Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines is an action packed story set in a unique and interesting steampunk world, which I enjoyed traversing with an interesting set of characters. I don't think I necessarily fell in love with the characters, which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of five, but they were complex and not cookie cutter either and I did appreciate that. The danger is real and main characters do die, which I found quite surprising in a YA book. It makes the stakes higher and the decision-making much more difficult for the characters, which is a lot grittier outlook that you don't often find in books for younger audiences. The world-building was great, but I did find the writing just okay. Sometimes I found the ‘voice' of the book a bit dull, lacking the emotion I expected at points during the story, however, the end did make up for that a lot and I found myself crying and more attached than I thought when it finished, so it didn't totally detract from the overall story. If you are looking for something unique, a bit grittier and action-packed, then this definitely is a good read, if you like more subtlety, emotional and lyrical writing, then It probably won't be for you.