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The Thirteenth Hour
Quinn Sosna-Spear’s second novel transports readers to dark, fantastical worlds—perfect for fans of Roald Dahl, Neil Gaiman, and Tim Burton.
When Aunt Jo gives Rosemary a pocket watch with vague instructions, Rosemary assumes that the heirloom is simply another one of Aunt Jo’s oddities—until she unlocks a dream world full of magic. While sleeping, she befriends a trio of outcasts with special powers and joins their war against the ominous Tall Man.
Rosemary thinks this world is only a dream until a bully steals the pocket watch and the line between dream and reality collide as he’s sucked into the Eleventh Hour. Now Rosemary must gather magic from all twelve dream worlds to rescue the boy who makes her life a living nightmare.
When Aunt Jo gives Rosemary a pocket watch with vague instructions, Rosemary assumes that the heirloom is simply another one of Aunt Jo’s oddities—until she unlocks a dream world full of magic. While sleeping, she befriends a trio of outcasts with special powers and joins their war against the ominous Tall Man.
Rosemary thinks this world is only a dream until a bully steals the pocket watch and the line between dream and reality collide as he’s sucked into the Eleventh Hour. Now Rosemary must gather magic from all twelve dream worlds to rescue the boy who makes her life a living nightmare.
Hardcover
First published November 2, 2021
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383 people want to read
About the author
Quinn Sosna-Spear
2 books64 followersHello, I'm Quinn and I like magic.
I wrote a book called "The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson." It has quite a bit of magic in it, so I think it's pretty good (I hope you like it too).
You can read it April 2, 2019, from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
I wrote a book called "The Remarkable Inventions of Walter Mortinson." It has quite a bit of magic in it, so I think it's pretty good (I hope you like it too).
You can read it April 2, 2019, from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 4, 2022
Wow wow wow! What a creative & phenomenal story! The whole idea of this watch, & that each hour is a different part of this magical world is just brilliant. And how each world is so different, & each ability each world brings is so different. Absolutely loved it. It was like falling down a rabbit hole X10 on the magically epic scale. Everything about this world was so fascinating. The backstory, The Thirteenth Hour, the Smoke Keepers, the watch, the Smoke Ball, the wall, & the characters there that we meet, & so much more. Plus, every detail of each world, & details of the different Smoke Keepers-brilliant! And what Rose has to do in each world to get what she needs-genius!
Then in the “real world”, our MC Rose is dealing with some very relatable real life issues. Divorced parents-1 who isn’t a hands on or loving parent & is remarried & expecting a baby, bullying, not feeling like you belong anywhere, etc. Rose feels different, weird, insecure, weak, & quiet in our world. But in the watch world she is confident, loud, brave, strong, heroic, & special. I loved seeing her character growth/development throughout the story. When that confidence & strength spilled over into the real world some, & she realized she could be that Rose in any world..I loved it-& that lip gloss comment had me laughing so hard! Love that kid! I also love how the advice & “training” her Aunt gave her when talking about the magical world, not only prepared her for that, but also for how to deal with many of the things she faces in the real world. Great messages/lessons in here.
Then the friend she makes in Alejandro is so heartwarming. He has many of the same issues as her with being different & not feeling like he belongs. They make fast friends, & help each other so much. The twist in here was great, & I love how everything connected & came full circle. I could do see this being an epic movie or even a video game-that would be incredible! The writing is superb, & gripping. The story is so unique, imaginative, & intriguing. Full of so much adventure, friendship, magic, danger, suspense, bravery, & imagination. HIGHLY recommend! STUNNING cover front to back by Arthus Pilorget as well!💜
Then in the “real world”, our MC Rose is dealing with some very relatable real life issues. Divorced parents-1 who isn’t a hands on or loving parent & is remarried & expecting a baby, bullying, not feeling like you belong anywhere, etc. Rose feels different, weird, insecure, weak, & quiet in our world. But in the watch world she is confident, loud, brave, strong, heroic, & special. I loved seeing her character growth/development throughout the story. When that confidence & strength spilled over into the real world some, & she realized she could be that Rose in any world..I loved it-& that lip gloss comment had me laughing so hard! Love that kid! I also love how the advice & “training” her Aunt gave her when talking about the magical world, not only prepared her for that, but also for how to deal with many of the things she faces in the real world. Great messages/lessons in here.
