Watch Hollow: The Alchemist's Shadow (Watch Hollow, #2)

“There is magic, there is good and evil, and there is love all woven into a suspenseful and entertaining mystery.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
New York Times bestselling author Gregory Funaro brings us the second installment of the thrilling Watch Hollow series, where magic exists, monsters roam, and wooden animals come to life.
Having defeated the Garr, a vicious tree monster who lived within the enchanted woods of Watch Hollow, Lucy and Oliver Tinker now have the home they’ve always dreamed of: Blackford House. Powered by a magical clock and full of curious rooms and improbable knickknacks, Blackford House brims with the promise of new adventures.
Yet when a strange governess arrives from England—bringing with her the Kojima twins, Agatha and Algernon—the Tinker children’s once bright future quickly begins to dim. The Kojimas claim to be the rightful heirs to Blackford House, and soon after their arrival, a great evil enters the Tinkers’ new home, cursing it and turning it into an ever-changing labyrinth.
As a result, Lucy and Oliver, along with their clock animal friends, must now join forces with the twins to escape this labyrinth and save Blackford House, all while a new monster lurks around the corner.

Many thanks to JeanBookNerd and Gregory Funaro for an eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Quotes are taken from an unfinished version and may differ from the final product.

In a rare twist of fate, the sort that can only take place in a library … I learned about this series from a patron.

Which, let me tell you, is a surprise, because usually I’m the one giving the recommendations. And if I’m honest, I’m not entirely comfortable with this new turn of events, because what will my TBR think?! It’s already sitting there, judging me ominously, probably waiting for me to let my guard down so it can pounce. *shudders*

Anyway, when an elementary school kid comes in and recommends a book, you listen. Boy was I glad I did, because shortly after, this blog tour popped up, and I immediately jumped on it, since I loved the first one so much. And you know what? I’m pretty sure I liked the sequel even better.

Watch Hollow: The Alchemist’s Shadow is a pleasant combination of goosebump-inducing creepiness, fast-paced action, twists and turns, magic, and found family.

I rushed through this in one sitting, because I just didn’t want to put it down. It felt like there was something new on every page, and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The book ends with a cliffhanger, setting up what I hope will be a third book in the series, and I couldn’t be more excited for it!

❧ Funaro has a writing style that’s easy to fall into, but also lovely to read.

Combine that with Matt Griffin’s gorgeous illustrations, and this book was a pleasure to read from cover to cover. Or, in this case, I guess from 0% to 100%. The writing is something I really enjoyed from the first book, and it carried over into the second. It captures the horror element, while highlighting the mystery, yet still delivering some really lovely descriptions and some top-notch suspense.

❧ We get to rejoin our old friends from the first book while also meeting new ones.

I had no idea where book two would take us, and I’ll be honest that I was hesitant about the Kojima twins at first, but boy did I ever warm up to them. It was so nice to see Lucy and Oliver again, even if the circumstances weren’t exactly happy, considering the arrival of the Kojima twins threatens to see them thrown out of Blackford House.

All these kids are facing some pretty big struggles, bigger than they should have to at their age, and my heart just went out to all of them.

Maybe it’s the mother in me. Maybe it’s the hopeless sentimentalist. I just imagine it’s easy for all sorts of different kids to see themselves in these characters.

Oliver is still struggling with puberty and hormones (and I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but that hormones thing is forever). Lucy just wants a place she can call home, somewhere she feels like she belongs. Agatha and Algernon are mourning their parents and disillusioned with life. Agatha pushes everyone away, because it’s easier that way, and Algernon stays quiet, locked in his own little world.

How could you not root for this eclectic lot? All of them had such lovely arcs and character growth.

Even the adults! And let’s face it, after everything they’ve been through, they deserve a little bit of a break, too. Especially Mr. Tinker. It’s nice that even though this is the kids’ story, there’s a little something for the adults, too.

❧ There’s a mute character that signs! Oh, how I loved this.

