I know several other reviewers have said that "oh, you don't really need to have read the first book in order to appreciate and enjoy this part of the series!" They lied. I found myself struggling to keep up with the characters, because there was SO MUCH backstory that I didn't know. However! I will say, I want to read the first book, because the world Bunzl created is so enjoyable! I love that we've got this steampunk Victorian England world, complete with a talking steam-powered fox who's this cute little smartass. I give it three and a half (rounded up to four) stars, because I do enjoy the style.

I NEED TO READ BOOK 1 and 3!!! I really really liked this book and the friendship between Lily and Robert. I think this is my first Steampunk book and I liked it! The way everyone and everything functions is amazing to read and picture it in your head. I do think this book had an important lesson for not only kids, but everyone when it comes to family, friends, love, trust. It’s hard to go with the right choice and when you do knowing this is right. Definitely a great read for anyone especially kids. Also the drawlings are beautiful! Thank you so much Netgalley and Jolly Fish press

The characters of Lily and Robert are courageous and adventurous, though they each have their own personal struggles that are playing on their minds. I like that these characters had to work through feelings and mental barriers in order to move forward and tackle the next roadblock to figuring out the mysteries surrounding them.
Malkin is a sarcastic little fellow which makes for a nice hint of humour in intense moments. Malkin was also my favourite character.

I found the world interesting, specifically the mechanical people and pets, but that was not the focus of this book. The mystery was rather intriguing, tugged at a few heartstrings and had multiple moments of discovery, some of which were a surprise.
The events all take place in a few days and the pace of the novel works to convey that without feeling like the story drags out over the 384 pages (according to Goodreads). It was an easy read and the content is suitable for older children, but it still has elements that will appeal to older readers who enjoy middle-grade novels.

I am a SUCKER for middle grade fantasy and to be back in the thick of The Cogheart Adventures after thoroughly enjoying the first one felt like being at home.

Following the thrills of Cogheart, the writing is engaging throughout, with lots of humour and quirks, fun dialogue, and a style that felt close to Arthur but with enough distance to also give it an old-fashioned adventure style. I was immediately sucked right into this world from the very first page and I couldn't leave it out of my hand until I'd finished it. I loved the characters - child, adult, and animal alike! - and every one of them could have their own book, such is the skill with which they are presented. As well as the excellent, pacy plotting and the fantastically well-rounded characters, this book is so beautifully written that it left me aglow with admiration.

If you've read and loved first book then just stop what you're doing and read its sequel.

I tocking adored this book. It was a delightful romp in an alternate England where zeppelins and sentient automatons are commonplace. Our detective heroes Lily and Robert are wonderful characters, however their sidekick, a mechanical fox named Malkin, totally stole the show.

The steampunk fantasy world that Peter Bunzl created is an awe inspiring place for readers to lose themselves within whether young adult or adult. It was well written, compelling, and full of surprising twists and turns. I hadn't read the first book but the author did a great job explaining the backstory so I was able to fully immerse myself in this fantastical tale. I'll be recommending this book to everyone, old and young alike!

Full review to come on my blog closer to the publication date. Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this enchanting story.

I fell in love with Cogheart and then I fell in love with this story.
It's well written, engrossing and entertaining. I think it can be appreciated by children and adult.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A fun adventure read for middle-graders! This is historical fiction with a twist - the main characters are a boy, a girl with a clock-work heart, and a sassy "mechanimal" fox.

Thank you so much to North Star Editions/Jolly Fish Press who sent me an ebook through NetGalley to review of MoonLocket written by Peter Bunzl..

The story is a Victorian era steampunk story that follows two kids Lily and Robert and Malkin (a mechanical fox). A prisoner who goes by Jack of Diamonds is on the loose and hunting to find his rare diamond he lost and the moonlocket. This takes the kids on an adventure as they have to escape away from him as he believes Robert knows where it is. Lily gets the chance to prove to herself and her father that she is stronger than they thought.

This story is certainly a story that children would enjoy and get a thrill from reading, its action packed from the start and will get them solving the mystery on their own. It has great lead characters and is set in a unique way with the steampunk theme that you very rarely see in books.

For me personally it’s not a book I’d read again but I personally am not a steampunk fan and that’s okay, it was still an interesting read and I’m glad I got the opportunity to read it.

I started this book by being persuaded to have read the first volume, Cogheart ... Which was not the case, but it did not bother me during my reading!

In this second volume (which can be read without being lost if you have not read the first volume), we follow the adventures of Lily, a young girl with a mechanical heart, her mechanical fox Malkin and Robert, their best friend, looking for his family.
They will, unfortunately, cross the road of the infamous Jack of Diamonds, in search of the diamond that earned him his nickname and years in prison. This is how they will be tied to dark family stories, based on secrets, cryptograms, and spirits ...

