About this book:

Step into the heart of Gildenport, the gleaming City of Turning Gears, where clockwork marvels conceal a deeper, forbidden magic. Harper Lane, an apprentice clockmaker with a knack for the city's hidden rhythms, finds her world shattered when she discovers her beloved mentor, Master Hardley, murdered amidst broken gears and a stolen, ancient artifact known as the Chronos Shard. Framed for the crime and on the run, Harper must navigate Gildenport’s treacherous alleys and uncover the conspiracy that links forbidden magic to the city's very pulse.

With the help of Finn, a rogue with secrets of his own and an intimate knowledge of Gildenport’s hidden Undercity, Harper delves into a world of forgotten passages, ancient mechanisms, and shadowy figures. From clandestine meetings with the enigmatic Tinker to a perilous infiltration of the Clockmaker’s Guild itself, Harper races against time to uncover Master Hardley's final clues, hidden in plain sight within a coded ledger and an antique music box. But the truth is far more dangerous than she imagined, revealing a centuries-old conspiracy known as the Serpent in the Gears, and a betrayal that reaches the highest ranks of the Guild.

As the city prepares for the annual Unity Festival, where the grand clocks are synchronized in a display of the Guild's power, Harper discovers the Serpent's terrifying plan: to use the stolen Chronos Shard and overload the city's magical heart, the Chronos Core, unleashing chaos and seizing absolute control. With time running out, Harper must expose the betrayers, confront the true face of the Serpent, and wield the long-forgotten magic of the Founders to re-calibrate Gildenport’s fragile balance. From the deepest tunnels of the Undercity to the highest spires of the Clocktower, Harper’s journey will redefine the city’s destiny and reveal the true meaning of the Clockmaker’s Compass.