DNF because of two reasons.

1) The last name of the protagonist is Peshka, which means Pawn in Russian. Russian is my first language, and this surname sounds ridiculous. The other readers probably won't notice it, but it bothered me because of my background.

2) Parental death.

Adorable illustrations!

I loved the author’s Cogheart series so was looking forward to this. It’s a wonderful complete story with an exciting adventurous storyline, but not overly heavy on description.
As the publisher promises, this shorter novel was a quick engaging read for me, however I imagine it will also be an enjoyable achievement for less confident readers.
An excellent read for all ages and ranges of reading ability.

Thank you Netgalley and Barrington Stoke Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc.

Set in eighteenth-century Russia, The Clockwork Queen is an exciting little read about chess and overcoming the odds.

Due to its length, this book is accessible to able younger readers as well as those in KS3. At just under 128 pages, the novella is fast paced. The story progresses quickly and there are plenty of tense and gripping moments as well as some sadness. Our heroine Sophie has a lot to deal with in her young life almost from the outset which provides motivational moments for readers of all ages. Once again, Peter Bunzl has created a strong, female character as the lead in the story. I have loved his writing since discovering Cogheart and this little marvel is just as well written, imaginative and a real page turner. It is also beautifully illustrated by Lia Visirin. Will be recommending to children in my year 4 class.

The Clockwork Queen is a gripping, action-packed historical adventure which I absolutely raced through as I was so invested in Sophie’s life. This is both a heart-breaking and touching story of family and friendship that gives a fascinating insight into the place of chess in 18th century Russia.

On her tenth birthday, Sophie Peshka’s father, Ivan, a chess grandmaster, leaves her and her mother after an invite from the Empress, Catherine the Great, to journey to the Winter Palace in St Petersburg to teach her son how to play chess. Sophie, herself a chess prodigy, loved playing chess with her father so, when he leaves her his board and a copy of his book, Masters of Chess, she continues to perfect her skills in his absence.

After Sophie and her mother stop receiving letters and money from Ivan, she discovers that he has been imprisoned by the Empress, and their lives become much harder.

Sophie longs to make the long journey to the Winter Palace to rescue her father, so when an opportunity arises, she agrees even though it may place her in great danger. She travels to St Petersburg with the owners of an incredible chess-playing automaton, the Clockwork Queen. Can a Queen outplay an Empress in a contest where lives are at risk?

This is a brilliantly fast-paced, exciting adventure - with danger, tension and surprises - which really drew me into the world of a young chess prodigy determined to seek justice. Sophie is an incredibly sympathetic protagonist. She loses her father to the whims of a powerful ruler, but continues to perfect the game both she and he love, in order to survive and in the hope that she will eventually be reunited with her father.

I really enjoyed the setting of 18th century Russia under the rule of Catherine the Great; the introduction of the automaton chess player; and, the insight into the game of chess which my nephew has tried to teach me, but with not much success!

The Clockwork Queen is a thrilling, action-packed adventure that is perfect for readers of 8+.

The Clockwork Queen is a fast paced and captivating story set in Russia during the time of Catherine the Great. Sophie’s father is a famous chess player who has been imprisoned by the Empress. Sophie hopes to free her Dad with the help of a clockwork chess machine. I was captivated throughout and enjoyed the lovely bond between father and daughter.

Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you Netgalley and Barrington Stoke Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc.

Sophie's father is the best chess player who ever lived. He is invited to teach the young Prince how to play in St. Petersburg. After a time he is imprisoned for not being able to succeed in teaching the Prince. This follows young Sophie's journey in searching for her Father using her own skills at playing chess.

What a delightful book! It was such an easy read, beautifully written and so imaginative. Any young child will love this little masterpiece!

A great shorter story from Peter Bunzl. I loved the return to mechanicals following on from the amazing Cogheart series. I will definitely be recommending this book to my class and I know the children will love it too!

The story focuses on Sophie, a young girl who, because of her dad, becomes a master chess player. But the simple life she could have had becomes complicated from the start.

The book is past paced, a real page turner, there are gripping and heartbreaking moments when I urged Sophie to catch a break or become the hero she deserves to be.

There will parallels drawn between this story and The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, I would suggest that for any adult/educator who devoured and enjoyed the mini-tv series, the same will be said for The Clockwork Queen.

As an educator I would recommend this to all my students, I think this would be great for KS2/3. It provides tense and dramatic moments and teaches young readers to never give up.

In a Nutshell: A really interesting story about how a young girl saves her father from the Russian prison with the help of chess and a ‘clockwork queen’.

Story:
Sophie Peshka loves chess and has learnt the game in detail from her grandmaster father, Ivan. But now, Ivan is imprisoned in the dungeons of Queen Catherine for a very silly reason. With her mother dead, Sophie is left to survive using her chess skills. When an old friend re-enters her life with a chess-playing automaton named ‘The Clockwork Queen’, Sophie’s life changes and she sees a glimmer of hope to rescue her father. Will Sophie succeed?
The story is told in the first person narrative pov of Sophie, who goes from ages 10 to 12 during the narrative.

I simply couldn’t keep the book aside. Of course, its being a quick read helped tremendously – it’s hardly 115 pages long.

The book has so much going for it. The details of chess are outstanding, and understandable even to those who don’t know the game. The bond between father and daughter is beautiful. The Clockwork Queen is amazing and will blow away the minds of children who don’t know anything about automata. The descriptions of the environment of those days is vivid. The B&W illustrations are charming and work appropriately for the story.
The author’s note at the end reveals the factual basis for this fictional story. I found this very informative and it serves as a wonderful add-on to the book.

As with every Barrington Stoke book, the story is of a higher level but the writing is on a simpler scale of understanding to suit a lower reading age. The official target age range for this book is 8-12 years.

I loved this book from start to end and I hope every little reader too will cherish the experience as much as I did.

4.5 stars.

Trigger Warning: parental death.

My thanks to Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Clockwork Queen”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I couldnt put this book down. It was enaging and imaginative and everything that I would have looked for in a middle grade book as a child. I love the story that mixed fiction with historical figures. Full of vivid descriptions and rich imagery that children will love