Review of The Watchmaker’s Doctor
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JayRaams
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Review of The Watchmaker’s Doctor
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Watchmaker’s Doctor" by G. M. T. Schuilling.]
Anaya’s life is starting to spiral into a mid-life crisis and life is set to come crashing down for a second time and Anaya is barely hanging on. She managed to pick herself up after a difficult and miss spent youth to become a doctor but staying afloat in this world is getting harder and harder. She has started to self-medicate for her bipolar disorder and she is giving up on life altogether. Just as she thinks her life is over, she is offered a second chance to fix the mistakes of her youth. If you could turn back time and make it alright, would you? What would you be willing to sacrifice to make a better life for yourself and your family? Anaya starts to dough whether the cost of fixing her own life is a fair trade when others start to pay the price for her new life. Come with Anaya on her journey of second chances as she steps back in time in this The Watchmaker's Doctor book 1 of the Erase and Rewind series, by G. M. T. Schuilling.
The characterisation of Anaya and her friends is very good, we all know the popular protectionist girls in high school. This close friendship is used by the author to show how friends can help support each other when it comes to mental health. It also passes the Bechdel test (Two named female characters have a conversation about something other than a man) which I think is important for a book with a female lead. The conversation started in The Watchmaker's Doctor[i/] about mental health being so respectful and true to life. It encourages people to not be ashamed when they can't cope on their own and encourages people to get help from mental health professionals as soon as possible. A lot of media still portrays mental health in a negative light. As someone with family members who have suffered from bad mental health, it was nice to see a true to life portrayal of bipolar disorder. I thought it was good that the author presents the symptoms as part of the story so that readers who may also be suffering can start to identify that they should seek help. Some time travel stories get into problematic areas with relationships, without wanting to give too much away the author G. M. T. Schuilling managed to allow the main character to have meaningful relationships without crossing any of these problematic lines. This book is the first book in a series and is quite short. Some short books feel unfinished but this one managed to not only feel complete but also feel interested in the next book in the series. I also liked that Anaya couldn’t remember everything about her life when she went back in time this was clever because it meant that the story of her life was slowly revealed and allowed for the changes in her life caused by her new choices can be contrasted to the old choices in the form of flashbacks, I think that was well done.
There is a lot to like about this book but the parts I did not like were that catalyst of the time travel. In the end, you find out that the agency was taken away from the main character when it came to a major choice. Though I feel that this will be expanded on in the next book, this did not ruin the book for me, but it did bother me because it was not necessary. I also did not like that the choices that Anaya made after she goes back in time seem to be the right ones, we never get to see them make a new mistake and must then work out what to do.
I am giving it one star because it is exceptionally well-edited, the story flows in a relaxed way moving around the timeline without rushing or lingering too long. One star for being engaging and enjoyable. I am giving one star for the ending. I find short books these days often feel unfinished but this one managed to rape up this book perfectly while still leaving room to tease the next book in the story. And the reason I am giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars rating, is because of the responsible portrayal of mental health. This made the book for me.
If you are from Gen Y or are a Millennial who enjoyed old school Tumblr, then you will enjoy this urban science fiction because it uses some old Tumblr urban myths to build the world of this book. Especially if you wish you looked after your mental health as a teenager. I know I could have used some of this book’s advice when I was a teenage girl. This is why I also recommend this to Young Adult readers because you may be able to make it through your young adult years with less trauma than we did. I also recommend this book to people who enjoy stories like The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, because of how well the time travel elements.
******
The Watchmaker’s Doctor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Anaya’s life is starting to spiral into a mid-life crisis and life is set to come crashing down for a second time and Anaya is barely hanging on. She managed to pick herself up after a difficult and miss spent youth to become a doctor but staying afloat in this world is getting harder and harder. She has started to self-medicate for her bipolar disorder and she is giving up on life altogether. Just as she thinks her life is over, she is offered a second chance to fix the mistakes of her youth. If you could turn back time and make it alright, would you? What would you be willing to sacrifice to make a better life for yourself and your family? Anaya starts to dough whether the cost of fixing her own life is a fair trade when others start to pay the price for her new life. Come with Anaya on her journey of second chances as she steps back in time in this The Watchmaker's Doctor book 1 of the Erase and Rewind series, by G. M. T. Schuilling.
The characterisation of Anaya and her friends is very good, we all know the popular protectionist girls in high school. This close friendship is used by the author to show how friends can help support each other when it comes to mental health. It also passes the Bechdel test (Two named female characters have a conversation about something other than a man) which I think is important for a book with a female lead. The conversation started in The Watchmaker's Doctor[i/] about mental health being so respectful and true to life. It encourages people to not be ashamed when they can't cope on their own and encourages people to get help from mental health professionals as soon as possible. A lot of media still portrays mental health in a negative light. As someone with family members who have suffered from bad mental health, it was nice to see a true to life portrayal of bipolar disorder. I thought it was good that the author presents the symptoms as part of the story so that readers who may also be suffering can start to identify that they should seek help. Some time travel stories get into problematic areas with relationships, without wanting to give too much away the author G. M. T. Schuilling managed to allow the main character to have meaningful relationships without crossing any of these problematic lines. This book is the first book in a series and is quite short. Some short books feel unfinished but this one managed to not only feel complete but also feel interested in the next book in the series. I also liked that Anaya couldn’t remember everything about her life when she went back in time this was clever because it meant that the story of her life was slowly revealed and allowed for the changes in her life caused by her new choices can be contrasted to the old choices in the form of flashbacks, I think that was well done.
There is a lot to like about this book but the parts I did not like were that catalyst of the time travel. In the end, you find out that the agency was taken away from the main character when it came to a major choice. Though I feel that this will be expanded on in the next book, this did not ruin the book for me, but it did bother me because it was not necessary. I also did not like that the choices that Anaya made after she goes back in time seem to be the right ones, we never get to see them make a new mistake and must then work out what to do.
I am giving it one star because it is exceptionally well-edited, the story flows in a relaxed way moving around the timeline without rushing or lingering too long. One star for being engaging and enjoyable. I am giving one star for the ending. I find short books these days often feel unfinished but this one managed to rape up this book perfectly while still leaving room to tease the next book in the story. And the reason I am giving this book a 4 out of 4 stars rating, is because of the responsible portrayal of mental health. This made the book for me.
If you are from Gen Y or are a Millennial who enjoyed old school Tumblr, then you will enjoy this urban science fiction because it uses some old Tumblr urban myths to build the world of this book. Especially if you wish you looked after your mental health as a teenager. I know I could have used some of this book’s advice when I was a teenage girl. This is why I also recommend this to Young Adult readers because you may be able to make it through your young adult years with less trauma than we did. I also recommend this book to people who enjoy stories like The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, because of how well the time travel elements.
******
The Watchmaker’s Doctor
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker
