It’s two and a half years since Tom and Hester’s adventures in Mortal Engines, and the two are madly in love.

Cue the appearance of a new city - Anchorage - headed by the beautiful Freya Rasmussen. Much of the book is devoted to the love triangle that ensues, leading Hester in particular to making some decisions that threaten Anchorage’s existence.

Beyond this, new characters such as Pennyroyal (surely to return) add a shade of doublespeak and charlatan-esque behaviour, Caul, Gargle and the gang from Grimsby (I have a huge soft spot for Caul by the way), and the return of a character from Mortal Engines.

Once again, so much happens in just 316 pages. There is a whole world happening here, real and believable and nonsensical and brilliant.

In terms of the book as a read (not just as a story), there are some wonderful devices used by Philip Reeve that would be excellent models for children in Y5/6. Another must-read.

The continuation of the Mortal Engines series continues a very interesting premise without interesting characters or storyline. If you enjoyed the first book, you will likely still enjoy this one though.

I love this series. I love it's steampunkish feel, it's crazy mechanical magic and the interplay of characters.

Hester and Tom have been living the high life on the airship Jenny Haniver. Fortune takes them to the city of Anchorage on the Ice Wastes. Freya, the last of the royal line of rulers, delusional-y steers the city towards the American continent in search of a lush green land spoken of by Professor Pennyroyal. Ooh, plus we run into some Lost Boys.

Fun steampunk vibe. I still love the traction city idea.

This is the second book in the Mortal Engines books and features the further adventures of Hester and Tom. This time they find themselves on the city of Anchorage and under the power of the mayoress Freya. They are accompanied by an author who claims to have traveled to America and convinces Freya to head that way. There are also scavengers who kidnap Tom after Hester leaves in a huff due to Tom's attentions directed towards Freya. Lots happened but none of it was that interesting or memorable. I do believe I will not continue this series.

An interesting extension of the world crafted in the first book.

I really enjoyed this continuation of the first book. I think that the characters stayed consistent and the plot line was interesting. As with the first book, the big draw for me is that none of the characters are really lovable - they all have flaws. In this, we see a character change in Hester, who is finally forced to admit that her downfall is caring too much, rather than too little as in the first book. And Tom, who tries to be the hero, is not above temptation when it is thrown across his plate. I enjoyed the change of scenery, the new characters, and the ending satisfies any fangirl's dream. Looking forwards to the next book!