To be honest, I'm not sure if I'm going to finish this book. It is a very capable middle-grade adventure story that will be perfect for fans of other middle-grade adventure stories. The steampunk elements are fun, and the scary adults in the book are truly menacing! At times the kid characters came across as a little generic which prevented me from really immersing in this cool steam-punky world. Even though it wasn't for me, I'm sure I'll find many readers to recommend it to who will absolutely love it.

This was a surprising read. There is adventure full of creepy, steampunk guys that are coming after the main character and mechanical animals/humans that are trying to help her as much as they can before winding down.

I really enjoyed reading the viewpoints on these technologies that her society is battling.

While reading this book, my mind kept jumping to the Lunar Chronicles with how the mechanical world comes together with the human body. And of course, the humans view these people as inferior and as nothing.

As the daughter of the genius who created these mechanicals, she is put down throughout her life for her beliefs. It was interesting to see how her entire world came crumbling down, yet, there’s a bane of hope in her.

But the adventure that takes place was really fun to read. We follow a second plotline that brings another version to her missing father and the secrets that he has been hiding since her mother’s death.

I really enjoyed the main character and her cleverness in following the clues. There are tons of plot twists that you won’t see coming, and the ending leaves you satisfied.

As this is a series starter, it will be interesting to see where the sequel will take off. I gave this book a high 4 out of 5 stars. It was a quick read that I ended up reading in one day, and the steampunk elements do not disappoint. It was such a creative world that even had skin-crawling moments when it came to the main villain of the story.. I couldn’t stop picturing his creepy eyes!

This book had an interesting premise and good plot twists, I just couldn't really get into it. I think the books target audience will like this a lot, so just because it wasn't a favorite of mine doesn't mean I wouldn't consider it a good book.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Author: Peter Bunzl
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Publication Date: 12 Feb 2019

I loved the concept of Cogheart, I'm not sure what it is, but I always get very nostalgic feelings from the idea of clockwork. So the chance to read a book which had clockwork people and (more importantly) animals was something I just couldn't pass on. I liked how the world was set up, how the mechanical creatures and people fit (or didn't fit) into society, that feeling of technology butting up against traditional ideas. I will say, there are times when a character might insinuate that someone with a part mechanical arm, for example, is less-than one without, but the book as a whole is challenging that idea, so I personally didn't read it as ableist. 

The next part of my review is something of a matter of personal preference. I like to be surprised by a book, I like the plot twist, I like it to be unpredictable. I know that some people feel very differently and enjoy being able to figure things out easily. I thought that this story was quite predictable. I worked out pretty much the entire plot (barring a few things) before I was more than a few chapters in. It's still fun to read, I won't deny that, but if you're looking for a book to puzzle this may not be that book. Of course, I'm reading middle grade as an adult, and that has something to do with it as well, but I'm pretty confident I would have worked it out when I was the age of the intended audience.

I did love the characters, I thought they were funny and heartwarming, the evil characters had that evil charm to them. I was reminded of a slightly more competent (and more sinister) version of the Baddun brothers from 101 Dalmatians, which is a much loved book from my childhood. 

This was a perfectly lovely story, an interesting world, great characters, a plot that had a lot going on under the surface. However, something in this just didn't quite spark for me the way some of the other Middle-Grade books I've read did. I found myself constantly comparing it to Brightstorm which I utterly adored, and just feeling like I didn't quite get so much out of it. I'm not sure if it was the writing or the fact that I worked out the end, but something didn't quite hit home. 

I would still absolutely recommend this as a book for middle-grade readers. I think younger me would have loved to receive this book as a present, maybe a winter read? It would be great for kids of any gender (one of the big selling points for MG in general, at least in my opinion) and I have no doubt that this builds into a really fun series. 

My rating: 3/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was fun to read with my 9 year old. The storyline was perfect for her age bracket. It didn't hold any huge surprises but for us, that was appreciated. Great book that we would definitely share with friends.

Lily is away at boarding school learning, reading penny dreadfuls and hoping for adventurous travel with her father when she receives terrible news her father's had an accident and is presumed dead. She is whisked out of school and brought home. Robert the son of the local clockmaker find and helps repair a mechanical fox made by Lily's father. They both get caught up in danger and adventure when they are pursued by two men searching for all of them. Danger, air chases, and lock picking this book has it all. I truly enjoyed this book it has a feeling of a true adventure, there is real danger and consequences for everyone.

