The battle was only the beginning; the real danger is beyond the fence ...
The Diggers have been destroyed, a horde of ghouls is moving inland and the High Priestess has seized control of the Central Territory. Together with Nim, a Nomad boy seeking vengeance against the ghouls, Squid and Lynn begin their long journey toward the city of Big Smoke, a city that may not even exist.
Pursued by forces that wish to see them fail, facing threats on all sides and conflict from within, Squid, Lynn and Nim search for a weapon against the ghouls. It is a search that will lead them into forbidden lands where long-held beliefs about their world are tested and Squid may finally unravel the truth of his identity.
At the risk of stating the obvious, A City Called Smoke picks up where A Town Called Dust finishes, and then charges off into the outback.
I have some pretty mixed feelings about this one, but in the good way. The whole book is filled with great scenes, and the character development is fantastic.
I loved the introduction of Nim, and quite frankly, I'd happily read a whole book on how he and his tribe have survived over the years, and especially how their stories have evolved. I enjoyed the dynamic between Nim/Lynn/Squid much less though, and there were several occasions where I found myself quite exasperated with Squid.
PLUS! There is quite a decent amount of time spent with sky pirates, which is something I was really hoping for after finishing Dust. They're another group I'd happily spend more time reading about, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they turn up again in book three.
The plot continues to trundle along brilliantly - there were parts I guessed at before they happened, but the whole last third of the book just blew me away. Absolutely wasn't expecting it at all, and I really can't wait to see how it all ends. Of course, there's more time spent on the back story/world building, and that was very interesting. I'm still left with a lot of questions, but that is as it should be - there's just the right amount of information shared.
If you've read book 1, you really need to keep going. And if you haven't, please go and do that right now, then grab this one.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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