I hooked a lot on the story. When I realized that I had not read the first volume, I was afraid to continue reading and to understand nothing, but it was absolutely not the case.

The trio of departure is very endearing, be is the intrepid Lily, the curious Robert or Malkin, and his small remarks ...
I really liked the secondary characters that appeared along the way, including our famous journalist and his young sidekick, which I hope to find in the third volume.

In short, a good reading, which made me very eager to discover the first volume of the series, and I'm now waiting for the third part, to be released in 2020! ^^

I picked up Cogheart on a whim a few years ago, and I fell in love with the charm, mystery, and steampunk setting. Opening up Moonlocket took me right back, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book. The strong themes of family bonds (chosen and blood), intrepid adventuring, and protecting those you care about stand out throughout the story. There's a few fun new characters, some returning friends, and some genuinely dastardly villains. While the threat is pretty apparent from the beginning, the lack of mystery doesn't lessen the villain's impact on the story. It's probably all right to read Moonlocket independent of its preceding novel, but I'd recommend reading Cogheart first, as most of the character bonds rely on what was established in the first book.

A fun steampunk adventure as two best friends and a mechanical fox try to stop a criminal mastermind, Jack Diamond. Moonlocket is the second installment in the Coghearts series, but you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one.

Set in an alternative steampunk Victorian-era London, Jack Diamond, a world-renowned thief and notorious showman, has escaped from prison with plans to recover the missing Blood Diamond belonging to the Queen of England. Before long, Robert, Lily and Malkin are caught up in the midst of this scheme as they race against time to find the Blood Diamond before Jack. I liked that the plot was fast-paced and kept you engaged the entire time.

Also, can we take a moment and appreciate the steampunk setting. Loved the worldbuilding and how vibrant it was- I especially liked the mechanimals. Malkin was the absolute best because who can resist a snarky mechanical fox?

What I also enjoyed about this book was the deep discussions it offered. Lily has a mechanical heart and this leads to inner conflict as she tries to determine whether she is human or not whilst subconsciously questioning what defines human. Additionally, Robert longs for a family to call his own as he misses his late father and has never met his mother who left him at infancy. The overarching theme of finding a sense of belonging was well developed in this novel. Really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next installment.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Flux publishing for providing a free ARC

2,5 stars

Moonlocket is the sequel to Cogheart, a middle grade steampunk book I read earlier this year. I am conflicted on this book to be honest.

And I am just going to start with the problem I have. It is the ending. The end of Cogheart already had some violence that was on the border. But the ending of Moonlocket has more. And especially the combination of violence, guns, family members, drowning and death is a combination that I don’t think should have happened in this middle grade. Because you do have to realize you write for middle grade. This isn’t about sheltering children. If we aren’t going to write age appropriate within the target groups of middle grade and children’s books what is even the point of having these categories? Middle grade should be age appropriate for every child within the range of 8-12 years old. And yes I am sure there are kids that can deal with that but the target group isn’t just for those kids. So yes I docked heavily in my star rating for this book.

Other than that I think that the story in itself is fine. We focus more on Robert who is trying to find his mother. Trying to find out what that part of him is. How she could leave him? Why she isn’t coming now that his father is dead. I think that for kids who only have one parent, who are in a similar situation, this will be very relatable. I’m glad to see that he was clearly welcomed in Lily’s family still whatever he choose to do.

I thought Malkin’s , lily’s mechanical fox, was a bit too much of a negative nancy in this one. Man he could certainly get my mood down. I think Lily’s father is too naïve that he thinks he can leave his daughter and his friend alone at home for days at an end and for them not to get up to things that he forbade with only mechanical people around them to tell them no. Which they know how to shut off and can run away from easily.

So yeah I think the story itself is great middle grade but detail wise I think that there is a lot that don’t work for middle grade or don’t make sense.

It's a while since I read Cogheart, but this book subtly revisited all the important information in the first chapter or so, so I didn't struggle to get back into it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Moonlocket and frequently sat and read it for hours at a time; it dropped frequent clues that I enjoyed trying to put together and children will enjoy the mystery and the codebreaking!

I would highly recommend this book for KS2.

Moonlocket is a fantastic continuation of the Cogheart Adventures. Lily and Robert are enjoying their summer when the Jack of Diamonds is seen lurking around Roberts dad's ruined building. Robert finds clues to his mums disappearance and realises that the criminal mastermind, Jack of Diamonds, and he might be looking for the same thing.
And off the kids go on another high stakes adventure through London, meeting new friends, dodging new enemies and solving mysteries along the way.
Moonlocket has the same fun adventurous feel as Cogheart. It's sweet, full of mystery and enjoyable as an adult and is a perfect middle age grade book. A fun for all tale.

