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This series is different.  I love the characters, and I love reading into the deeper meanings that it tries to portray (and does very well, in my opinion).

Another thing I really like that both books have in common is the "love story" portion.  It's definitely continuing to fall into that category without being too overwhelming and cheesy.  I really like the direction Tom and Hester's relationship went in this one.  Although there was a lot of complications and a large portion of the book was them being apart, they went through struggles and found their way back in a way that really went over well.

And, while I didn't take as many notes (or highlight as many passages, I should say) in this book, I'll jump into some of the ones I did highlight, which should take me further into the review.

The first two highlights are really just showing the humor that Philip Reeve is able to bring into the series while tying it back to the fact that this is taking place far into the future.  They are as follows:

Page 31: "By signs and gestures I was soon able to converse with my rescuers. They were a girl and a boy, and their names were Machine Washable and Allow Twelve Days For Delivery."

Page 32: "Nor how I rescued the chief's beautiful daughter Zip Code."

Both quotes I believe coming from Professor Pennyroyal, who was a new character in this one.  His character really reminded me of Gilderoy Lockhart from Harry Potter.

Actually, even up until the very end it reminded me of him.  Both of them try to turn on the main character(s) at the last second, although Pennyroyal gets away with it and Lockhart does not.  In this case Pennyroyal gets away with it and, from what we know currently, lives happily ever after with a new book and a freshly painted Jenny Haniver (Miss Fang's airship that became Tom and Hester's).

I think he was a funny addition to the series and really gave a nice portrayal of how some people could be.  I suppose Philip Reeve was likely trying to callout another author the same way people believe J.K. Rowling was trying to portray her ex-husband; each by creating characters who made up (or stole) stories about their vast, amazing adventures.

Speaking of Miss Fang, I'm extremely intrigued by her becoming a Stalker, and also by the way the book ends.  We don't get a deep dive into exactly what took place, which I also kind of liked, but the snippet we get was as follows:

Page 312: "That summer there was news from Shan Guo of a coup inside the Anti-Traction League; the High Council had been overthrown and replaced by a party called the Green Storm, whose forces were led by a bronze-masked Stalker."

And, the way it left us makes it pretty clear this won't be the last we're seeing of Miss Fang.

This "bronze-masked Stalker" line just gives us hints, the same way Reeve simply hints at the fact that Hester is pregnant instead of being blunt about it.

Hester responds to Tom's inquiry of how she's feeling, but we're told a little something extra.  Here's what I mean:

Page 324: "Hester laughed 'You're the only person who ever noticed how I look. I mean, apart from the obvious. I've just been feeling a bit queasy.' (Better not to tell him yet about what Windolene had found when Hester went to her complaining of seasickness.  The shock might make him ill again.)"

Which gives us another twist to look forward to from Reeve.

Each book had it's big in depth highlights of different stories coming full circle and coming together, and each book Reeve also was able to set up intriguing parts for us to look forward to in the next.

And, although I didn't highlight anything about The Lost Boys, I really liked their addition and I look forward to seeing more of Caul as a character.

I'm curious to see what you guys have to think!

My next read will be The Baptism of Fire (Witcher Book #3), and if I have time, I also purchased The Children of Blood and Bone (which I heard great things about).

Please share your thoughts and keep the Book Club Discussion going in the comment section below!

Review Conclusion

I loved it as much, if not more than book one.  As you can tell by my review, and if I haven't said it enough, I'm definitely looking forward to the next book.  I would definitely recommend picking up this series and I will absolutely be continuing on.

Purchase Predator's Gold: Amazon Link

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