COGLING, by Jordan Elizabeth
Genre: Middle-Grade fantasy
Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press
Date of Release: January 25, 2016
Cover Artist: Mandie Manzano
Find Online: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads
Description:
When fifteen-year-old Edna Mather tears an expensive and unfamiliar pocket watch off her little brother’s neck, he crumbles into a pile of cogs right before her eyes. Horrified, Edna flees for help, but encounters Ike, a thief who attempts to steal the watch before he realizes what it is: a device to power Coglings—clockwork changelings left in place of stolen children who have been forced to work in factories.
Desperate to rescue her brother, Edna sets off across the kingdom to the hags’ swamp, with Ike in tow. There, they learn Coglings are also replacing nobility so the hags can stage a rebellion and rule over humanity. Edna and Ike must stop the revolt, but the populace believes hags are helpful godmothers and healers. No one wants to believe a lowly servant and a thief, especially when Ike has secrets that label them both as traitors.
Together, Edna and Ike must make the kingdom trust them or stop the hags themselves, even if Ike is forced to embrace his dark heritage and Edna must surrender her family.
My Review
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I thought this book was a really unique idea, even though steampunk is a genre I’ve seen quite a few times before.
It was good that I was given the opportunity to get to know Edna a bit before the action started. Because she clearly knew her brother so well, it was easy to see how Harrison was acting so strangely… though it was odd that Edna and Harrison’s mother didn’t seem to notice anything.
I didn’t really like Ike at first in the book, but as the storyline went on, he did grow on me. I enjoyed being able to see more of the world as the two of them tracked down the hags. There were quite a lot of supporting characters I really disliked, though.
I liked being able to learn more of Ike’s past as the storyline went on and I did feel a lot of sympathy for Edna. I felt bad that she felt that there was evil inside her.
I would have liked to see more of the different hags. The one at the beginning seemed to crop up a few times later on, but I found it difficult to understand the reasoning behind taking the children and forcing them to work, since it seemed that the majority of the hags were part of the potential uprising.
I really didn’t like Rachel for a lot of the book. While she did seem to have a bit more depth to her than was first apparent, I did think that she was shallow and didn’t seem to really care about anyone else even later on in the story.
I would have liked some more details about how the magic worked. I was a bit confused about how the objects were enchanted exactly, even though it was good to get glimpses into the factory. And the idea of the coglings was a pretty intriguing one.
I also liked being able to see the different kinds of other living things in this book. I thought the foxkin were cool and it was nice to see that at least Edna cared about them as living creatures. The soot demons made me cringe… but I really liked Silver the dragon.
I’d definitely be interested in reading other books by this author and also in seeing more of this world and the characters in the future. It would be good to learn more about them.
About The Author
Jordan Elizabeth, formally Jordan Elizabeth Mierek, writes down her nightmares in order to live her dreams. With an eclectic job history of working as a college professor; historic costumed interpreter at Fort Stanwix, Victorian Leisure Fair, and Mayfaire on the Green; office specialist; sales clerk; election inspector; and trainer, she is now diving into the world of author.It happens to be her favorite one.
When she’s not creating art or searching for lost history in the woods, she’s updating her blog, Kissed by Literature. Jordan is the president of the Utica Writers Club and maintains JordanElizabethMierek.com.
She roams Central New York, but she loves to travel. A great deal of time has been spent in a rural town very similar to Arnn, the setting of her novel ESCAPE FROM WITCHWOOD HOLLOW.
Find the author Online:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
About Curiosity Quills Press
Curiosity Quills Press (CQ) is a small hybrid publishing company specializing in genre fiction of the highest quality. With 150+ titles in our catalog already and approximately 6 new books coming out each month, there’s never a dull moment at CQ. We work with major retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Audible to ensure that you, the reader, can find whatever you are looking for at your convenience.
Founded in 2011 by Eugene Teplitsky and Lisa Gus, CQ was initially a resource portal for writing and publishing, created in an effort to help writers, like themselves, survive the publishing industry. After rapid success, CQ morphed into publishing press that over time has solidified its share in the market. Now we spend our days searching for the next great escape!
Ink of Blood 