Then the friend she makes in Alejandro is so heartwarming. He has many of the same issues as her with being different & not feeling like he belongs. They make fast friends, & help each other so much. The twist in here was great, & I love how everything connected & came full circle. I could do see this being an epic movie or even a video game-that would be incredible! The writing is superb, & gripping. The story is so unique, imaginative, & intriguing. Full of so much adventure, friendship, magic, danger, suspense, bravery, & imagination. HIGHLY recommend! STUNNING cover front to back by Arthus Pilorget as well!💜
December 31, 2021
My thanks to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
Ok, I was not in the right head-space for this book at this time. This is not one I would have considered recommending before I had a conversation with a customer at my store.
She and my Boss and I were all discussing Harry Potter and the appropriate age-range for reading the series, especially the later books that are much darker. She had let her sons read them at a much younger age than most and many people had asked her with some incredulity WHY she let her young sons read the darker books where characters die. Her husband, the father of her sons, had died when the Harry Potter books had come out. Her boys LIVED dark. She felt that having lived that, they could handle and empathize with the Harry Potter books to some degree and didn't try to stop them from reading the later books so long as it didn't frustrate their reading level.
I was gob-smacked. I personally hate when books seem to be dark, just to pile the misery on the MCs, I read to escape real life, but there are others out there with whom that misery might resonate, and it might even help them to see a fictional character going through something similar and come out ok on the other side.
So, that is where I am coming from when viewing this book. It starts out too dark for me, but it might be just what the right reader needs, so I am not negative towards the book itself, it just doesn't work for me because I am not there right now.
I DNF'd at 11% due to the darkness. It is written well, the characters felt real and the storyline sounded interesting, but it just wasn't for me at this time. This would be one that I would recommend to those who like darker themes in their reading, such as a beloved adult dying, the young MC being treated like garbage by their parents, bullying in school, etc.
2, it's not for me but I am sure it is for many others and that I just read it wrong, stars.
Ok, I was not in the right head-space for this book at this time. This is not one I would have considered recommending before I had a conversation with a customer at my store.
She and my Boss and I were all discussing Harry Potter and the appropriate age-range for reading the series, especially the later books that are much darker. She had let her sons read them at a much younger age than most and many people had asked her with some incredulity WHY she let her young sons read the darker books where characters die. Her husband, the father of her sons, had died when the Harry Potter books had come out. Her boys LIVED dark. She felt that having lived that, they could handle and empathize with the Harry Potter books to some degree and didn't try to stop them from reading the later books so long as it didn't frustrate their reading level.
I was gob-smacked. I personally hate when books seem to be dark, just to pile the misery on the MCs, I read to escape real life, but there are others out there with whom that misery might resonate, and it might even help them to see a fictional character going through something similar and come out ok on the other side.
So, that is where I am coming from when viewing this book. It starts out too dark for me, but it might be just what the right reader needs, so I am not negative towards the book itself, it just doesn't work for me because I am not there right now.
I DNF'd at 11% due to the darkness. It is written well, the characters felt real and the storyline sounded interesting, but it just wasn't for me at this time. This would be one that I would recommend to those who like darker themes in their reading, such as a beloved adult dying, the young MC being treated like garbage by their parents, bullying in school, etc.
2, it's not for me but I am sure it is for many others and that I just read it wrong, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2022
I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately and was pleasantly surprised that The Thirteenth Hour by Quinn Sonsa-Spear captured my attention and kept me engaged the entire way through.
