The curious, lovely cover made me buy this book. The compelling fantasy drew me in and held me spellbound to the end. ( )

This is the first book in the Secret Order trilogy by Bailey. The second two books in this series, Rise of the Arcane Fire (in paperback) and Shadow of the War Machine (in hardback), just released in last week. This was a very entertaining young adult steampunk romance and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Meg is left with nothing after a fire consumes her home and kills her parents, nothing but a tarnished pocket watch that she was able to rescue from the wreckage. Meg ends up working as a maid at the house of one of her father’s friends, it’s a strange job since no one is ever in the house but the maids and the cook. The job gets stranger when Meg discovers the pocket watch can unlock many secrets. Meg starts to unravel the secrets and finds that her family was involved in an elite and secret society.

I really enjoyed this book quite a bit. I have had a review copy of this to read forever and I am not sure why it kept getting pushed back on my reading list. There is an excellent mystery and I enjoyed Meg as a heroine. I also enjoyed the male lead in the story, Will.

There is some romance in this story. Meg was the daughter of a well-off man and her position as a maid is most likely temporary, but Will is a stable boy who was pulled off of the streets. After working together to solve these mysteries the two end up having feelings for one another...feelings that Will doesn’t want to act on because he is worried about their future. Meg and Will aren’t necessarily a swoon-worthy couple...but I did really enjoy how they built a relationship over time and how realistic they were about the future.

My favorite part of this book is that Meg basically ends up on a scavenger hunt of sorts trying to find clues on where a horribly dangerous device has been hidden. Each clue she finds leads her to another amazing clockwork device and another clue which leads to another crazy creation. The steampunk creations in the story were very imaginative and fun to read about.

The book was well written and engaging. The story is tied up very well, although there are two more books planned for this series.

Overall I really enjoyed this book it was a fun read and had an excellent mystery. I really enjoyed the scavenger hunt aspect of the story and all the incredibly creative steampunk devices. I plan on reading the next two books in this series. I would recommend to steampunk fans who don’t mind a little YA romance in their steampunk adventure. ( )

There is a great paragraph on page 168 of this novel that captures the main character, Meg, very well.

"Spurred by impatience, I twisted the key slightly in an effort to make the song go faster. If I could open the stone quickly, Will would arrive to see me triumphant. The key was all I had. It was the only thing that made me special"

Meg is headstrong and insecure, which makes for a volatile and sometimes humorous combination as the story progresses.

The world building is good and the contraptions fantastical. I look forward to future books by Kristin Bailey. ( )

The Legacy of the Clockwork Key has one intriguing premise. A young girl who has lost her father and her home and now has become a maid at a home with that is creepy and quite mysterious. Setting out with only clue she is in for one major mystery to solve.

Meg is young and quite naive when it comes to the way of the world. Learning that her Grandfather is still alive and she is not alone as she thought, she sets out to find him. Meg learns that she is a lot stronger than she thought, she makes some new acquaintances along the way that help her in her quest. Will is the stable boy, but he is a lot more than that to Meg as the story continues. I really liked him, he might a little indecisive when it come to Meg, but he doesn’t believe that he worthy of her. Their relationship is rock at best, but I like that it was believable to this era of time.

The other two main characters, Oliver and Lucinda were so enjoyable. They had grew up together and were reunited during Meg’s journey. They have past that have crossed and now are in this with Meg and Will. They were both very interesting and a great addition to the cast.

The world building was one that sucks with all the invention made by the Amusementists, the automatons were everywhere and were a big part of the life here. Following Meg on this journey, there were secrets exposed about her family and Amusementists, and murders being being commited all around them. The mystery alone was fascinating and keeps your interest. The writing was done well with amazing descriptions and likable characters. I do feel that that it read more like a middle grade story but there were a few scenes that were definitely meant for reader maybe a bit older that MG readers. But I have to say that it did surprise me, and I look forward to continuing the story.

Fans of steampunk, historical fiction, adventure and a little romance added in, will enjoy this one. And I recommend picking this one up and giving it a try. ( )

I need to think on it for a bit, so review coming soon! ( )