Cogheart is set in the late Victorian era in Europe and it is about the story of Lily Grace and her father, Professor John Hartman, who is a famous inventor. John wants to keep her daughter away from the public, hence he decided to send her away in a boarding school of Miss Scrimshaw's Academy. He also changed their surnames from Hartman to Grantham to hide their identities, and move to the countryside, Brackenbridge, from their residence in London after her wife's death. John also created a loyal mechanical animal or a mechanicmal pet named Malkin to accompany them both.

On their way home, Lily's father and Malkin had an accident in his airship, Dragonfly, and was considered to be dead by the Hartmans housekeeper. John entrusted Malkin to deliver a letter to his daughter and when Malkin was running away from the scene of the incident, he was hunted by strange men and was shot by one of them. Robert, son and apprenticed for his father at Townsend's Horologist, saw Malkin injured and he sought help from his father to fix the mech. Lily with the help Robert, Malkin, and a scrapper, aeronaut, and a writer named Anna Quinn, they try to find if John is still alive and on how to keep hidden his secret invention that the odd men were looking.

The book is categorized under a middle-grade book however, I think it is more suitable for young adult readers because I find that some parts are a bit inappropriate for them. So far, this is the best steampunk middle grade book that I've read because of how I was immediately drawn into the narrative. I've read a book with a similar setting before and it was hard for me to get into the story. But once I started reading Cogheart, it instantly captivated me and I can't help but keep reading even though it's already five in the morning.

Usually I base my choice of books on the title, the genre, the blurb. This book I purely picked because it had a mechanical fox on the cover. I also felt like an easy read, and this is a middle-grade book, so it seemed like something I'd want at this time. I requested it on <a href="www.netgalley.com"> and it got approved. Hurray! Here's the blurb:


A mystery, adventure, and a strongwilled girl as a protagonist in a steampunk-victorian setting. Lovely! This book could have used a content warning for parental death, gries, and some torture. I was surprised how some of those things were suddenly sprung on me, especially seeing that the book is aimed at 8 tot 12 year olds. What also rubbed me the wrong way is that the gender of Lily is really strongly affirmed a few times. She goes to a girl-school (which makes sense, at that part of the story), but later on a whole paragraph is needed to explain why she wants to get a (technical) education and not just ettiquette and posture, even though she's a girl. She says she is more of a tomboy, when she wears boy clothes. Her friend Robert even says it's weird to see her on those clothes. He is also very taken aback when she wears a fancy dress. Just... let Lily be, do and wear what she liked without it being a /thing/. I did like there was no love/crush-subplot going on though.

The story itself is fastpaced, many twists and turns (albeit some are seen from a distance; then again I'm way older then the expected demographic), and lovely ways of using language. I especialy loved the mechanicals and mechanimals (that pun, you folx! <3), with their thematic saying like "cogs and chronometers" and "punchcards and pistons". The description of the world is vivid and descriptive: I could see the scenes play out before my eyes while reading.

The book came out in the UK in 2016, but will be published in the US at the 12th of February. So if you have a kid in your life that can handle some hard topics, and would like to nudge them towards steampunky interests, this might be right up your alley.

The blogpost will appear on readinghthething.wordpress.com on 11/02/2019.

What a great discovery! I love steampunk and I loved this book.
It's fun to read, entertaining and engaging. It can be appreciated by children and adults.
I look forward to reading other books by this author,
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC

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.

Note: egalley provided by the publisher for review through Netgalley. Thank you Jolly Fish Press!

On with the review...

Cogheart proves that there are still steampunk set stories to tell and fun ones at that. Peter Bunzl's book is certainly appropriate for the middle grade set. With fun and dynamic characters, plenty of action, and some nice twists and turns, the story of a girl uncovering her father's secret is sure to please readers. While the story starts out a bit slowly, each chapter reveals more and more of a world filled with mechanimals and mechanical servants as well as zeppelins and other amazing creations. I tore through this book once I got a feel for it and can't wait for more adventures featuring Lily, her friend Robert, and the mechanimal fox Malkin. Enjoyable from start to finish, though occasionally maddening (in a good way), Cogheart is a rollicking adventure for the whole family to enjoy.

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!

I love steampunk! Follow Lilly and Robert on a journey to locate Lilly's missing father. The additional cast of characters are creepy hybrid humans, a questionable housekeeper, a band of mechanical house servants and a mechanical fox was hilarious. This book was a fun, suspenseful adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat, made me laugh, and made me cry. Perfect for steampunk fans of all ages.

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.