Reviews of the book "Watchmen" will appeal to all fans of domestic fantasy. This is a series of books authored by Ukrainian writer Natalya Shcherba. They are written in the genre of teenage fiction. This is a chronicle of the exciting adventures of the young watchmaker Vasilisa Ogneva and her friends. Books were published from 2011 to 2015.
Reader Impressions
From most readers, reviews about the book "Watchmen" come exclusively positive. Many admit that they finally began to read, since a work appeared that could interest them to the core.
In the reviews of the book "Watchmen", many note that the narrative is simply replete with fascinating and unexpected events, the adventures that occur with the characters will definitely not make anyone bored. And the characters themselves are spelled out soundly, they are interesting, bright and unusual.
At the same time, you should be prepared for the fact that after reading the first book you will have many questions, the answers to which you can find only in the subsequent parts. Therefore, it is worth to be patient in order to master the entire cycle. But it's worth it, since the book "The Watch", according to reviews, turned out to be solid.
Author
The author of this teenage fantasy is Ukrainian writer Natalya Shcherba. It was she who wrote the series of books "Watchmen".
Shcherba was born in the Belarusian town of Molodechno in 1981. However, her childhood was spent in Russia. She started trying to write when she was at school, amusing herself with the fascinating stories of her classmates. So her teenage science fiction novel about a geography teacher from another planet appeared.
The future writer received higher education at the National University of Design and Technology in Kiev. However, after the fourth year, she decided to leave the university, because by then she was already working in her own fashion studio. She decided that it is not necessary to graduate from the institute, if everything is so successful.
Creative way
Her literary debut was the fantastic story "At the Bottom", which was published in 2005. Three years later, the first novel titled "Be a Witch" was released. He was immediately awarded several prestigious awards.
In 2010, Shcherba received the incentive prize of the Eurocon 2010 award as Europe's best novice science fiction. The Natalia Shcherba series “Watchmakers” remains her greatest success at the moment. In the near future, even a film adaptation is planned.
Moreover, since 2015, several additional editions to the Natalya Shcherba series “Watchmaking” have been released. She has been working on the Lunastra cycle for the past three years. Now there are already three novels - "Jump over the stars", "Flying through the stones", "Steps in the Void".
Awards
Novels from the series "The Watch" were awarded a number of prestigious literary awards and prizes.
In 2009, they received the Star Bridge award for the Debut of the Year Award. In 2010, they were recognized as the best debut at Eurocon.
In 2011, the writer was awarded the Silver Caduceus Award on the Star Bridge, and the following year her novels were recognized as the best books of children's literature at the annual Runet Prize.
Hour key
The novel "Clock Key" opens the cycle. In "Chasodey" the main character is the simplest earthly girl, whose name is the old Russian name Vasilisa. She does not know her parents, lives in a foster family with guardian Marta Mikhailovna.
Suddenly, the girl finds out that her father is an influential magician of a special mysterious world built on some kind of time magic. This world is called Eflar. The girl finds herself in a land of lutes, fairies and watchmakers. Very soon, she finds herself at the center of a dangerous game in which others engage her.
After some time, the situation gets so complicated that even her friends are not able to understand who she really is. At the same time, the reader is becoming more and more interesting. Together with the characters of the novel, he wonders who Vasilisa is. Unlucky, who does not know anything about his origin, a spy whom his father specially sent to get the throne, or a powerful sorceress who is able to control time. Is she able to save the magical world from the impending collapse?
Hourly Heart
The second novel from the series "Watchmaking" - "Sentinel Heart". It describes in detail two fabulous worlds - Eflara and Ostal. Their inhabitants fear a catastrophe, as they are inexorably approaching each other and threatening to collide with each other. You can be saved only by increasing the Time gap. Only the legendary Scarlet Flower and the unanimous desire made by all the keykeepers can do this.
However, the problem is that there is enmity between the key keeper, which from time to time flares up with renewed vigor. In addition, the enemy of all the watchmakers Spirit Astragor enters into the struggle. However, he is suddenly going to not interfere with them, but to help, having his own interest in it.
The heroes have to understand how sincere in their intentions the Spirit of Astragor is, whether love and friendship can help all the keykeepers unite in order to save Basilisk from the terrible curse of Black Key.
"Clock tower"
The third novel from the series “Watchmen” is “Clock Tower”. In it, Vasilisa sets out to master magical skills in the School of Light Watches. She receives the highest level of admission, but she is still not accepted, since director Elena Mortinova has long been planning to kill the girl.
