2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great read!, 30 Sep 2011
They say not to judge a book by its cover. But the outside of Elle Strauss' Clockwise is gorgeous and the inside is just as good!
The story is about Casey, a girl with all the usual problems: untameable hair, a crush on a boy who won't even look her way. Oh, and the slight problem of timetravelling back to the 1800s.
What's neat about Clockwise is the development of both worlds, past and present. Unlike most timetravel novels, Casey has a set course for her "travels": her hometown, two hundred years earlier. Every time she returns, events in the past have moved on a little more. Issues of slavery are brought to the fore as Casey - or Cassandra - tries to blend into a world very different from her own.
And if things weren't bad enough, Casey's two worlds start to blur together.
Inject a lot of humour, lots of action, and plenty of twists and turns (and the awesome Nate) and you'll have some idea of Clockwise. It's a really great read and I can't wait to see more from Elle Strauss!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and Enjoyable!, 17 Oct 2011
CLOCKWISE was kindly provided to me by the author Elle Strauss in exchange for my honest review.
CLOCKWISE was kindly provided to me by the author Elle Strauss in exchange for my honest review.
15 year-old Casey Donovan is your typical shy, awkward teen with a crush on the popular school jock that doesn't seem to notice her. She also has a very big secret which no-one but her best-friend is aware of - she is a time traveler who without knowing how transports back in time to the 1800's.
Time stands still in the present when Casey time travels but she is able to feel when it is coming on and is left exhausted when it ends; unfortunately at a school dance while dancing (as a dare) with Nate MacKenzie, her crush they are transported back in time.
An initially disbelieving Nate handled the time travel well once it was explained and played the part of her brother Nathaniel willingly although protectively, but things went back to usual as soon as they were back in the present much to Casey's dismay and heart-break. I am glad Nate had the opportunity to travel on a number of occasions with Casey which enabled him to get to know her outside of school, he was quite sweet and supportive of her ability.
I really enjoyed both of the worlds Casey was between; I enjoyed the history of the past - their way of living, the politics, the people both good and bad and how she was able to adapt and cope which was the same as how she was dealing with the present and the issues a regular teen faced with family and school life. I wish we could have found out more of why Casey had this ability, and how she was able to travel between times? It is the only thing I found to be missing in CLOCKWISE; I wanted to know how it all worked.
There was a slight twist at the end which I really enjoyed and definitely didn't expect, it was a nice ending to a really enjoyable story.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interactions between all of the characters; each were thought out, likeable and written well.
I liked Ms Strauss's detailed writing style, it was a solid and entertaining plot which held my attention and left me wanting more of the world she has created - the 19th century and present time was interweaved perfectly, Ms Strauss certainly knew her history which was impressive and the pacing was spot on for me.
CLOCKWISE is the first time travel novel I have read and I really enjoyed it, I am not sure if it is a part of a series but it would definitely be a great start. I will definitely be reading more books written by Elle Strauss.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and Fresh!, 24 Sep 2011
'Clockwise' by Elle Strauss is a fun, fresh read. Featuring an awkward teenage girl who accidentally time travels, the novel follows her adventures as she struggles to cope with both the past and the present -- and drags her crush along with her! The narrator's voice is sharp and witty, and you can't help identifying with her insecurities. A fantastic read for anyone -- adolescent or adult.
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