Peter Bunzl

3.5 stars

I had very high hopes for this book (I adore steampunk) and while this book was great it did not completely live up to my expectations.

The story starts off a little slowly, but quickly becomes interesting once Robert and Lily meet eachother. The plot twists were a little predictable though and Lily’s scar and mr. Silverfish opinion on mechanicals were very fishy from the beginning.

Robert became my favourite character. He is a nice boy that truly learns how to be brave. Lily was very determined and awesome from the beginning, but I liked how Robert grew into his role as one of the heroes of the story. The scene at mr. Silverfish’s house where he stares in awe at the luxury and his new clothes are among my favourites.

The steampunk world was exactly as great as I hoped it would be, with lovely details about clocks (that turn out to be important later on), mechanical people, airships and mechanical animals. The victorian setting worked really well too.

My only complaint would be the fact that Robert compliments Lily’s dress and almost gets a kiss. I hope with all my heart that they do not fall in love. There are so many romances already and they work so well as friends that I think falling in love would be a step down.

My favourite part was when Robert and his dad discussed the soul of mechanicals. That was beautifully written.
Anyway, I will read the sequel.… (altro)

This was...just OK.
I read really good reviews and some people seem to love it, but a couple of things didn't work out for me.
First, I thought the whole plot was extremely predictable, but I can live with that.
The dialogue wasn't natural for me. It sounded like an old man preaching to everyone. There are some very corny lines and the way the characters talk to each other is borderline Sunday School.
Also, the reaction of the kids to the things that happen just doesn't work. I mean, bad things happen. People are mean. Characters get hurt. But this all slides off the kids.
All in all, it's a nice book, maybe for younger readers but doesn't live up to the potential that the cover, the name, the world building and the idea itself promises.
Not a bad book, but still, not all it could have been.… (altro)