Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

A magical tale, filled with whimsy, friendship and adventure.

I tend to stay away from middle grade, but this gorgeous cover drew my eye and I decided to give it a go. I’m so glad I did. It was the perfect fun read I was hoping for.

In this steampunk children’s/middle grade book we are whisked away on an adventure with Lily, her trusty mechanimal Malkin and the clockmakers son Robert. After her fathers airship is attacked and he is reported dead, Lily is sent back home with the sneaky housekeeper to wait for more news, but all is not what it seems. Men with silver orbs for eyes are following her, the mechanicals in her house are nervous, the housekeeper is going through everything and has moved herself into the main bedroom. With no adults left to trust Lily and her friends must make the trip to London to her Godfather, in the hope of getting some answers. What do these odd men want and are they willing to kill for it?

The writing was beautiful and gave me a vivid picture of the setting and characters. The mechanicals were described so well, I had no trouble picturing them pottering around the house. Malkin the mechanimal fox was a great character. He was serious and grumpy but incredibly loyal. He is snarky and rude and often the unwilling comedy piece in serious situations.

Lily had the most distinctive voice, her phrasing and the way she presented herself was perfect for the setting. Lily was so full of life, with her red hair and adventurous nature. She read Penny Dreadfuls and wanted to fly in airships. She could pick a lock with a bobby pin and when that didn’t work she would climb out the window and shimmy down the side of the house. She is loyal, she is brave and she is a character who I would love my kids to read about. She is an inspiring main character, both vulnerable and strong.

I often struggle with steampunk, but this was perfect for me. I was able to grasp all the concepts and I really enjoyed that some of the mechanicals showed emotion. It was another way of making me connect to the story. It had a Pippi Longstockings vibe which I loved.

This was a quick read, a tad predictable, but I wouldn’t take stars away from it for that, I’m not the age range they are aiming for. I would most definitely buy this for my daughter and there are a few other kids around nine who I’m planning on giving this to for Christmas.
The easiest way to describe the book is fun.

I received an arc of Cogheart from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

You can order your own copy – Amazon / Booktopia  / Book Depository  (All three books are available from Book Depository the paperbacks are all available via amazon and Booktopia so you don’t have to wait for the next book)

Title – Cogheart
Author – Peter Bunzl
Released – 12th February 2019 (American release)
Publisher – North Star Editions