

The plot had a good pace and I kept turning the pages to see what happened next. I loved how Liliana developed as time went on and how she struggles with who she is. It's not a super action-packed book with big events. It felt a lot closer than that and I was in the mood for something that was like that. We see only glimpses of other characters besides the detective that helps them, but the two MC's were so well-developed that I was fine with that.

I'll be reading the next one to see how they get out of their newest mess.

[ThatReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually finished this a while back but failed to post the review, busy as I have been with my own work. I was pretty satisfied with this read, the premise for the story was interesting and unexpected for me. I liked the writing and the pacing, but would have loved the author to have explored a bit more of the world she built there, maybe because I am a descriptions freak. All in all, it's a thouroughly good read, and an interesting story with interesting characters - Liliana is articularly well done.

[Rick Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining tale, being well formulated and grounded in technology. I would instantly recommend it.

Tnis was an excellent read. I particularly enjoyed how the automaton was developed, quite differently than Asimov's robots. This alone would deserve 5 stars, more so when the excellent story line is included. I would recommend this book as an entertaining read for anyone.

[Elizabeth Fraley · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this as part of a Story Bundle. The writing was good, but I couldn't connect with the characters. There are only two female characters: one that is independent, self-sufficient, and successful (she's the villain), and one who, while she can grow, understands that she will always be _less than_ (she's the ideal). Whether this changes in later in the series, I don't know. But I'm not inclined to find out.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Original thinking...

...linked with great characters and not a little noir mixed in. I found myself dreading certain parts of the book because the author made the people so endearing I couldn’t bear for them to be hurt. Following the growth of a newly formed identity just added to the fun and mystery.

[Scott Sammons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh! So fun!

This is a rollicking SteamPunk adventure of the first order. I can't wait for the next episode. On the downside of is not 2500 pages long and it does take the author some time to write more to feed the addiction. An addict must always consider the availability of resupply prior to partaking of a new drug.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confusing at first, but,the ending was good.

I liked this book because there were so many " bad guys " chasing Lilliana and her two male protectors. Another good thing I liked was the bad guys got what they deserved.I am anxious to read the next book of the series to see how the three "good guys" do about Hamlet, the head of the "bad guys".

[Daralyn Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully Different

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters. Liliana's need to discover her purpose is as uniquely human as she is, and Ahryen is the perfect good-hearted scoundrel to help her find it.

[Jessica]

This probably will sound bitchier than I mean it, but: I swear to god it took me over six months to finish reading Clockwork Alchemist. I'd take little bites off it occasionally, like when I finished one book and didn't want to start another that night, but it never ever caught me. The characters are fine: Liliana is an automaton whose mad scientist creator imbued her with a soul through alchemy or some other bunkum, then got himself killed. Arhyen finds her sitting there collecting dust when he goes to burgle her father's house, and trips over his corpse instead. From there it turns into a lot of running around with shadowy figures after them and so much confusing backstory I never did understand what anyone's motivations were. But also, I did admit it took me forever to read this, so that's probably my bad memory for plot.

Various existential issues were never addressed -- such as whether alchemy is indeed magic or just scientific handwaving. Either is fine, I just like to know what kind of world I'm in. There's some sexual tension between Liliana and Arhyen, and I seriously have no idea what even she's made out of, or if she's, like Data, fully functional. She seems to breathe and flush and stuff, but doesn't need to eat, so? The whole thing felt very prologue-y, an impression which was cemented when I hit the final chapter that tapers off into a dot dot dot, Arhyen and Liliana's adventures will continue in volume 2, &c. It's not a cliffhanger or anything -- there would have to be stakes for that -- but up to that point was largely introducing the world & players and not much else. Which is fine, but I'm not going to bother going on to volume two, the end.

[Denise Currie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good book, set in Victorian England when automatons were all the rage.
Liliana is trapped in a room, in a secret underground location far from London, her father lies dead in another room, she knows he is dead, he isn't breathing and there is blood around him. However she sits in the dark and waits, she doesn't know what for, and she doesn't know what to do without instructions from her father. She is used to doing as he asks, but he can no longer tell her.
Aryhen is by his own description "The Finest Thief in London". When he takes on a commission to steal a very valuable manual from a famous Alchemist, he take it, obviously, being the best man for the job. This is how he meets Liliana, the Alchemist was her father. He works out that that Fiarfax Brekinridge created Liliana, she is an automaton, but so very life like, she even sheds tears but they are not supposed to have feelings.
The manuscript is the Alchemist's instructions how to create "A Soul" for the automaton and Liliana it seems is the prototype.
She makes a deal with Aryhen, that she will tell him where the manuscript is if he helps her escape her confinement and takes her to London with him.
This quickly spirals into a great mystery story with many people willing to go to any length to get their hands on this manuscript, even murder. Liliana becomes Aryhen's apprentice in the endeavor to work out what they have and how to keep it safe.
I really enjoyed it and am now looking forward to the next book

