Jeffrey Vanhoutte Vanhoutte itibaren São Vicente do Sul - RS, Brezilya itibaren São Vicente do Sul - RS, Brezilya

Mortal Engines is a wonderfully odd, action packed, steampunk YA book that I never would have picked up if it weren’t for a recommendation from Ashley. It was a strange one for me to read and an even stranger one to review. This story is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the societal norm is for towns and cities to be vertical and mobile. They acquire resources, art and workers by overpowering, or “eating” as they put it, smaller towns. Then there are the “anti-tractionists” who live in stationary (ordinary to you and me) towns. These anti-tractionists must go to great lengths to hide and protect their towns from the “Municipal Darwinism” of their “town eat town world.” Where this story didn’t quite work for me was in the telling of it. Phillip Reeves created an amazing world with complex issues and wonderfully flawed characters. Yet the story is told from an omniscient point of view which, combined with the non-stop action, large number of characters and very little internal monologue, left me feeling somewhat distant from the story. Instead of a novel worthy of immersing myself in, Mortal Engines made me long to watch it in a mini-series. Perhaps actors could bring more life to the characters than what Reeves has written? I liked the people he presented, but he only reveals what they are thinking or doing at the exact moment. He never really gives us a chance to know them. And as a result, despite the incredible detail obviously given to this book, the characters tend to fall a little flat. The writing style reminds me of that which is reserved for younger YA, yet Reeves offers difficult topics and this book takes quite a few dark turns that may not be appropriate for younger readers. As I said, this is difficult to review. I loved the book, but wanted a little more depth out of it. Even so, I for sure recommend this for lovers of post-apocalyptic YA, or just any YA fan who needs a break from all of the drama and the angst. Although this is a series, Mortal Engines is easily a standalone book. If you don’t like it, there aren’t any nasty cliff hangers waiting to suck you even further into the series. Really, my review doesn’t do this story any justice. Read Ashley’s review (which I linked above) then go read this book =) I rated this 3 stars, but really 3.5 or even 3.75 ~ yeah, that's nitpicking! The only thing stopping me from rating Mortal Engines 4 stars or higher is the emotional disconect I felt. Oterwise, it's an awesome book!

I absolutely love this series of books. Edgy and gritty, but with humor.