A Clockwork Fairytale (Fantasy Romance)

I for one am tired of searching for serious fantasy stories and coming up with preteen tripe. This was a predictable story with all the expected obstacles of young adult romance. I couldn't identify with the characters as they had little to no true depth. I wish reviewers would indicate their age groups because I can't imagine anyone more mature than a high schooler could really enjoy this story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I really, really liked both Melba and Turk and really, really hated Vittorio.

Princess Melba was stolen as a child and hidden away until she was of age to be of use to the villain who is determined to wrest the kingdom from the king. Once found by Master Turk, we begin our "My Fair Lady" adventure of turning a young street urchin into a princess. I liked everything about this book (except Vittorio, of course) and wish it was a series book as there are other elements that could be continued on...such as Dante's story. (hint, hint).

I've enjoyed other books by Ms. Taylor and grabbed onto this one because of the beautiful cover.

Melba is a perfect Cinderella-type character. Stolen as a child and hidden in poverty, she's been raised as a pick-pocket and told to pretend she's a boy. She's cunning yet innocent, pretty (though camouflaged with dirt), resilient, and completely unaware that she's a princess. She is easy to root for. Once her basic needs are taken care of and she's able to accept her femininity, her focus naturally turns to matters of the heart. She doesn't care about being Royal. People are what matter. She'd happily give up everything for love.

Master Turk is at once Spy Master and apprentice. He's handsome, resourceful, magically gifted and bright, but not always wise. Those he's most loyal to are not necessarily deserving of that loyalty. He's been raised to be obedient while breaking the law. He's a monk attracted to the thief he's charged with transforming into the Royal Princess. So, what does a monk do when he's falling in love? Why give up love for the greater good, of course. But what, exactly, is the greater good? And will that greater good keep Melba safe?

Vittorio, the Royal Victualler, lusts for power. Denied a father's love as a child, he can't seem to stop desperately seeking his father's recognition as an adult. The past has taught him the being good doesn't work, so now he embraces evil. There are moments when Vittorio seems almost human, but mostly he's been corrupted by the dark powers he tries to harness to achieve recognition, power and glory. However, the respect and adulation he strives for continues to remain just out of his grasp.

The world Helen Scott Taylor created is rich and fascinating. It's a world of Garbage Kings, the Shining Brotherhood, Foul Jinns, and clockwork creatures animated by apple spirits. I was drawn in almost immediately. Melba and Turk are engaging characters and Turk's conflict is compelling.

My only real complaint? The prologue is a bit of a spoiler. It makes the story too predictable and isn't necessary. I'd recommend reading it at the end or not at all.

Despite that, A Clockwork Fairytale is a sweet, fast, fun read perfect for the YA market. I'd give this book to my twelve-year-old daughter without hesitation, knowing she'd love it.

Originally posted at the Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

A Clockwork Fairytale is a fantastic Streampunk novel. I usually don't care to read Streampunk, as they seem to forces a lot on the gadgets and machinery, but Helen Scott Taylor kept this storyline true to the characters. Taylor puts just enough gadgets to remind you that are reading a Streampunk without it taking over the storyline. She has also created an awesome fantasy world. With the clear, descriptive writing, I could easily visualize the port city of Royal Malverne Isle and the lives of the characters.

Melba was kidnapped at a young age from her royal family. She was given to Maddox for safe keeping till she turned seventeen. Maddox, who became Malba's pledge Master, raised her as a boy and trained Malba to be a runner and thief. With the way Malba was raised, she's head-strong and has a sassy mouth. Definitely not princess material. When Turk, who is a spymaster, rescues her from Sailors that have attacked her, Malba pledges herself to Turk to be trained as a spy. Turk doesn't know Melba is a girl, but when he discovers she has twelve toes, he knows Melba is the missing princess the King's daughter. Turk realizes he has to return Melba to her father, but first he has try to make her a lady.

Melba has a big problem becoming a lady. She has no problem acting like one when it comes to her love for Turk. Turk might be a spymaster, but he's been raised by the Shining brotherhood, which means he's also a Monk. Turk and Melba's romance definitely has a few problems, but Melba's sassy self is not going to let a little thing like Turk being a Monk stop her from having the only guy she's ever going to love.

I loved all the characters in A Clockwork Fairytale, and I love that Helen Scott Taylor brought paranormal into this Steampunk storyline. A Clockwork Fairytale has plenty of action, drama, magic, and romance that I definitely recommend as a must read.

A Clockwork Fairytale by Helen Scott Taylor

She's a thief and he's a spy, but they are both more than that. When Turk takes Mel under his wing, he doesn't know she's female. She doesn't intend to enlighten him either...

The author shared a copy of this book with me for review (thank you). I'm so very glad I read it; I love this book! You can buy an ebook of it on the store.

This is a touch of "Pygmalion" in this book.

