Graphic Novel Review: Locke & Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks
Good Morning Book Nerds,
I hope you’re ready for some fantasy awesomeness, because today I’m continuing my binge of Joe Hill’s Locke & Key series with volume 5: Clockworks.
There’s not too terribly much to say. After my slight disappointment with the fourth volume, I soldiered on in no time. Something in me is hellbent on finishing this series this week, and I think that reflects well on the series.
Anywho, let’s get this review started!
Blurb:
The sprawling tale of the Locke family and their mastery of the ‘whispering steel’ thunders to new heights as the true history of the family is revealed to Tyler and Kinsey. Zack Wells assumes a new form, Tyler and Kinsey travel through time.
Tyler and Kinsey Locke have no idea that their now-deceased nemesis, Lucas “Dodge” Caravaggio, has taken over the body of their younger brother, Bode. With unrestricted access to Keyhouse, Dodge’s ruthless quest to find the Omega Key and open the Black Door is almost complete. But Tyler and Kinsey have a dangerous key of their own — one that can unlock all the secrets of Keyhouse by opening a gateway to the past. The time has come for the Lockes to face theri own legacy and the darkness behind the Black Door. Because if they don’t learn from their family history, they may be doomed to repeat it, and time is running out!
Colonel Adam Crais’s minutemen are literally trapped between a rock and a hard place; in the first days of the Revolutionary War, they find themselves hiding beneath 120 feet of New England stone, with a full regiment of redcoats waiting for them in the daylight… and a door into hell in the cavern below. The black door is open, and it’s up to a 16-year-old smith named Ben Locke to find a way to close it. The biggest mysteries of the Locke & Key series are resolved as Clockworks opens, not with a bang, but with the thunderous crash of English cannons.
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The Review:
Past is prologue, and that can’t be stressed enough in this fantastic volume of Locke & Key.
With the long battle against Dodge seemingly over, Tyler and Kinsey discover a new key that allows them to travel in the past. On their quest for knowledge they discover the trials their father and his group of friends went through and much more.
Finally, the answers we’ve been looking for! I have to say, it’s a big relief to find out what really happened all those years ago, and the ride was epic!
This time, the characters were quite a bit different. Rather than solely focusing on the present Locke children, this volume focused on Rendell Locke and his group of friends. I really enjoyed their dynamic. They had tension and drama, but their struggles felt real and it was easy to relate to each one of them. They really had a good handle on the keys, and I understand a bit better how much harder it is for the present Locke children (not that I completely forgive them for their handling of the crisis).
The artwork was phenomenal as usual. No complaints here!
On the plotting side, both the present and the past really drew my attention from the start. The big clock made an earlier appearance in one of the other novels, and ever since I’ve been wondering what exactly it does. Well now I know, and I really wanna steal that clock to take a trip down memory lane. Can I, please?
We also got to go back in time way before Rendell and his pals got into all that trouble, and that provided even more answers about all things in general that really fleshed everything out to a higher level. There is some messed up stuff in the past, I’m just saying!
I’m still very worried about the present and Bode’s current situation, but with only one more volume left, I know we’re going to get some serious resolution across the board. I can’t wait to see what happens!
That’s a Wrap!
Thanks for stopping by, and happy reading!
Have you read this book before? What did you think? Do you have a book recommendation similar to this one? Feel free to share in the comments!
If you’d like to see other reviews of mine, feel free to check out the book review section of my blog or my GoodReads. You can also follow my GoodReads reviews here. There are some great binge-worthy books on there!
Have a great day!
I loved the backstories through several generations that we got to see in the volume.
Yeah, me too! I also loved that they seemed to be past lives of Tyler, Kinsey, and Bode. Such a great volume.
Sounds great. I hope the last book is just as great.
Yeah 🙂 the last book is pretty good so far. I’m about halfway through thanks to a tech issue at work, hahaha!