School Library Journal Review
Gr 6-9-Since leaving war-torn London with two young orphans, 16-year-old Fever Crumb has traveled on the Lyceum, a floating stage with a troupe of actors, where she has used her technological skills to create special effects on the theater barge. While stopped in an outpost called Mayda, Fever comes across Arlo Thursday, a handsome young man who is trying to unlock the ancient secret of flight. It is a dangerous venture that leads to murder and mystery as well as an irrational love interest and Fever's rethinking her own beliefs. Philip Reeve's tale (2011) is well-crafted, and its rich language evokes the familiar but strange world in which Fever lives. The compelling, taut saga is heightened by Jennifer Agutter's dramatic narration. Distinct characters and characterizations are effectively achieved through voice changes and varied pace. Although Fever's story started in Fever Crumb (2010, both Scholastic), this title can stand alone. Listeners familiar with Reeves's "Mortal Engine" series (Scholastic) will particularly appreciate the backstory.-Maria Salvadore, formerly Washington DC Public Library (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Veteran actress Agutter could enthrall listeners with a reading of the phone book, but fortunately this second volume in Reeve's Fever Crumb series is more than worthy of her skills. Sixteen-year-old hyperrational ex-Londoner Fever is out of step with a world in which most technological knowledge has long been lost, and reason and science are looked upon with suspicion. But then, in a small, backward, coastal outpost, Fever meets Arlo Thursday, a boy who retains the secret of flight, and joins with him to build an airplane. Danger abounds, and Arlo and Fever are betrayed on all sides by those they trust (and even love). Agutter gives a fluid and controlled reading. Her transitions are seamless, from the rich, plummy tones of the narrator to the clear voice of Fever to the squawks of the angels, a species of talking, intelligent gulls. This book has it all -- love, betrayal, hidden identities, surprise plot twists, examinations of reason versus superstition and technology versus nature -- and Agutter brings it to life, superbly. martha v. parravano (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
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)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Two years have passed since Fever fled London at the end of Fever Crumb (2010), set centuries before Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles. Now the engineer-raised girl is living the most irrational sort of life with a traveling theater group, which makes a stop in a small coastal city at the edge of Europa. She meets another genius sort who is convinced that he has discovered the old-tech secret to flying, if only he could cobble together an engine light enough to do the trick. They join up, Fever experiences the weird sensation of love, and together they try to outwit a gaggle of deadly villains. Though Reeve again displays a knack for the sort of inviting cleverness that makes readers feel as if they are in on an inside joke, this follow-up is a bit less crammed full of imaginative delights than the first. There is still plenty of high-wire action and inventive writing to savor, though, and if the downer of an ending leaves some crestfallen, the promise of what is in store (the mechanizing and mobilizing of cities) should keep appetites hungry for the next book.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2010 Booklist
