This was touch and go in the first third of the book. It couldn't keep my attention, I was still miffed at the ending of the first book, and I had so many other things I needed to concentrate on that I was reading bits by the day.
Also, a lot of the scenes at the winter palace were very similar to the beginning of the Secret Garden, which I was listening to on Audiobook at the same time. Coincidence or "inspiration"?

Then I got passed that mark, and it picked up. I was physically unable to read for as much as I wanted to. The different groups of people, Pennyroyal, the Hester vs Freya conflict, who was Uncle!? I was sunk.

And yeah, alright, I knew straight away Pennyroyal was another Gilderoy Lockhart. But it was when it would all crack for him that kept me interested in him.

And then, I would say from over half way to the end that I didn't want to put the book down. Anna Fang's resurrection, Hester's Betrayal, Caul trying to save the day, Gargle Actually saving the day! Yes, this was what the first third of the book needed to be. Until it looked like Tom was about to die. If that was the case, I might have pitched poor Keith the Kindle across the room. Philip Reeve was on his last chance.

The man pulled through, though. And so did Tom. I was a bit dissappointed with the exposition, summary, Epilogue-style of that part. I thought, after all the detail of what happened in the lead up, the glossing over of the aftermatch was a bit lacklustre. We could have been given a bit more, there. I was left a bit dissappointed with Pennyroyal's exit to the story.

But it was good enough. And it was a nice ending, leaving me ready to see what the next instalment of the Mortal Engines series will offer me.