It also seems a bit unrealistic how the dad suddenly accepts everything that is going on in without much questions. In terms of the magical clock creatures, the story only focuses on the dog, cat and the rat but we really don’t get to interact with the other creatures. For instance, as there are not many characters, I could easily figure out who the giant monster was. There are a few minor aspects in the story that I felt could have been better. The author maintains the suspense well where even I couldn’t figure out how the crow was related to the villain. The villains are also very eerie and powerful, and you don’t know what they would do next. The characters are charming and lovable, and I especially fell in love with the Torsten the Dog.

But I like how Lucy is braver than her brother, even though she is younger than him, and it feels like she is protecting the family. The two are complete opposites, where Lucy is young and her dialogue is straight forward, and Oliver is older and tries to be the head of the family and more complex. Lucy and Oliver are nice main characters who have their own positive traits. It has the perfect touch of adventure magic, mystery and suspense while not being too scary to scar younger readers. This was such a fun an exciting book to read. Watch my video review of Watch Hollow by Gregory Funaro! And before they can entirely understand the strange world they’ve stumbled into, Lucy and Oliver must join forces with a host of magical clock animals to defeat the Garr-a vicious monster that not only wants Blackford House for itself, but also seeks to destroy everything the Tinkers hold dear. It doesn’t take long, however, for the children to realize that there is more to Blackford House than meets the eye. Tinker needs to do is fix the clock at Blackford House and fistfuls of gold coins are his to keep. A mysterious stranger has made their father an offer that’s too good for him to refuse. When Lucy and Oliver Tinker arrive in Watch Hollow, they have no idea that anything is wrong.

But when the clock’s gears cease to turn, an evil presence lurking among the trees begins to come out of the shadows. Deep within the enchanted woods in the town of Watch Hollow stands the once-grand Blackford House, whose halls hold a magical secret: a giant cuckoo clock that does much more than tell time.