Moriarty's book should practically be the definition of whimsy. It has that pure, unabashed feel of a children's fantasy and contains the usual entertaining standards: capable children with at times incompetent adults, a plucky heroine with a dash of personality, and a world full of magic and wonders. At times, it does feel like things line up a bit too conveniently, tasks have a too quick solution and the connections between everything comes off as a bit too much, even for a children's story, but that's really my only gripe. There were several points where I would wonder "Well why didn't they mention THAT? What a weird thing to keep hidden." But I guess this story just wanted to have surprise reveals as much as possible to keep it lively. 

Like Bronte's aunts on the boat didn't mention that "Hey, this kid that you're hanging around is your cousin." It's just.....why did that have to be a secret? I guess because he was being targeted by pirates and they had to keep him safe and keep a low profile, but why keep Bronte in the dark? Just seemed like a needless choice