As with almost any book I choose, I chose this one because of the amazing cover art. I was surprised when I found that this story is steampunk. This book is highly addictive, and I could not put this book down. There are quite a few characters within the series, which could be difficult for some to keep track of. The humour in this book is great, I found myself laughing quite a few times. Even though this book was written for a younger audience, do not be fooled by that. This is a great story for all ages.

-- While Alek is forced to become a fugitive in his own country because of his parent’s assassination, Deryn is perfecting the art of being a boy – so she can join the Air Service and become a Middie just like she’s dreamed of since she was a little girl. The countries around them are on the brink of war, and they come from opposite worlds. One full of heavy machinery and Clankers, and the other tied into fabricated beasts full of hydrogen and life; but somehow they manage to end up on the same ship. Forced to work together to escape from the German’s Alek and Deryn make enemies turn to allies: On the great airbeast Levaithan. -- I didn’t know what this book was even about at all when I bought it. I wanted to read it because I loved Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, and even though this book has a completely different writing style and is different than Uglies in so many ways, I enjoyed it just as much. I have to say though, if I didn’t know the author of this book and you wanted me to guess I would have never guessed Westerfeld at all. Even though I think this book was meant for a younger teen audience, I still really enjoyed it. I loved the moments between Alek and Deryn, it was really predictable that she would end up liking him, but it only happened at the end of the book so now I have to read Behemoth or whatever the hell it’s called!!! Another thing I really liked, and will always like about Westerfeld’s books is the vast amount of originality. I mean, his novel ideas are always brilliant. I wish I could step into his mind and just take a nice tour of his ideas and thoughts. That would be very nice. I’m going to have to give this one a nice big 4. Check out his website http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/ The third book in this series is already being somewhat released. Later Cheese Graters, MRR

Again and again, Scott Westerfeld has proved to be a great author. The obvious research and time put into this book really shows. Each character is unique and memorable, and thankfully, the book lacks the presence of "cookie-cutter" characters. A lot of thought has been put into the setting of the world, from its history, to its politics, to its advancements in science. The book is paced well and written with great style. This book will sweep you away with the richness of its world and the people who inhabit it.