I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The Eye of the North by Sinéad O'Hart is an exciting adventure about a girl as she looks for her parents. I’ve never been much of a middle-grade reader. Even when I was a middle-grader, I didn’t read these books. I don’t know why, but they never interested. However, The Eye of the North caught my attention immediately.

Emmeline is an interesting character. She’s a young girl who isn’t close to her parents, but loves them nonetheless. Their work keeps her in constant fear for her life. She’s been raised not to trust others and so she doesn’t, not even them. When they are kidnapped and presumed killed, she is sent away to France, but on the boat trip someone is trying to take her as well. I liked Emmeline. She’s resourceful, and for a girl who trusts no one she attracts many friends.

Thing (yes, that’s his name) is my favorite character and quickly grows on Emmeline as well. He is around her age, possibly older. He isn’t sure as he is an orphan/runaway, living off the streets and currently stowing away on the same boat as Emmeline. Thing sees her as a distraction and a way to pass the time on the boat, but when her life is in danger he quickly becomes her rescuer and partner in crime. He’s brave, rash, and a quick thinker, but also fiercely loyal which made me love him.

The plot of the story revolves around Emmeline’s parents’ secret work. What is it they really do and why have they been kidnapped? The more Em discovers, the more she realizes how little she really knew her parents. I enjoyed the twists and turns as Em discovers more and more. Then about a third of the way into the story her and Thing are separated and the story is told from both their perspectives, basically like two stories running parallel to each other. It made for an exciting read and some dramatic irony as the reader finds out things before the characters.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! While I liked Emmeline, I loved Thing. They make a great a team! But perhaps the reason I enjoyed this so much was the writing style. The author’s writing reminds me a lot of C.S Lewis’s writing in The Chronicles of Narnia. It was like the narrator who is outside of the story is talking to you about what the characters are experiencing, a little formal but intriguing. If you enjoy middle grade fantasy with a dash of steampunk, I highly recommend it.