Cogheart by Peter Bunzl

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.

I really enjoyed reading Cogheart, it had everything I wanted and more. Even though its been marketed as a book for younger readers, I think readers of all ages will enjoy this amazing story.

The book is set in 1896 Victorian London and is about 13 years old Lily Grantham, whose life is turned upside down after finding out her father has been in an airship accident. Lily is determined to find her father still alive and find the secret invention made by her father, before the people who attacked her father find it. With the help of Robert, the clockmakers son and Malkin her mechanical fox, they have to face against time in this thrilling and gripping adventure.

As soon as I read the description for Cogheart I was sold straight away and knew it would be something I would enjoy reading. There is also a lot of hype surrounding this book, which made me want to pick up this book even more and try it out for myself. If you have heard all the hype for Cogheart I can safely say that this book deserves it and more. Cogheart is a masterpiece from start to finish, once you start reading you will get swept away in to the story and you will never want to leave.

Lily is a magnificent main character, you have so many sides to her, she is smart, determined, brave, resilient and much, much more. This makes reading about Lily and her adventures so gripping because she is fully developed and is a strong main character to have. Robert is also a good second character in Cogheart. I would of liked him to have a few more scenes in the shop with his father, just to flesh out his character a bit more.  But for me the character that steals every scene is Malkin. Throughout the book I was always wanting him to be in every scene because he is such a unusual and brilliant character to have in the story.

Peter Bunzl’s writing in Cogheart is spot on, it is easily one of the best things about this book. He manages to create a wonderful world of a different Victorian London, but still manages to make it feel like home. I would of loved to live in this world with both humans and mechanic animals living side by side. The world building is really strong in this book and you can easily visualise the places and locations that bring this story to life.

If you are looking for a book full of heart, emotion, adventure and mystery then I could not recommend Cogheart enough, because it has all that and more. Everyone needs to believe in the hype for this book because its amazing. I was so happy to find out that there will be a sequel coming out soon called Moonlocket. I cant wait to carry on the adventure and read more of Peter Bunzl’s writing. This has to be one of my favourite reads of this year.

I rate this book 5/5 stars