The young protagonist, Rosemary, is given a magical watch by her ailing aunt. This watch can transport Rosemary into thirteen distinct worlds, each ruled by sinister beings called Smoke Keepers. Rosemary soon finds herself shifting between reality and the various worlds of the gifted watch, all of which have villains, complex relationships, and difficult challenges. The book has enormous potential, engaging writing, and ignited strong visuals. However, I wished that the pacing wasn’t so rapid and the reader was given time to fully comprehend and explore each of the worlds that were introduced. In my opinion, the story may have been better served by being told through multiple books, as opposed to one. But nevertheless, it was a fun ride.
May 5, 2022
Overall, this book was pretty good. The only problem that I had with it was that it was very fast paced and didn't give enough time in the world and with the characters for me to become attached to any of them.
June 18, 2023
I like the book it’s super good.
February 21, 2023
This book had a lot of good things and incredible potential, but I think it was too ambitious for its own good.
The story follows Rosemary, who grew up with stories from her aunt about another world reachable by a pocket watch. The world has different segments, called hours, where the residents have different magical powers. After her dying aunt gifts Rosemary the watch, Rosemary enters the world and finds that it is under a dystopian oppression, which only she can save it from.
Rosemary can only enter this world when she is asleep, so the story is told with Rosemary flitting from the waking world to the fantasy world. This gives rise to an annoying mechanic where Rosemary is constantly going to sleep, waking up, going to sleep, waking up. It's used a lot as a way of building tension, ending a scene, or getting her out of trouble in the first half, though fortunately the second half uses the mechanic a bit more interestingly.
The world building is very cool. The landscape is oddly colorful, twisted, and strange. I love how magic is represented by smoke and how each realm has such a different look and flavor to it. The story and some events that happen are a little darker than your typical middle grade story, but I don't think it's especially so. Unfortunately, the story moves very quickly and by the end much of the world feels very underdeveloped.
A few more minor things:
The story waits until the end to say the age of the main character, and I spent a lot of the first half wondering if I was reading a 5th/6th grader or a 9th/10th grader.
One of the characters is referred to as 'they', which wouldn't have bother me except that they were described as being a 3rd/4th grader, so eight or nine years old.
There is a bully character who is pretty generic.
The story uses both the 'loner, bullied outcast' and 'chosen one' troupes & doesn't do anything new with them.
MINOR SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
The main downfall of the story is the pacing. At no point does the story move slowly, but it wasn't until the second half of the book that I realized the entire first half of the book was the set up and not the actual plot. After spending the first half introducing the new world and the stakes, Rosemary has to go and solve the problems, which involves her visiting five other realms (at this point we've visited one). So the story, which was already moving at a breakneck pace, goes even faster to complete the quest objectives. The result is that each of the new realms visited don't get any time to develop and the quest, instead of feeling grand and dangerous, feels trivial because of how quickly the objectives are accomplished.
By the end of the book, a lot of the first half felt irrelevant. The characters we met play little, if any, role from the 50% mark onward, and a lot of the conflicts, like Rosemary being bullied, her aunt running away, and her estranged relationship with her father, don't matter and aren't even fully resolved by the end. The second half then introduces new plot points and conflicts, such as a scandalous family history, and never fully explores, explains, or resolves them.
I think if less time had been spent on the first half of the book, and that had been the first third or quarter, or if the book itself wasn't as short, then the world could have been much better explored & the plot better fleshed out.
The story follows Rosemary, who grew up with stories from her aunt about another world reachable by a pocket watch. The world has different segments, called hours, where the residents have different magical powers. After her dying aunt gifts Rosemary the watch, Rosemary enters the world and finds that it is under a dystopian oppression, which only she can save it from.
Rosemary can only enter this world when she is asleep, so the story is told with Rosemary flitting from the waking world to the fantasy world. This gives rise to an annoying mechanic where Rosemary is constantly going to sleep, waking up, going to sleep, waking up. It's used a lot as a way of building tension, ending a scene, or getting her out of trouble in the first half, though fortunately the second half uses the mechanic a bit more interestingly.
