Golden Braids Blog Tour: Mechanical Heart

Book Blurb:

Can you save someone who doesn’t know if she’s alive?

Breen lives locked away, separated from the world by the walls of her clock tower and the machine of gems, gears, and magic that replaces her heart. That is, until an unexpected visitor appears in her tower, offering a dangerous gift: freedom. His promises awaken hope for a life unbound by the tower walls — but she knows that if he learns about her heart, it’s only a matter of time before he turns on her.

Josiah is powerless. Though he’s the crown prince of the mighty Chanian empire, he feels stifled by his inability to protect his people from the schemes of corrupt nobles. When he discovers a girl trapped in a locked clock tower, he thinks he’s finally found a problem he can solve . . . but more than just walls keep her captive.

From the royal palace to the streets of Rivenford to the tops of clock towers, secrets hide around every corner in this steampunk retelling of Rapunzel. Breen and Josiah hold the keys to each other's struggles — if they can break down the barriers that divide them.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mechanical-Heart-Sarah-Pennington-ebook/dp/B07T316B8T/ 
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46354722-mechanical-heart

Book Review:

I'm always conflicted when I finish a good book, and sit down to write a review. Do I start with the characters? The setting? The twists?
Characters will do for now, because they were my favorite part of it. Luis, in particular; he's a wonderfully pointed, sarcastic side character. Grace should receive mention as well, as she's a sweet character--with backbone (that isn't to say she "kicks butt" or anything like that, but she's firm, clever, and knows how to deal with people)!

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Josiah, brother to Grace, is a knight in shining armor. Or rather, he wants to be. He's frustrated with his inability to make wide, sweeping changes that benefit the masses, and is stuck with sloughing through political mazes. Which he does remarkably, I must say.
Breen is a captive, but she's far from helpless. She figures things out on her own, and isn't ready to accept help/spill her story right away. When it comes to fiction, I typically ignore this flaw in characters (accepting help a tad too hastily), as it tends to be a staple in fiction, and I understand that most authors want their story to move along. A common problem with having a character come off as reluctant is the fear of dragging the story and making readers lose interest. With this story, the reluctance gave everything a bit of flavor! It forced other characters to react, heightened the suspense, and made the friendships all the richer for having stuck through the trials.
Speaking of trials, there are:
Determined antagonists (kind of obvious to the reader, not so to the characters, as the readers get to see the antagonists behind their facades).
Fears.
Doubts.
Politics.
Alchemy.
Never a dull moment to be had.

Miscellany things I loved: The accuracy of the sign language (it's written in the style of regular speech, but the visible interactions--emphasis on facial expressions, etc--are spot-on). Breen's reluctance for help. It was just the right amount of stubborn. Also, the banter between Luis and Josiah; the friendly needling, sarcasm, advice. And you can see the cover, right?

All in all, this is a wonderful book to read. Oh, might I add: the steampunk element isn't terribly heavy--mostly aesthetic, with fantasy elements--so there isn't anything to get confused by if you don't often read steampunk.

Mini Interview:

1. How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?

Eh, it honestly didn't change much. The main difference is that I can't really say "I'll finish it when I finish it and I'll edit it when I edit it" anymore. Instead, I'm on a timeline where I have this long to write the book and this long to edit it. Oh, and my editing process is a lot more intense now. 

2. Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?

Both! In the long term, I want most of my books to connect in a multiverse along the lines of Brandon Sanderson's Cosmere or Kendra E. Ardnek's Rizkaverse, even though the individual books (or, eventually, series) will be able to stand on their own. So, practically speaking, you can read and enjoy Mechanical Heart whether or not you've read Blood in the Snow, but they're still connected in a certain sense. 

3. What did you edit out of this book?

Haha, not much. Mechanical Heart is a weird book in that I added more than I subtracted during rewrites and edits. One thing that I did lose, though, was Breen and Josiah's original method of communication. In the very first draft of Mechanical Heart, Josiah didn't know sign language, so he and Breen had to get a little creative. They used a few different methods depending on the situation, but my favorite was that they'd tap Morse code on each other's shoulder or hand and "talk" to each other that way. It was pretty cute . . . but once Grace showed up, having them talk in sign made much more sense.

About the Author:


Sarah Pennington has been writing stories since before she actually knew how to write, and she has no intention of stopping anytime soon. She is perpetually in the middle of writing at least one or two novels, most of which are in the fantasy and fairy tale retelling genres. Sarah's first published work, Blood in the Snow, received a perfect score and Special Unicorn status in Rooglewood Press's Five Poisoned Apples contest. When she isn't writing, she enjoys knitting, photography, and trying to conquer her massive to-be-read list. Find her online at: Website || Blog || Second Blog || Goodreads || Facebook || Amazon

Today's Blog Stops:

Knitted By God's Plan - Five Reasons to Read
Light and Shadows - Five Reasons to Read
Dreams and Dragons - Writing Deaf Characters

Reviews
Reality Reflected + Mini Interview!
The Page Dreamer
The Language of Writing
The Labyrinth + Mini Interview!
The World of a Write

Interviews
To be a Shennachie - Sarah

Guest Posts
Dragonpen Press - Why Nomances