ailsaod 's review for:

Steal the Sky by Megan E. O'Keefe

5.0

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Really enjoyed this! 

At the beginning I wasn't very invested in our main character (Detan Honding) as he initially comes across as yet another morally grey scoundrel who is from a noble family, and initially it was the world and the side characters that held my attention. However, while at the end he still fits this description he becomes a lot more likable as you see how far he is willing to go to help others. Refreshingly he is at times impressively incompetent and over relies on his ability to sweet talk people. His actions always have consequences (both serious and petty!) which is nice to see and really makes the rest of the cast feel more real. 

The world-building is very interesting - a desert continent with a very slight where the gas 'Selium' is mined by people who are 'sel-sensitive' and are basically conscripted by the government. The Sel is then used for a myriad of purposes but primarily for the working of the flying ships (airships?) that make much of the trade in this world possible. There are also the tensions between the distant Valathean Empire which rules the scorched and depends upon the mining of Sel and the people actually living in the scorched as well as the oppressed indigenous people. The world feels very real and even the most innocuous details often turn out to be important which is very satisfying to read. Many Chekhov's guns are fired (though possibly not how you would expect and some you might not have realised were proverbial firearms in the first place!). 

There are also some interesting mysteries surrounding the doppel mentioned in the book's description which kept me hooked. I've already started on the sequel and it's looking great so far!