Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Review: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan (Leviathan, #1)
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publishing Date: October 6th 2009
Pages: 448
Genre: Young Adult Steampunk
Series: Leviathan #1
Source: Hardcover

Goodreads Summary:


Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

Review:

I enjoyed this book. I wasn’t thrilled about reading this book, the synopsis just didn’t grab me, but the hype was there and my husband wanted me to read it, and it was a group read, so…. I decided to read it. I was not disappointed in fact I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

The story is based around the brewing of WWI and mixes some history, some myth, and steampunk all into one story about a girl and boy as their worlds collide.

I really like both the main characters, Deryn is smart, brave, and determined not to let the fact that she is a girl keep her from her dream of becoming an airman. Of course as hard as she tries to stay under the radar she still manages to find trouble and of course a boy. Alek is a prince who just lost his parents and on the run hiding from enemies that want to kill him. He is not about to let his world and his country to be taken over. He just doesn’t know how to save either one. Devyn and Alek meet in desperate situations and learn to work together even though they are on the opposite sides of their belief systems.

This book mainly concentrates on the relationship of trust and friendship building between the two main characters as they learn they need each other to help them reach their goals. I did feel the book was a little slow but the writing was wonderful (Of course it’s Scott Westerfeld) and the characters were very likable. I did not get much of the story and was a little confused but I hope to see it go further into the story in the next installment. WWI buffs will get a little more out of the book as I understand the timeline and some of the story follows along well with history. I was pleasantly surprised and will continue the story.

Rating:


2 comments:

  1. This series is so interesting and I think the world that Westerfeld creates is pretty amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great review I've been wanting to read this series after really enjoyed the Uglies series but I wasn't too sure about it. It definitely sounds unique but it may be confusing to me too. I guess i'll keep an eye on it.

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