The Clockwork Emperor

Arcane Adventuress #2

by Vennessa Robertson

China, 1900.

Following the Opium Wars, China is being carved up into pieces by foreign occupation and an Empress Dowager with dreams of resurrecting her crippled nation and bringing it into the new century sits on the throne. For now…

English apothecary and thaumaturgist, Vivian Harper and her fiancé, Nathaniel Valentine; have been tasked with an impossible travel to China and recover an ancient weapon before it is lost to war and ruin. The catch? It is buried with the bones of a long-dead dragon and the key to her grave is hidden in abandoned temples guarded by demons that attack not the flesh, but the virtues of men’s souls.

But they are not the only ones seeking the weapon. The deposed prince seeks revenge against his mother who will not relinquish the throne. He seeks powerful allies and utilizes unholy improvements of mechanics and flesh to reclaim his empire by force.

China, a land of mystery, danger, and ancient supernatural forces, the likes of which may be more than Vivian and Nate can handle as they seek a treasure that may be the doom of all mankind.

The sequel to Canithrope and the second book in the Arcane Adventuress series; a better life is waiting for those brave enough to go searching for it.

Genres: Steampunk, Paranormal

298 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2018

Reviews

[Megan]

While I still enjoyed it, this one spent too long with tarot explanations. I found myself skipping multiple paragraphs every time. And on a personal level I hate plots where someone is trying to break up/steal someone from a couple and they keep telling their partner that nothing is going on. Nate's oblivion, admonishing Vivian for pointing it out, making it seem like she's the unreasonable one. I knew the book wouldn't end with them breaking up but damn. He could have at least said "I'm sorry, you were right about her all along".

[Janie Chaplar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as the first one. There was way too much details about concepts that were confusing and did not lend to the story. I was hesitant to start the next book because I did not want to have the same issue. I decided to go ahead and try and so far it is better than the previous book. I read to relax and be entertained not have to wrack my brain trying to understand a concept.

[Robin Siota Breeding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventures in China

I enjoyed this second book in the Arcane Adventuress series. The characters were interesting and there was a lot of action. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because some areas were well played out while other areas seemed to be skipped over and lost. I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Stephanie Gillis · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were moments of disorientation for me with this story but that might have been intentional. A few parts stood out where I wondered why Vivian said nothing when she discovered the truth about MeiLin or why Nate and Vivian didnt seem to acknowledge the transfigured rendezvous. Still I really enjoyed this adventure and will be delving into the third and final book momentarily.

[Dan Heitzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A struggle to read

If you had issues with the first book in this series this one is SO MUCH worse. I hate o leave bad reviews but I wish someone had warned me before hand.