Melba has been raised as a boy, taught to thieve with the best of them, and doesn't want to admit she's a girl. When Turk demands Mel bathe and get into some clean clothes, she fights hard to bathe alone. When she and the housekeeper get into a fight, Turk comes in to break it up and finds she's a female. More importantly, he finds she has six toes on each foot. That means she's the missing princess...

When he visits the head monk and shares this info with him, he's instructed to "train" the girl as a princess would act and then turn her over to her father. Not an easy task...

Ms. Taylor makes her characters brave, charming, and interesting. I loved the terms Mel used when she first came in off the street. As they work together to improve her skills, she gradually falls in love with Turk, and he with her.

He's a monk, she's a Princess, and royalty doesn't marry commoners. But I found myself hoping it would work out.

The story is fast-paced and a very good read. I'm sure there will be a sequel because this story isn't done yet. I'll be waiting for it to come out.

This is one of the best fairy tales I've read this year. Why not grab yourself a copy and see what you think?

Happy reading.

From the start, you are submerged in a world full of steampunk, fantasy, and spirits. When you are thrown into this world, you hit the ground running, and the pace never slows. It is a combination of Pygmalion, Princess Bride, Romeo & Juliet, and Anastasia, all seamlessly combined. I felt compassion for the characters and it made an excellent movie in my head. Appropriate for Y/A and above, but do not let that turn you off to the story. The writing was not over-simplified at all and I am definitely looking forward to future books in this enchanting world.

Soundtrack suggestion? I was listening to Dead Can Dance while reading this and it provided deeper immersion into this fantastical world.

~Kitty~

This was my second fantasy romance, and I enjoyed it very much. It grabbed my interest immediately and the plot was beautifully and skillfully written and kept my interest throughout.

When I began this book, I did not really know what to expect. But the more I read, the more I felt as though I was transported to another world--a world where spirits are conjured and battles are fought with supernatural powers that keep you on the edge of your seat and wondering whether good or evil will prevail.

It is a captivating tale of love and adventure. Don't miss A Clockwork Fairytale!

The story was tedious at time, but it was written well. The female protagonist seemed to not think what she was doing. It seemed she dilibertly walk right into danger, no matter what it did to others and especially since she grew up in the streets and should have known that humans are unpredicatibal.
I would have like to see more romance between Turk and Melba. I would have like to know why Gregorio didn't like Melba.
The storyline reminded me Janice Krantz's novels with the mechanical devices and the practice of magic. The book was worth reading once but not again.

Helen Scott Taylor has a magical way of drawing you into her world and characters and making you believe you are right there with them. I loved the Cinderella aspect of this fairytale but also really enjoyed the strong heroine who is a girl/woman in the making and starts out as a pick-pocket. Her growth and the relationship between her and Turk as well as expectations created by their worlds make this a complex but great read!

Helen Scott-Taylor weaves suspense, magic, and emotion in a lovely fairytale with endearing characters. Melba is an intrepid down-to-earth urchin, who turns into a lovely young woman, and later into an inexperienced yet noble princess. Turk, the charming spymaster who can't resist her appeal, is trying to discover his past, assess his present and choose his future. The evil Royal Victualler, Vittorio, with his foul magic, the mysterious Gregorio, Shining Brotherhood's Primate, and the plain-spoken Gwinnie, are some of the colorful secondary characters that make the little world of Malvern Isle come alive. Taylor's inimitable style will have you smile, laugh, cry and bite your nails, as you turn the pages to reach the end of this unique story.

I loved the range of bawdy characters that were easy to get attached to, the kingdom it was set in and the story line. It kept me engaged and when I wasn't reading it I wanted to get back to it to find out what was happening next. My only wish was that it hadn't ended so abruptly, I would have liked to have gone a little further with the characters.

This novel sucked me in from the very first line. I laid in bed in the dark reading this. I could see everything, like I was there. The descriptions are amazing without droning on and on. I loved all the characters, Melbas transformation from a ragamuffin to princess. I loved Turk and Dante. I could picture Vitto, his cruelty and power. I cant really say much more except its beautiful. I think this could be beautiful on film too.

What a talented author. I love stories about princesses but this one has so much depth. All the characters has multiple dimensions, more real life, with difficult choices. I vote for making this into something we can experience in theater:) although I felt like I was right there along with the Melba and Turk since Helen did such a great jib at depicting the action and romance. T3Nelson

The Clockwork Fairtail is an amazing book that held me spell bound from the beginning until the end. It was so good that i think she sould write a sequel. The charcters had great personalities and this book put together all my favorite kinds of fantasies perfectly. No spoilers in this one and i highly recommend this book to everyone who loves fantasy romace as much as i do.

I loved the characters in this book! Mel and Turk are so cute with their puppy love! Dante is so cool! Amazing story, loved how the author takes you to the unexpected. First book I read from Helen Scott Taylor and I'm a fan now.

Based on previous reviews, I was looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, it didn't deliver. Personally, I find it really annoying when authors incorporate character "accents" throughout the entire book, particularly when it doesn't really add anything to the story line. The story wasn't incredibly original either. Perhaps I just don't understand the whole steam punk genre.