Signing characters are still so underrepresented in literature, and it was entirely unexpected, which means I was all the more thrilled to see it! My grandmother was hard-of-hearing, so signing was a regular occurrence in my house, any time she took her hearing aids out. Sometimes when she had them in, too. Like when they were on the fritz. Or, you know, when someone turned them off without her knowing. *cough*

Despite not being verbal, Algernon plays a significant role in the story and isn’t silenced just because he couldn’t talk, and it was so freaking refreshing.

Whether it’s gestures and motions or Agatha translating for him, Algernon makes his meaning known, and he plays a critical role in the plot. It could’ve been so easy to sideline him, and I’m so glad that wasn’t the case.

❧ The plot of this book takes a wholly unexpected turn.

Which is a horrible (and intentional) attempt at a pun, seeing as how Blackford House transforms into a labyrinth. Look, I never said it was a good joke. I’m ashamed of myself, too. Fine, I’ll go stand in the corner and think about what I’ve done.

The sinister atmosphere in this feels similar, and yet completely fresh and new, from the previous book. First, it involves a creepy doll, and guys, you have no idea how much dolls freak me out. For real. When I started dating hubby, the first time I went to his house, I stepped into his computer room and found about fifty dolls staring down at me, and it took all my willpower not to break up with him then and there. I do not do dolls. Yeah, I said it.

More than that, though, did I mention the labyrinth?! And do you knoooow what lives in a labyrinth, hmm?

Nothing good, I can tell you that. As high as the stakes felt in the first book, they were ramped up even more here, and the pages were charged with tension. I could’ve powered my Kindle on all the static electricity flowing between the chapters.

❧ The resolution at the end felt a little too easy … but then it opened up a fresh new brand of trouble … so I guess that evens things out?

I expected the type of ending, given that it’s a middle mid-grade book, but the resolution felt a little lacking for me, personally. I’m also not the target audience, so … that happens. What I did love, though, was how it left off. Because phew, the next book can’t come out soon enough now, with that sort of cliffhanger. It seems like what’s in store for us readers is something bigger, grander, and full of more spooks.

About Gregory Funaro

Gregory Funaro grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, and wrote his first story, The Ghost in the Window, in the fourth grade. He considers this to be his finest work, but unfortunately it has been lost to time. His first book for Disney-Hyperion, ALISTAIR GRIM'S ODDITORIUM (2015), was a New York Times best seller and an Amazon Best Book of the Month. His other works for children have received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal, and ALA Booklist. Check out WATCH HOLLOW, the first book in his series for HarperCollins, as well as its sequel, THE ALCHEMIST'S SHADOW, coming in 2020. Greg also teaches drama at East Carolina University, and is busy working on his next novel.

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View the full tour schedule at JeanBookNerd.

✦ WEEK ONE ✦
FEBRUARY 17th MONDAY JeanBookNerd PODCAST
FEBRUARY 18th TUESDAY Twirling Book Princess EXCERPT
FEBRUARY 19th WEDNESDAY Gwendalyn’s Books REVIEW
FEBRUARY 20th THURSDAY Casia’s Corner EXCERPT
FEBRUARY 21st FRIDAY J.R’s Book Reviews REVIEW

✦ WEEK TWO ✦
FEBRUARY 24th MONDAY Nay’s Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
FEBRUARY 25th TUESDAY The Writerly Way REVIEW
FEBRUARY 25th TUESDAY Two Point of Interest REVIEW
FEBRUARY 26th WEDNESDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW
FEBRUARY 27th THURSDAY At Home With a Book REVIEW
FEBRUARY 28th FRIDAY BookHounds YA GUEST POST 

✿ Open international
✿ Must be 13+ to enter
✿ 1 Winner will receive a Watch Hollow Storytellers BOX.
✿ 1 Winner will receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
✿ Ends March 10, 2020

If you could make your own clock full of animals, what animals would you choose to be in your clock?