A cute middle grade mystery. My son selected this for one of his first summer reads and enjoyed continuing the series.

This was such a fun book and I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it. I've always been a bit wary with middle grade books, I find them to be quite hit and miss with what I'm looking for in my reading. The characters often seem ridiculously immature and annoying and therefore I feel no connection to anything going on plotwise either. Moonlocket was definitely a turning point in my reading preferences though.

The story was fast paced and action packed and there was never a point where I felt bored or uninterested in what was going on. I loved the steampunk aspects to this fantasy novel, an alternate Victorian London where mechanical beings live among the rest of the population as well as the fact that zeppelins are the preferred mode of transport which I found so cool and just a little bit envious of, so much better then taking the bus. There was just so much creative world-building and I praise Peter Bunzl for his compelling writing.

The characters are just as charming as in the first book, I especially liked that you could tell Lily and Robert had both matured since the events in Cogheart with both having to making serious decisions and both striving to prove themselves. I have to say I think Malkin might be my favourite character though, his snarkiness and wit were perfectly timed and now I really want a pet mechanical fox of my own. The new additions fitted in perfectly, particularly Tolly who is just an absolute sweetheart. I think the villain in this one, the dastardly Jack Door, was even more compelling then the villain in the first book. He was cunning and ruthless and incredibly entertaining.

I'm already such a fan of this series and I can't wait to start reading the third book Skycircus.

I had read Cogheart a while ago so it took me a few chapters to get into the story. Lily and Robert embark on a new adventure as Robert discovers secrets from his past.

I teach Year 6 and I am sure that this is a book they would enjoy. It has good curriculum links to the Victorians and Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee features in the book.

This isn’t an arc as such, there are three books out in the series already and this is the second. Not sure why it’s on netgalley as an arc with a wrong release date

I received a free copy of Moonlocket by Peter Bunzi from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Welcome to Victorian London, with a steampunk twist. Lily, Robert, and Malkin (the mechanical fox) are being chased by Jack of Diamonds in his search for the moonlocket and a missing diamond. While this story is the second in a series (I have not read the first book) it does well on its own. There is lots of action, twists and turns, and you are hanging on until the end. Great story.

Author : Peter Bunzl

Genre : Middle grade fiction, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, children's

Publication date : 13 August 2019 by Flux, Jolly Fish Press

Number of pages : 384 pages

Synopsis : It's hard to escape the secrets from the past.

Storm clouds gather over Lily and Robert's summer when criminal mastermind the Jack of Diamonds appears. For Jack is searching for the mysterious Moonlocket - but that's not the only thing he wants.

Suddenly, dark secrets from Robert's past plunge him into danger. Jack is playing a cruel game that Robert is a part of. Now Lily and Malkin, the mechanical fox, must stay one step ahead before Jack plays his final, deadly card...

You'll like this if : You enjoy steampunk Victorian London, gutsy little girls and awesome mechanical animals

 I received this eARC for free from Netgally and Jolly Fish Press in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this middle grade read. It made me nostalgic for my childhood reading of Nancy Drew.

First of all, this is set in a steampunk version of Victorian London, which is just awesome. The main character is a gutsy little girl who sets out to prove her strength - both to herself and her father - with the help of her friend Robert, and her mechanical fox, Malkin.

This is the second book in this series, and while I had no trouble following the storyline and picking up what had happened in the previous book, one thing I kept wanting to know was : how does a mechanical fox have fur?? Is this explained in the first book? I really loved the concept of "mechanimals" - mechanical animals - and would have loved a little more detail of how they worked. 

My absolute favourite thing about this book is that it isn't dumbed down or simplified in any way. Language and concepts are used and then explained in a way that isn't condescending or patronising to the reader. For example:

"The locket's a crescent moon..."

"So?" Robert said.

"So there's no such thing as a crescent moon," Lily mumbled with her mouth full. "It's a trick of the light. An illusion. In actuality there's only a whole moon."

"Because," Robert said, "the rest of it is hidden in shadow."

Use of descriptive words such a "bird guano" instead of "bird poo" also just added to the feel of excellent writing aimed at middle grade readers.

Literally the only thing that bugged me, as a parent, was how incredibly irresponsible Lily's father was when it came to looking after them. I mean really, leaving your kids with mechanical servants. Hahaha.

Rating : 4/5 Book Wolves - I would highly recommend this for middle grade readers.