From the Publisher
Praise for A WEB OF AIR, Book 2 in the Fever Crumb Trilogy* "Fever Crumb is back! Imaginative, inventive, and exciting." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review"Reeve's intricately imagined world, combined with a fast-paced plot, offers a rich, rewarding reading experience." --School Library JournalPraise for FEVER CRUMB, Book 1 in the Fever Crumb Trilogy* "A must for any fantasy collection." --School Library Journal, starred review* "Beautifully written, grippingly paced, and . . . guaranteed to please." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
School Library Journal
Gr 6–10—Having fled London and her recently discovered parents, Fever Crumb is traveling around a postapocalyptic Europe with an acting troupe. She earns her keep by using her knowledge of technology and electricity to provide lighting and special effects. The audiences and performers are appreciative, but deep inside, Fever is unhappy about how unreasonable the acting business is, since her childhood training by the Order of Engineers focused on facts and rational thought. Then, at a seaside town, Fever comes across a model glider built by a mysterious young recluse named Arlo Thursday, who is trying to rediscover the lost mysteries of flight. Fever wants to help him, but shadowy powers seem to be working against any inventor, philosopher, or engineer who wants to study flight and flying machines. Reeve's intricately imagined world, combined with a fast-paced plot, offers a rich, rewarding reading experience. In the bittersweet ending, Fever continues to develop as a character as she experiences the transformative power of love and makes sacrifices that none of her family and friends can truly appreciate. This book can be read as a stand-alone work, though readers familiar with Fever Crumb (Scholastic, 2010) will have a better understanding of the backstory.—Misti Tidman, Licking County Library, Newark, OH
Kirkus Reviews
Fever Crumb is back!
Two years after the events ofFever Crumb(2010), Fever finds herself far south of London (which continues to ready itself for mobilization), in a volcanic city where a lonely young man seeks the secret of flight. Reeve's writing, already excellent, shines here as he turns his attention to the romantic, in both the human and poetic senses. Fever herself is a virtuoso character: prickly, even unlikable, hampered by her eminently rational upbringing and the way it distances her from others, yet compelling and even lovable by readers and characters alike. Her rational approach to the world blinds her; readers will intuit elements of the mystery consuming Fever long before she catches on. It also dooms Fever's chance at love, because love in inherently irrational. Religion and political machinations both play a role here, and the actions of her Scriven mother and grandfather continue to intrude on Fever's attempts to make her own way in this ingenious world. A final delight for old fans: Building blocks of the Mortal Engines series appear like video-game Easter eggs (the first Jenny Haniver!). This is clearly the middle of Fever's tale, and the end hints at more adventures to come.
Imaginative, inventive and exciting.(Steampunk. 12 & up)