The world building is very cool. The landscape is oddly colorful, twisted, and strange. I love how magic is represented by smoke and how each realm has such a different look and flavor to it. The story and some events that happen are a little darker than your typical middle grade story, but I don't think it's especially so. Unfortunately, the story moves very quickly and by the end much of the world feels very underdeveloped.
A few more minor things:
The story waits until the end to say the age of the main character, and I spent a lot of the first half wondering if I was reading a 5th/6th grader or a 9th/10th grader.
One of the characters is referred to as 'they', which wouldn't have bother me except that they were described as being a 3rd/4th grader, so eight or nine years old.
There is a bully character who is pretty generic.
The story uses both the 'loner, bullied outcast' and 'chosen one' troupes & doesn't do anything new with them.
MINOR SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
The main downfall of the story is the pacing. At no point does the story move slowly, but it wasn't until the second half of the book that I realized the entire first half of the book was the set up and not the actual plot. After spending the first half introducing the new world and the stakes, Rosemary has to go and solve the problems, which involves her visiting five other realms (at this point we've visited one). So the story, which was already moving at a breakneck pace, goes even faster to complete the quest objectives. The result is that each of the new realms visited don't get any time to develop and the quest, instead of feeling grand and dangerous, feels trivial because of how quickly the objectives are accomplished.
By the end of the book, a lot of the first half felt irrelevant. The characters we met play little, if any, role from the 50% mark onward, and a lot of the conflicts, like Rosemary being bullied, her aunt running away, and her estranged relationship with her father, don't matter and aren't even fully resolved by the end. The second half then introduces new plot points and conflicts, such as a scandalous family history, and never fully explores, explains, or resolves them.
I think if less time had been spent on the first half of the book, and that had been the first third or quarter, or if the book itself wasn't as short, then the world could have been much better explored & the plot better fleshed out.
March 16, 2023
This was such a wonderful adventure! I could not get this beautiful cover out of my mind and wanted to read it immediately!
In „The Thirteenth Hour“ by Quinn Sosna-Spear we follow a young girl called Rosemary. As her aunt gets sick she entrusts Rosemary with a magical, golden pocketwatch. Depending on the time you fall asleep while the watch is in your possession you enter a different realm of the watch. But as she arrives in the first she discoverers that the realms desperately need her help. We explore her journey inside the watch as well as her life at school in her waking hours.
I would say the prose is more on the younger side of Middle Grade but it fits the protagonists voice.
The author builds really imaginative worlds and I wanted to explore them further! I wish the book were longer and took a bit more time in the different realms. I also liked the exploration of friendship in this book. After the 50% mark I just could not put this one down and I’m looking forward to more books from the author in the future!
In „The Thirteenth Hour“ by Quinn Sosna-Spear we follow a young girl called Rosemary. As her aunt gets sick she entrusts Rosemary with a magical, golden pocketwatch. Depending on the time you fall asleep while the watch is in your possession you enter a different realm of the watch. But as she arrives in the first she discoverers that the realms desperately need her help. We explore her journey inside the watch as well as her life at school in her waking hours.
I would say the prose is more on the younger side of Middle Grade but it fits the protagonists voice.
The author builds really imaginative worlds and I wanted to explore them further! I wish the book were longer and took a bit more time in the different realms. I also liked the exploration of friendship in this book. After the 50% mark I just could not put this one down and I’m looking forward to more books from the author in the future!
March 15, 2024
4.5/10
The storyline, plot, magic system, the creativity, the characters (even I had issues with the MC she was good at the end) were at their extreme.
Then the fall of rating, would be explained after reading the book. The writing is lame, the execution is the suffering. It was like throwing into the ocean that looks beautiful to the eye, only to cross a puddle in reality. I am not blaming author, I am just projecting my expectations and my experience.
The book it could have been, the great and favorite story I had read lately. Now, It was the reason, now, I feel nonchalance!
"You see Rose, there's a place where anything is possible, and when you go there, you will become more powerful than anyone you've ever met."
