Lily lives in an alternative Victorian era where clockwork animals and people are servants, friends and pets. Lily is at boarding school as her mum died in an accident years ago and her father is an inventor of clockwork mechanisms and always busy.

This book uses a lot of the steampunk tropes that we are used to; dirigibles, clockwork, Victoriana, and a strong female character; and it uses them well in telling a fast-paced adventure with a lot of suspense, mystery and laughs.

Peter’s writing is paced well and, I would say, for all ages. Though this book is aimed firmly at middle-grade readers, I thoroughly enjoyed it and a lot of adults I recommended it to also love it.

Peter’s follow-up, Moonlocket, is now available.