*thank you to Netgalley, North Star Editions and Jolly Fish Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

OMG my what a fun read this was. I love middle grade stories, victorian era and steampunk so when I saw this I just had to read it and I was not disappointed. I have to say that I LOVE the cover! It seems that I am not the only one thinking that it is simply gorgeous. Would highly recommend.

A great steam-punk sci-fi novel for middle-graders.
Lily and Robert are fantastic characters who bravely tackle the variety of problems thrown their way. This book deals well with a range of sensitive issues, such as the loss of a parent, and discovering that someone you believed in is not what they seem.
I loved the way the author throws out little clues for the big reveal - to allow people to possibly work it out for themselves! Malkin, Lily's mechanimal fox companion is a little ratty, but loveable, and together with Anna the scrapper/writer/aeronaut/investigator, they make a great team!
The world Peter Bunzl creates is immersive and enjoyable, with its own little quirks and catchphrases which just make it feel all the more real.
I will definitely be reading the rest of the series, and I'll be recommending them to my 8 year-old niece, too!

Well wasn't that just full of fluff and sugar with some crunch!

This is middle grade story following our main character Lilly, a young fellow bookworm, who's father has disappeared. She then receives more bad news that these people called the "mirror-eyed men" are after her because of this machine her father was rumored to have. This was so action packed and kept me on the edge of my seat, it's mixed with so many elements like fantasy, historical, steampunk. It's all rolled into one incredibly charming story. I couldn't put this one down. I'll be keeping an eye out for this authors new releases because I need more of this easy and buttery writing style.

This is my first steampunk, Victorian adventure and I had no idea what to expect! “Punchcards And pistons!” This book was so much fun!

Lily is a fiesty, young girl living away from home in an all girl’s school, when she learns her father is missing and presumed dead. This is where her adventure takes off!

Lily was being protected by her father, but she doesn’t even know why. Now she is being hunted for an invention her father was trying so hard to protect. Does she find the invention that everyone is after, or ever see her father again? I won’t say…

But it is full of adventure with evil teachers, creepy bad guys and mechanical friends! The author was able to create such a creative, fantasy world with inventions and clock-workings that I was easily able to feel apart of and thoroughly enjoyed!

This is a book I would highly recommend to a young reader!

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher, Jolly Fish Press in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published February 12, 2019.

A charming adventure for middle-grade audiences.

Lily's just received the devastating news of her father's airship accident, but she doesn't have time to grieve: mirror-eyed men are chasing her down, hunting for a so-called perpetual motion machine her father was rumoured to have invented. With the help of Malkin, a mechanimal fox filled with cogs and springs and a crisp attitude, and Robert, a clockmaker's son, Lily sets out to uncover the secrets her father's been hiding from her for a long time.

It was an entertaining read from beginning to end. Set in a steampunk edition of England and featuring a colourful cast of characters, young readers will have much to enjoy. For adult readers, there''s not much to be found in terms of character depth or spellbinding prose, but for the middle-grade audience its targeting, I can imagine it'll land very nicely.

A predictable middle grade adventure that will find fans among steampunk aficionados.

I found the plot very by the numbers (except for the big reveal about the cogheart). The villains are classic mustache-twirling evil doers with no depth. I liked the mechanical characters the best.

Recommended for fans of A Series of Unfortunate Events. This book may be a little scary for little kids, so I'd stick with middle graders.

Big big <spoiler>: I did find it very unfair that Lily regained her father (that was obviously going to happen from the beginning) but Robert lost his. </spoiler>

I read an advance reader copy of Cogheart from Netgalley.

Danger, air-ships, nasty teachers, mechs, Victorian...what else is there to say? Cogheart is a middle-grade steampunk that hits all bulls-eyes! Lily was sent into hiding by her father, who then goes missing. Adventure ensues. Looking forward to the next installment!

Received from NetGalley.

A really really cute book! Lily is stuck at a boarding school she can't stand when she's whisked home and told her father is missing, presumed dead, and her world is flipped upside down.

She's being chased by people who want answers and she doesn't really know what they seek, she just knows she can't give it to them. She finds allies in a new friend and her faithful fox who had come to find her and keep her safe.

It's pretty much a non-stop book of adventure and some danger. Set in a steampunk world, it has mechanical beings and airships and is full of heart.