"Me? But I am small."
"That doesn't matter when you have magic, does it?"
"How do I get there?" I'd ask, although I already knew the answer.
"You use the watch of course."
The storyline, plot, magic system, the creativity, the characters (even I had issues with the MC she was good at the end) were at their extreme.
Then the fall of rating, would be explained after reading the book. The writing is lame, the execution is the suffering. It was like throwing into the ocean that looks beautiful to the eye, only to cross a puddle in reality. I am not blaming author, I am just projecting my expectations and my experience.
The book it could have been, the great and favorite story I had read lately. Now, It was the reason, now, I feel nonchalance!
November 14, 2021
Rosemary always loved the stories her Aunt Jo told her about the magical pocketwatch. Each hour of the clock had a different, unique and fantastical realm. When her Aunt gets sick and gives the watch to her she finds out for herself that they are real and though some are beautiful, they are also very dangerous. This story is also about being bullied, following your own path, perseverance and friendship. As Rosemary travels inside the clock she makes new friends, inadvertently puts people in danger, and finds the strength to risk everything to help them. I loved the very unique and detailed fantasy worlds. I found the ending a bit rushed and maybe a little to convenient, but overall it was an action packed story that will take readers on some imaginative journeys.
August 17, 2022
This book is what i needed, this book is a 4.75 star read for me it’s young adult and i just loved it, i don’t really read fantasy but i want to start and this fantasy has made me what to read any and every fantasy book i can get my hands on like why did it take me so long, i was in a reading slump and this got me out of it i can’t want to start reading again, and i also cannot believe that this book has less than 1000 reviews like this book is completely underrated anyways i loved this book and i will definitely be recommending this book to everybody i know
November 3, 2023
When Aunt Jo falls sick again, she gives Rosemary her old pocket watch, one she promises will take Rose to other realms when she sleeps - but a powerful wall threatens the realms, and when it takes her school bully, she'll need to collect enough magic to save those from her world and every other. Sosna-Spear offers a decently imaginative adventure, a world brimming with possibilities, though its rushed pacing and bland characters leave a lot to be desired in both lore and personality. With time working against her, can Rosemary gather what she needs before all worlds are affected?
March 4, 2023
Yeah, no, this book was pretty fun. I do think, however, that this could have used another 50 or so pages in the second half. It would be nice to see more of the hours in-depth, and I would have liked to see more of Jeremiah and Fallon, since while I suppose the details near the end are quite realistic, it just could have been... well, more, you know? I do like the implications of what happens next after the last two pages. Also, that cover, gorgeous.
January 22, 2022
I think this would have been a better trilogy. It was really rushed and not enough world building in my opinion. Very cool concept, but I wanted more.
Why does she call her dad by his first name? What was the deal with the bullying at school? I felt like there were a lot of underdeveloped plot pieces that took me out of the moment and story.
Why does she call her dad by his first name? What was the deal with the bullying at school? I felt like there were a lot of underdeveloped plot pieces that took me out of the moment and story.
January 2, 2022
Absolutely amazing, love the story and ending.
January 7, 2022
If you liked Harry Potter or Series of Unfortunate Events, then you'll enjoy this book too. It starts off dark with mystery, but not so much that it takes away from the story.
January 22, 2022
This book had a really interesting third quarter.
May 17, 2022
This was a really cute book but definitely meant for younger kids. There is a lot of creative world building and a lot of great imagery. Has a lot of an Alice in Wonderland vibe. Very cute for young readers.
June 24, 2022
3.5 stars
April 7, 2023
Short, sweet and very inventive world building on the dream worlds.
June 5, 2023
All i can say is that this is a fun book and I really like Alejandro
January 31, 2026
It has an interesting plot but I wasn't into it.
