Similar to Moonlocket (the second book in this series), it's not necessary to have read the prior book in the series to enjoy this one. Lily, Robert, and their snarky mech-animal sidekick, Malkin are back for another adventure featuring a flying circus, a birthday invite gone wrong, and revelations surrounding Lily's mother. While I enjoyed reading Skycircus, it lacked the depth and excitement of Moonlocket.

The plot of Skycircus is relatively basic and while it was fast-paced and entertaining, it lacked a sense of urgency and danger- there was never a moment when I truly believed the characters were in peril despite their circumstances. It didn't have much suspense either but I liked that the plot never dragged and the story came to a neat and tidy conclusion (though there is a fourth book coming out).

Character-wise, Lily and Robert remain the same characters throughout and didn't really grow. They didn't feel as complex or multi-dimensional and overall, were a bit too easy to root for. The villain is a standard baddie with boring evil intentions, however, I did like the commentary on hybrids and the discussion on what it means to be human. Malkin is still my favorite- love that snarky, mech-animal fox!

Overall, not too thrilled about this sequel but would be open to reading the next installment.

*Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions for providing a free ARC

This is book #3 in the series, and the only one I have read. That being said, I did not feel as if I were missing any backstory. It completely stands alone, which is nice. Skycircus is action-packed with one twist after another. I am a fan of Jolly Fish Press, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read this book.

Bunzi's characters are relatable, and the story never lags. It's a fresh take on the theme of accepting people who are different, but written in such a way so that you don't feel as if you are learning a lesson.

The language can get a bit elevated for middle grade, for example. The words bilious or gendarmes are likely to be unfamiliar to most young readers. However, the kindle app makes it easy to quickly define a word without faltering. There is a smattering of French throughout, but the French words didn't slow the story, in my opinion. There is a dictionary at the end for some of the more circus-specific words at the end of the book. Some children move to stretch their vocabulary, and this book will appeal to them in particular.

I didn’t realize this book was the third in the series when I requested or started reading it so I was a little lost in the beginning. It’s very well written and I love the steam punk and circus themes of the book. The characters and plot are intriguing and I will definitely be getting the first books to read!

I must confess that I love this trilogy and I will be sad when it will come to an end. This book was full of evil and mean characters. I think children that are innocent can easily look over the books tragedy, as an adult it’s harder to read about kidnapping and child abuse and enjoy each word just because it’s a SF book.
The plot is interesting and you can never predict how the story will end( at least how the happy ending will come). I love the map from the beginning and I wish there was a short recap because the books launch at big distance from one and other

Earc from netgalley

Out of all the cogheart adventure books, I enjoyed this one the best! It was action packed with more of an interesting setting than the first two, so I liked that part. For sure read this if you have read the first two in the series!

I didn't realize this was part of a series, so I was pretty lost during the beginning of the book. That's not the fault of the book, though. Just be aware-it is extremely helpful to have read the other books, first. Overall, it was a neat story. I am definitely interested in reading the books leading up to this one.

I did not realize when requesting that this book was part of a series. I felt really confused at the beginning of the story, as this book doesn't do a whole lot of clear world building at the beginning of the book presuming that the reader has read the two previous books. While this is no fault of the book itself, I do find it helpful to have some world building and reminders of previous book events woven into the beginning of each book in a series. The overall story was fine, definitely a great adventurous read for middle schoolers.

Initially, when I requested this book, I did not realize it was part of a series. I was slightly confused with a lot of things, which I assume were covered in the first two books. It was weird though, because I was also able to understand and follow what was going on with the book no problem. The writing was way too flowery though. It was archaic and seemed to be writing as if it were trying to be a classic, which I do not entirely agree with this writing style, clearly. However, this was not a bad book by any means. There were just some flaws that I found within it. If you have been following this series from the beginning, do not hesitate to pick this one up, or even if you are just intrigued by the description of this one, like I was.

A fun adventure story for middle grade kids. Their are good characters and a strong moral of all people are people deserving of respect.

There is something that feels classic and dashing about this steampunk tale for youth. As an adult reader, I enjoyed it. As a literacy teacher, I would gladly share it with other readers, young and old. Nice work from an author whose words I enjoy.