A really enjoyable book for any ages, I will definitely read more.

This newest entry into the steam punk genre is aimed towards younger readers. It has excitement and adventure, humanistic machines, a touch of romance, and places for tears. It may not be for every child, but those that seek out the unusual story, they may find a home here.

Enjoyed the tale, though I realised belatedly that it was a middle grade book. Those are not normally my jam as I find many of them not complex enough in characterisation or plot. For example, in Cogheart I was constantly flummoxed at how the two main characters were inexplicably found again and again by the bad guys with no clear plot reason as to how they were so easily discovered at least a dozen times (while being helped by adults for half those times).

In saying that I can see it being a great adventure for middle grade levels as it has that immediacy to the writing, the focus on action, and the kids being independent and making strides forward to change their situation on their own terms, thinking up their own solutions, I found though that the book didn't really start hitting its stride until half-way through the book, in my mind that is WAY too long for the set up, if it wasn't my first NetGalley read I might have put it down before then. Once the pace picked up half way through with the kids escaping it was easier to be swept up in the story. I found adults to be problematic in this book, they are incredibly useless (without there being a reason for it) and (spoiler) the killing off of multiple parents was a little too convenient.

Strengths of the book included an atmospheric setting, including airships, clock shops, mechanicals, and big mysterious mansions and boarding schools. As well as an alternate universe London which I always enjoy. All in all it was a good book, but probably more for a younger audience than I had anticipated.

Lily Hartman's father has gone missing. Her housekeeper, named guardian in her father's will, has turned into a tyrant, selling her father's mechanical servants and searching the house for some mysterious item. When Malkin, her mechanimal fox, comes bearing a cryptic message from her father, Lily flees her house with a little rosewood box. Does it contain the perpetual motion machine that everyone seems to want?

Aided by Robert, the son of a local mechanic, Lily must escape ruffians with silver-plated eyes, survive an airship scrimmage, and make her way to the heart of steampunk London. Along the way, we will discover just what secrets her father has been keeping as both Robert and Lily use their wits and their hearts to save each other from the heartless villain that pursues them. 

This middle grade adventure is a fantastic introduction to the steampunk genre. Lily and Robert both demonstrate loyalty and bravery in the face of terrifying odds. The mechanical creatures and airships that fill the pages are winsomely described as is the pseudo-Victorian setting. The book's best feature is probably its pacing, which propels the reader like a streamlined dirigible from beginning to end at breathtaking speed.

The cover itself had me intrigued and the summary finished to draw me to this book. How glad I was to quickly discover that the story itself was everything that I was expecting and more.

Cogheart is at turn enchanting and terrifying. The world draws you in and never cease to present you with more and more wonders that you wish you could take out from the pages. The characters are diverse, have depth and one cannot do anything but read on to know how their story will end.

Despite it's colourful and joyful cover, Cogheart is more of a dark tale and would suit the older side of the middlegrade public, much like Jed and the Junkyard War that I found very similar.

I am beyond excited to jump into the rest of this series.

3.5/5

Victorian steam-punk for middle grades! Cogheart by Peter Bunzl is an action-packed mystery that will keep you on your toes! Young Lily has just learned that her father is missing after his airship mysteriously crashed. When Madame Verdigris, Lily’s guardian, brings her home from boarding school, everything is different and she soon fears that Madame Verdigris is not to be trusted. Sure enough, Lily finds herself being chased by two mirror-eyed men who mean to do harm if Lily doesn’t answer their questions. But what do they want? And why do they want Lily?

A deep, dark secret begins to unfold as Lily, her friend Robert, and her mechanical fox Malkin begin a quest to find Lily’s father and reveal the truth behind the mysterious Cogheart!

Imaginative and full of adventure, I thoroughly enjoyed Cogheart. There are so many unexpected twists and turns; it will keep you guessing. There is also a glossary of words for young readers to refer to in case they are unfamiliar with steam-punk terms. This book will be great for 8-12 year olds and fans of The Series of Unfortunate Events.

Thank you to NetGalley and Jolly Fish Press for this E-ARC. I’m looking forward to this book series (Cogheart, Moonlocket, and Skycircus) to be released in the US!

Cogheart is engaging and well-written. It’s a fine example of the fantasy genre, and one I would gladly share with readers young and old.

Enjoyable and creative fun.