July 5, 2023
This book is so interesting the bullying I don't signup for what she went through at school and the sleepover that was rude and mean the girls needs to be punished rosemary tell someone when your being bullied speak up and Jeremiah needs to get slapped are you jealous of rosemary do you like her because that's not the way to go about it and her friend Alejandro is so nice I hope his dream comes true he's really good also her grandmother before she died was really nice I liked her and Rosemary's close relationship and I'm glad rosemary had someone to count on but the watch world is crazy wow the smoke keepers are scary I know I shouldn't be laughing when Jeremiah got stuck in the wall but that was fun funny and that's what he gets for being mean to rosemary yeah I said 😂
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2023
– Lecture professionnelle -
3.5
Rosemary, 11 ans, est une jeune fille attachante et authentique. À l’école, c’est plutôt difficile. Solitaire, elle est souvent victime de commentaires méchants de la part de Jérémiah, le frère jumeau de son ancienne amie, Fallon. La seule personne avec laquelle elle peut être elle-même, c’est sa tante Jo. Tante relativement excentrique, elle raconte toute sorte d’histoire de magie à Rose en lien avec la montre qu’elle porte. Selon Jo, dans chaque heure se retrouve un royaume où défis et dangers sont présents. Lorsque Jo disparait et que Rose a la montre en main, elle devra faire preuve de courage et apporter l’aide demandée au royaume du Onze.
Et si les royaumes existaient réellement ?
Roman de type fantasy et d’aventures, j’ai aimé suivre Rose à travers l’exploration des différents royaumes. J’ai particulièrement apprécié la relation positive qu’elle entretient avec Jo. Grâce à elle, Rose devient plus confiante et assume réellement qui elle est. Ainsi, elle devient un beau modèle pour les jeunes de par son leadership et la posture qu’elle prend dans le récit.
Je dirais que le seul bémol a été pour moi le déroulement trop rapide de l’action lors de la visite des derniers royaumes. J’avais peu de temps pour m’imaginer à quoi ils ressemblaient, et à saisir les dangers présents. La rapidité du déroulement a fait en sorte que Rose « réussissait trop facilement » ses missions, à mon avis. N’empêche, ce commentaire vient avec mes yeux de lectrice adulte : je ne pense pas que des jeunes trouvaient ce changement de rythme nécessairement dérangeant.
En bref, cette nouveauté à la collection Wiz mérite une visibilité. :)
Lectorat : 10 - 14 ans
3.5
Rosemary, 11 ans, est une jeune fille attachante et authentique. À l’école, c’est plutôt difficile. Solitaire, elle est souvent victime de commentaires méchants de la part de Jérémiah, le frère jumeau de son ancienne amie, Fallon. La seule personne avec laquelle elle peut être elle-même, c’est sa tante Jo. Tante relativement excentrique, elle raconte toute sorte d’histoire de magie à Rose en lien avec la montre qu’elle porte. Selon Jo, dans chaque heure se retrouve un royaume où défis et dangers sont présents. Lorsque Jo disparait et que Rose a la montre en main, elle devra faire preuve de courage et apporter l’aide demandée au royaume du Onze.
Et si les royaumes existaient réellement ?
Roman de type fantasy et d’aventures, j’ai aimé suivre Rose à travers l’exploration des différents royaumes. J’ai particulièrement apprécié la relation positive qu’elle entretient avec Jo. Grâce à elle, Rose devient plus confiante et assume réellement qui elle est. Ainsi, elle devient un beau modèle pour les jeunes de par son leadership et la posture qu’elle prend dans le récit.
Je dirais que le seul bémol a été pour moi le déroulement trop rapide de l’action lors de la visite des derniers royaumes. J’avais peu de temps pour m’imaginer à quoi ils ressemblaient, et à saisir les dangers présents. La rapidité du déroulement a fait en sorte que Rose « réussissait trop facilement » ses missions, à mon avis. N’empêche, ce commentaire vient avec mes yeux de lectrice adulte : je ne pense pas que des jeunes trouvaient ce changement de rythme nécessairement dérangeant.
En bref, cette nouveauté à la collection Wiz mérite une visibilité. :)
Lectorat : 10 - 14 ans
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