Only with the intervention of Astarius it is taken to the zero level of training. Her mentor becomes a teacher with a third hourly degree, Rodion Kraft. Success is accompanying Vasilisa, she always gets the highest scores.
During the Fall of Leaf Fall, the main character meets the Black Queen, who helps her get to the field of old hours. Ogneva has come a long way to undo Diana. In gratitude, she asks for rubies to give gifts to Daniel.
At the end of this novel, the housekeepers find the mysterious Shattered Castle, and North and Mark take the arrow that Astragor needed from the Clock Tower. Their goal is to kill Vasilisa. However, the girl manages to take the place of the arrow in order to rewind time at all hours and restore the Broken Castle. After that, the watchmakers begin his research. The father of the main character agrees with his mother Black Queen to begin to teach Vasilisa in the Castle everything necessary.
In conclusion, Astragor offers Fash and Mark a contract, promising to fulfill any desire in exchange for the numerical name of Vasilisa.
"Hour name"
In this novel, it turns out that Fesh Dragotsiy decides to keep the mysterious name of Vasilisa secret, although he knows it. Despite a quarrel between them, he continues to love the girl, so he does not tell his relative Astragor.
Meanwhile, Vasilisa arrives at the Black Queen’s castle, where she meets the first-degree watchmaker Maar. It is he who will master the Black Key.
Maar falls unrequitedly in love with Vasilisa, because the girl is in fact still experiencing tender feelings for Fesh. During the next meeting, they reconcile, the young man declares her love. Their attempt to kiss is noticed by Norton Sr. When he is left alone with Fesh, he tells him the story of the death of his parents. It turns out that he himself is not to blame for their death. They conclude a temporary truce.
After that, Fash flies into the room to Vasilisa, where they convene the Order of Friendship. While they wait for everyone to get together, Fash again tries to kiss the girl, but this time Zakharra bothers him. To all the gathered, Vasilisa demonstrates her findings made in the Broken Castle. Including a splinter and a map. The children jointly decide to travel on the clock towers, but do not yet know how they can do it.
Fifth novel
The next novel in the series “The Watch” is “The Hour.” In it, the heroes are trying to figure out what kind of mysterious fragment similar to an arrow Vasilisa managed to find. Young wizards manage to find codes for Chasolet, on which they plan to go on a journey through the towers shown on the map. In one of them, they accidentally overhear a conversation between Father Vasilisa and his friend Miracle, in which they discuss the parents of Fesh.
After a gala dinner, Miracle teaches her to learn the future and past of things that meet on her way. In the finale, Nick gives Vasilisa the ring that Fash made. In her room, she discovers Rock, who came through a null mirror. He offers her to learn how to truly use her watch fleur. Vasilisa decides to go to Zmiulan.
Hourly battle
In the final novel of the series, Vasilisa will have to make a decisive choice in order to change someone's fate. At the very beginning, she helps Fesh get out of the Void. The rock that they lit is noticed by Rock, who persuades Astragora to rescue his brother in the Order.
The sudden appearance of Fesh holds many secrets. Vasilisa herself receives a gift from Astragor in the form of an hourly transformation. From the gala evening, Vasilisa is taken to Dragolis, where they make him work as a ticker and teach amber. She tries to escape with Fesh, but unsuccessfully.
In Zmiulan, Astragor tells Fash that he will reincarnate into him. He resists. Meanwhile, Vasilisa has to independently solve the mystery of the Ruby Room.
Ahead of the battle between Vasilisa and Astragor. However, the girl’s father interferes with them, the evil wizard has to get out of the boy’s body in order to fight with Norton Sr. He defeats him, leaving him at death.
Again Astragor appears before Vasilisa in the form of Marcus, to whom she tells that the cup of the Scarlet Flower is a crown that will belong to Time. Astragor manages to put it on, she begins to change her color. Vasilisa manages to save Fesh, but she loses consciousness, and when she comes to, she sees her great-grandfather, who talks about the mission that she has to fulfill. At a decisive moment, she enters the mirror, Fash goes after her. Once in the Shattered Castle, they find the crown. Moreover, Vasilisa sees the female, and Fash - the male. The crown is bifurcated. It turns out that two times should now appear. Vasilisa and Fesh are becoming a New Time, together they are sent to a different time parallel.