The Eye of the North

<i>I received this free as a UK pre-publication review copy through NetGalley as an ebook, and read it in tandem with a librarian colleague in Canada reading the US version. This has not influenced my review.</i>

What a ride! This is top end middle-grade, so I'll be recommending it to my confident readers from Y5 and then Y6/7 classes (children from 10-12+). It's exhilarating. We start out with a creeping, Snickett-esque atmosphere where you just *know* something awful is about to happen to Emmeline. Then it all lurches towards the Lovecraftian when Emmeline's parents go missing -  a whirlwind of travel, plots, a sweet cheeky boy called Thing, layer upon layer of secret societies, weird adults, mad scientists, revenge, greed, ancient myth, the end of the world and AIRSHIPS! It's not quite steampunk but definitely that sort of atmosphere - planes and telephones are not in evidence, which means the suspense can be drawn out really well. It's a world where climate change is clearly in effect - I would like to have seen more of the backplot of that and I'm hoping O'Hart sets some more stories in this universe to explore the effect of those rising seas in more detail.

The two main characters are fantastic. I love the fact that Emmeline isn't a perfect, brilliant heroine who's good at everything. She's gained her survival skills through a challenging childhood and being a rather fearful overthinker (hello, myself) - her disaster planning, situational awareness and sheer practicality is what saves the day over and over again. Thing is adorable - a sweet, funny boy with a loyal heart as big as Greenland itself. Watch carefully for the resolution of his backstory and disability - it's very subtle and hurried readers will miss it in the final scenes. Take your time over the final chapters and really savour them. My only small criticism is that I would have liked to have seen the villains fleshed out a bit more, but this is very common with debut novels and it doesn't spoil the story at all. I just want to know ALL the details!

If you liked A Place Called Perfect, Mold and the Poison Plot, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Cogheart and/or you're a fan of Norse mythology, this will go down very well. Absolutely one to put on your TBR pile as soon as it comes out.

From the very first line of this wonderful book I was hooked; Sinéad O'Hart has created some brilliant characters with a storyline that keeps you turning page after page! The Eye of the North is definitely set to be one of the top middle grade releases of 2018!

In this steampunk adventure, we start by meeting Emmeline, our feisty heroine as she learns that her parents have mysteriously disappeared. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down and we find ourselves aboard a ship, sailing off towards further mystery and adventure!

The Eye of the North is perfect for fans of Cogheart, A Place Called Perfect and The Sinclair's Mysteries (to name a few!) and thoroughly deserves to be at the top of people's reading lists for 2018!

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, in spite of the Christmas holidays being in full swing! Amongst the festivities (which I spent abroad in Sweden - I'm actually writing this on the plane back!) I was given the chance to have a sneaky early peek at a copy of The Eye of the North, Sinead O'Hart's first book!

Now, first off, I'd like to take a moment to talk about the cover of this book. It truly is an absolute work of art! You just can't help but admire it!

But this book is far more than just a pretty cover for your bookshelf. It truly does have it all. Emmeline Widget is a twelve year old who is pretty much convinced her parents are trying to kill her - their house is full to the rafters tricks and traps. But when Emmeline receives a letter telling her that her parents are dead and she must immediately leave for Paris, she is swept into a world of krakens and airships, mysterious societies and evil nemeses. Will she reach the Eye of the North in time to save her parents?

This book is great if you enjoy books like Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy by Karen Foxlee, A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett, or the Sinclair Mysteries by Katherine Woodfine. It's quite steampunky, but in a completely different way to books such as Peter Bunzl's Cogheart series: it's more subtle, which works brilliantly for this type of story. That's not to say there's no action - far from it: this is a really good, fast paced story guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.

I'd absolutely recommend this book for your 10 - 13 year-old children, or even for anyone who enjoys steampunky themes.