Release: September 1st 2016
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Usborne
Source: Amazon
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible
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Some secrets change the world in a heartbeat…
Lily’s life is in mortal peril. Her father is missing and now silver-eyed men stalk her through the shadows. What could they want from her?
With her friends—Robert, the clockmaker’s son, and Malkin, her mechanical fox—Lily is plunged into a murky and menacing world. Too soon Lily realizes that those she holds dear may be the very ones to break her heart…
Finally, Murder, mayhem and mystery meet in this gripping Victorian adventure.
About the Author:
Peter Bunzl grew up in South London in a rambling Victorian house with three cats, two dogs, one little sister, an antique dealer dad, and an artist mum. As a child he found inspiration visiting TV and film sets, where his mum worked as a costume designer.
After art college and film school, Peter worked as an animator on commercials, pop videos, and two BAFTA-winning children’s TV shows, and wrote and directed several successful short films.
Also Peter’s debut novel Cogheart was a Waterstones Book of the Month. It was shortlisted for the Waterstones Book Prize and the Branford Boase Award. Moonlocket was shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag Readers Award. Cogheart, Skycircus and Shadowsea were nominated for the Carnegie Medal.
Besides, Peter lives in North London with his partner, a fox who visits their garden, and a clutter of house spiders.
Cogheart Review:
“Cogheart” is a creative steampunk middle-grade novel (the first in the genre I have read) that I thought was wonderful.
Firstly, I commend the author for writing an adventurous steampunk tale targeted at middle-graders. I enjoyed all the author’s mechanical details, such as Lily’s father’s inventions and Malkin. The author constructed the story immediately captured my attention because the author sets it in the Victorian times, but the gadgets and mechanical innovations are futuristic.
Lily is lovely in the lead and a perfect heroine for such a tale. The author wrote her character very nicely as she goes on a journey to find her father. I liked her friendship with Robert and enjoyed the scenes where they help each other out. At times, I admired Robert more than Lily because we see him build confidence throughout the story. One of my favorite scenes is when they escape from Roach and Mould. The author wrote Lily, Robert, and Malkin vibrantly.
Similarly, Professor Silverfish, Mould, and Roach are entertaining as the antagonists, although the latter two feel cartoonish at times. I think they would be the perfect villains to entertain the younger readers primarily. However, I did like how the author made Madame and Silverfish pretty complex, where you don’t know what their intentions are initially. On a side note, I also liked Anna, even though she only makes a brief appearance in the tale. I found her to be mysterious.
Overall, “Cogheart” is a fast-paced, steampunk middle grade novel and an excellent start to “The Cogheart Adventures” series.
