The Clock Strikes

Hawthorn House #1.5

by Sean Cunningham

When the clock strikes eight... and keeps striking eight... Rob and Julian know they're in serious trouble.

Rob just wanted to grab another pint after work. Instead, he finds himself trapped on Westminster Bridge in a time loop with his flatmate Julian, watching Big Ben toll the same hour, while Victorian warlocks from 1859 replay a deadly confrontation.

Now the warlock Bartholomew Crow pursues them across London. He’s spent a century tracking them—and he's coming for them with all his terrifying power.

Racing through the sewers beneath London, battling vampires in Canary Wharf, and forming uneasy alliances with graffiti magicians, Rob and Julian must master a time-warping power before Crow uses it to rewrite history itself.

But changing the past comes with a price—and some victories might be worse than defeat.

Perfect for fans of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher, The Clock Strikes delivers supernatural action, witty banter, and a London where magic hides just beneath the surface of the everyday.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 15, 2018

Reviews

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hawthorn House and its supernatural inhabitants won me over in Ghost Electricity and The Mortal Edge.

Rob (a werewolf) and Julian (a warlock) are roommates and friends with great chemistry. They live exciting lives, and troubles find them everywhere. For example on the street where they stumble across a crack in time. Soon they find themselves engaged int a war between two factions of Victorian warlocks.

Don't start reading this novella without previous knowledge of the world. You'll probably feel lost and disappointed. If, however, you already love the lore and characters read it ASAP. It's short and entertaining.

I can't wait for the next installment in the series.

[MRS G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I totally agree with another reviewer that this book felt like it jumped straight into a midway point, rather than a stand alone book in itself.

I wasn't sure whether to continue or not...

Thankfully I did carry on and was not disappointed with the thrills and spills to follow. This book is intriguing, action packed and I managed to pick up a little more of the back story.
However I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND anyone start from the earlier book. That way it won't spoil your appreciation and enjoyment of this one.

[Nac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable book fits in nicely between Book on and Two. Good storyline with the new characters involved, hope to see them pop up again further down the line.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did enjoy the premise and the start of this novella, but I haven't read any of the other books and I felt lost after the halfway point. After the 2/3rds point, I wasn't getting any of it and dnf'ed. The writing was very strong and I think I will pick up the first book in this series, but the description of this novella said it could be read as a standalone without reading any of the other books, so I have to review based on that advertising. I suspect that if I was more familiar with these characters and worldbuilding then this would have been a 4 or 5-star read, but as is there was just too much going on in too short a time for me to keep up and I never had a chance to connect with any of the characters.

But, like I said, I was intrigued and impressed enough that I want to check out the first book. I just don't think this works as a standalone. I even went back and rechecked the description before I posted this review just to make sure I hadn't mixed it up with some other novella, but I hadn't.

[Jodi Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good read and it went so quickly. The story moves quickly so keep up. I definitely recommend this read and will be moving on to the next one now....

[Quilting Tangent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced, action adventure with very interesting characters, set in a unique world. Looking forward to reading more books in this series.