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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
It's a good book, but it fails to live up to an expectation reeve created in mortal engines
I won a copy of [b:Fever Crumb|6839020|Fever Crumb|Philip Reeve|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266781157s/6839020.jpg|6508348] here at GoodReads through the First Reads giveaway. I've not read anything by [a:Philip Reeve|27379|Philip Reeve|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1215570769p2/27379.jpg] before, but I've put [b:Here Lies Arthur|586409|Here Lies Arthur|Philip Reeve|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176047009s/586409.jpg|573249] on my list of books to look for.
This is an odd little book. First, not at all what I expected, given its Young Adult label. I would recommend it to OLDER young adults, I guess, because Reeve's dystopian London is quite complex and there is a fair amount of violence and death in the book.
Reeve plops the reader down in this dystopian London without a lot of explanation as to when the story takes place (far future) or how the world got to be the way it is. It's an intriguing setting and, in some ways, London itself is one of the characters in the story.
At the center of the story is the conflict between ordinary humans and the Scriveners (a "superior" type of human). The Scriveners had ruled London but had been defeated in riots, yet a few remained, as did their hunters (the Skinners Guild). Fever Crumb, the young engineer, is caught up in the middle of both this past conflict and the impending conflict with the Movement (nomad humans).
Fever is an unlikely heroine, and that is part of the appeal of the story. Although traditional "good guy/bad guy" lines are initially drawn, they quickly become blurred as the story unfolds and we realize that all the characters have mixed motives and are just trying to survive.
At its heart, this is a story of survival and the search for one's identity, not just for Fever, but for several of the other characters around her.
I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. For me, as an adult reader, more backstory would have boosted the rating.
This is an odd little book. First, not at all what I expected, given its Young Adult label. I would recommend it to OLDER young adults, I guess, because Reeve's dystopian London is quite complex and there is a fair amount of violence and death in the book.
Reeve plops the reader down in this dystopian London without a lot of explanation as to when the story takes place (far future) or how the world got to be the way it is. It's an intriguing setting and, in some ways, London itself is one of the characters in the story.
At the center of the story is the conflict between ordinary humans and the Scriveners (a "superior" type of human). The Scriveners had ruled London but had been defeated in riots, yet a few remained, as did their hunters (the Skinners Guild). Fever Crumb, the young engineer, is caught up in the middle of both this past conflict and the impending conflict with the Movement (nomad humans).
Fever is an unlikely heroine, and that is part of the appeal of the story. Although traditional "good guy/bad guy" lines are initially drawn, they quickly become blurred as the story unfolds and we realize that all the characters have mixed motives and are just trying to survive.
At its heart, this is a story of survival and the search for one's identity, not just for Fever, but for several of the other characters around her.
I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars. For me, as an adult reader, more backstory would have boosted the rating.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Caitlyn's school librarian insisted I borrow this... I found it rather slow and not terribly engaging. Might work better if you are already familiar with the setting/world.
I recently watched a video by Tim Hickson on “Why Prequels Fail.” He delves into the various reasons why most (but not all!) prequels don’t satisfy as much as originals or sequels, and why this is. Fever Crumb, however, is a prequel done right.
It shows us the history of the world we’ve come to know in Mortal Engines while giving us new characters to love but not explaining anything that was explicitly referenced in the original books, just giving a deeper lore and understanding of the world building.
It shows us the history of the world we’ve come to know in Mortal Engines while giving us new characters to love but not explaining anything that was explicitly referenced in the original books, just giving a deeper lore and understanding of the world building.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