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thief, an automaton, and a journal of life-changing formulas make for an adventure in Sara C. Roethle's Clockwork Alchemist.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

Arhyen Croft fancies himself as the finest thief in London and the relative ease of his current job to liberate a journal of formulas from a great alchemist Fairfax Breckinridge seems to confirm his opinion of himself...until he comes across a murdered Fairfax and his automaton daughter, Liliana. Having agreed to take her with him back to London, Arhyen finds himself suddenly in the middle of a vast mystery connected to Breckinridge's formulas. Relying upon the skills and assistance of Ephriam, a wayward detective, and Liliana, who claims to have received a soul from her father, Arhyen begins to piece together the different parties hoping to claim the power behind knowledge of the elusive formulas.

A mostly enjoyable, if rather predictable, adventure that explores some issues of morality and what it means to be human. With slowly-moving pages focused more on explaining the action and crafting the elements of the plot, there's not much depth provided for the situation or characters to foster a sense of investment on behalf of the reader; there are also practicalities of automatons that are brought into question with Liliana's sudden consumption of food and sleeping - how does the food get processed and where does it go? and why can she now sleep whereas she was sitting in her former home, essentially idling? The world-building would benefit from a bit more refinement as there's a variation in technologies available to the characters that puts it generally at odds with the historical backdrop against which the story seems to be set.

[Unwisely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick, fun read. The world was pretty neat, the male lead was the sweet, thoughtful, perfect boyfriend (the male equivalent of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl).

I guess my biggest bitches are first, that she can sleep? Seriously? That makes zero sense. Why wouldn't that have happened at least once while she was collecting dust in the house? And, the one that really bugged me because I thought it was being set up: she has never eaten food before, and enjoys it, cool. But that also implies that she has some way to get rid of food waste. Perhaps it's because so many of my friends are potty training their kids, but I really expected at least one scene of distress where things go horribly wrong for her.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit different to what I usually read but the vibe I got from the blurb sounded interesting: a sort of murder mystery set in a steampunk/gaslamp fantasy world. Alas, I found it only o.k. There was less about the steampunk-ish aspects than just a handful of people trying to escape various groups of criminals -- with a variety of political and criminal plotting and intrigue -- more "thriller" than "mystery". Which I generally DON'T care for much at all. So, if this sort of parallel fantasy thing is what you like, you'll probably really enjoy it. It ended with the slightest cliffhanger as they are just about to move into the next phase of trying to thwart the main nefarious group.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It found the idea of mixing the Victorian timeline with things like alchemy and automaton characters very interesting. You want to think it's in the past, but you can't. I also like the character development. Just enough to hook me and yet make room for more books to follow. This was a nice fresh type of fantasy for me, different thanmost of what I've read lately. I also appreciated that it was very clean fantasy content. A hint of romance but no unnecessary details and tame language. Allows for a more broad audience.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is my book club’s read for the month of October. I found this book to be a light read, and to be honest, it was a much better read than I expected it to be. I started the book with not high expectations (I am not really a fantasy fan), but as I continued to read, I found myself surprisingly very enthralled by this book. It was an interesting plot (however I felt that it was rushed at points, especially the ending) that had interesting characters (that seemed to be a bit shallow, to be honest). But overall, it was an entertaining read.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you read Sara C. Roethle before? I keep seeing another of her series, The Tree of Ages, advertised on IG and really want to read it; however, this one was a free download so I read it first.

Liliana is an automaton who is introduced to the outside world of London by Arhyen, a thief, when he sets out to steal her father’s jounal. When the object gets stolen, the pair is thrown into danger for reasons unknown. With the help of one of the Watch, they investigate what’s really going on and why.

Clockwork Alchemist is categorized as a sci-fi, steampunk book. I liked how it was accurately labeled and stuck to the genres the whole time. There is science technology with bits of alchemy in the Victorian period. The plot kept moving and moving. There was always something going on. I found the female lead curious as she was not human but acted close to one. I liked the variety of villains and how something elusive was mysterious, revealed a bit, but also still enigmatic, leading right out the door to further, future tales.

[C. Richter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting Adventure Story

Excellent book! Very imaginative, well-written and compelling. I found it very hard to put down. I can definitively wholeheartedly recommend this book. I think you'll love it.

[Phil Ellenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

The tale is a most interesting my exploration of the question what is human. The plot weaves
around a set of diverse characters that covers inanimate machines to all sorts of interesting folk. This installment tries to find the answer.

[Rural Sellers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. I was hoping the MC would be a strong female character and in that I was disappointed. She was so tentative and, in spite of presumed physical superiority, deferred to her protector. Maybe in the subsequent books this is better?

[Catherine Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Victorian Cloak & Dagger

Thus is an intriguing novel that is set in a steam-punk era. An automaton is "rescued" by a known thief, with a sense of honor. They are hunted by several nefarious organizations. This is the 1st book, in the series & I can't wait to read the others.