Kateřina Dubová has always aspired to walk in her father’s footsteps as a respected journalist, and the Second World War presents a unique opportunity for her to prove her worth to the world. A tip about an assassination attempt on a high-ranking Nazi official, Reinhard Heydrich, the “Butcher of Prague” leads Kateřina into the shadows of the Nazi occupation. Soon she discovers things are not as they seem.

As intrigue unfurls, Kateřina joins forces with Josef Loew, a descendant of the famous Rabbi Loew, renowned for creating a mystical guardian in the form of a golem to protect the souls of 16th-century Jews in Prague. In the chaos of war, some believe a new golem can once again bring help to those in need.

Like flickering candles in the abyss, Kateřina and Josef work to protect the innocent and end the evil that plagues their world. Yet, in their quest to save the Jewish people, have they inadvertently created a new danger? Could the very entity they had forged to protect become their greatest enemy?

Book 1 of The Clockwork Chronicles series.

Breath of Bones comes to life based on the historical figure Judah Loew. According to legend, this real-world rabbi fashioned from clay a living creature, the golem, to protect the Jewish people from attacks in 16th-century Bohemia. Now this alternate-historical adventure by Tricia Goyer and her son Nathan Goyer follows the rabbi’s firebrand descendant Josef as he protects his people from the new threat of Nazis. History buffs can appreciate details of the Third Reich’s war machine chugging across Europe, yet cogs and clocks give this story new energy, while its iron bones belong to the golem itself.

Best for: Adult fans of wartime adventure, historical fantasy, and steampunk tropes.

Discern: Some vivid violence in defense of the defenseless.