A review by breakfastgrey
Infernal Devices by Philip Reeve

4.0

Reading through some of the reviews of this book, I can understand why some of its critics are upset. That does not mean, however, that I agree with their complaints. Personally, one of the biggest draws of this series for me is that it takes narrative risks. Nothing is safe. Nothing is sacred. And the only purely good or purely evil character in the series is Tom. Everyone else lives their lives in shades of grey, managing the emotional damage the best that they can. It doesn't go out of its way to try and be dark or edgy because that's just as dull and predictable as happily ever after, but actions and lives have consequences, many of which are very sad. Watching a character's better self trapped under the emotional wreckage of their experiences is as tragic as it is beautiful. That, to me, is what makes these books sing. My only complaint overall is that the beginning is a little slow due to the new narrator who suffers from a level of "beginning of the story" stupidity not typically seen this deep in a series.