Book Review: Cogheart (The Cogheart Adventures #1) by Peter Bunzl
Media Type: Ebook
Title: Cogheart
*Series: The Cogheart Adventures #1
Author: Peter Bunzl
Publisher: Usborne
Pages: Paperback; 366
Release Date: September 1, 2016
Source: NetGalley
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Content Screening: Mild Violence
HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Young readers who enjoy quick moving reads with plenty of twists and turns.
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. . . .
Murder, mayhem and mystery meet in this gripping Victorian adventure.
So, this is a rough one for me to review. Anyone who has been following me for any length of time knows how much I love Middle Grade books. There’s something beautiful about a tough topic dealt with in a way that is consumable by young readers. Even better, there’s something lovely about watching a young person conquer an unimaginable adventure. I always have high hopes for all the MG books that I read, and this was no exception.
At first, I was enchanted with the idea of a steampunk story for young readers. The idea of Lily living in a place that was populated with dirigibles and mechanical people just stole my heart. However, I soon found that this book had a few flaws. While the story moves quickly, and the plot stays on track, there’s not a lot of depth here. I found myself thinking about many other books that this story is similar to, that do things just a little bit better. It’s a little cookie cutter, and that made it a rough read for me.
Now, do I think that young readers would like this book? Probably! The story has plenty of twists and turns and Lily’s group is plucky to a fault. As I mentioned above, the plot moves quickly and the characters are rather fun. As an adult reader though, this book just didn’t hold the magic that I really wanted it to. Lily was the basic version of every young heroine I’ve followed on an adventure, and all of the things that happened to her felt similar to other books I’ve read as well. This wasn’t a bad book, just not a memorable one for me.
For young readers who enjoy high flying adventures with a touch of danger, this is a book they’ll love. For adult readers, I’m not so sure.
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
