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May 16, 2019Beatricksy rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
It's a neat blend of Icarus, Man in the Iron Mask, and the Count of Monte Cristo. It's got Colfer's sharp wit and impracticality on display, with that lovely fast storytelling approach and an unflinching look at grey morals and sharp pain. It does good things about grief and loss and family and betrayal and survival. The villains are horribly villainous, the heroes are morally debatable, the action is top, the flying machines are practically magic, the violence is killer, the slang is very Irish. It's fun. It's fast and approachable, especially for reluctant readers. But it's also utterly unstoppable in tragedy and heartbreak and violence. From the moment of the big showstopping last few pages of act 1 to the end of the final section, you are thrown into darkness, and there is no relief at all. The 3 act structure loses steam a bit toward the end. I'm also a complete sap for gentle royalty characters, so. Half a star extra for the fantastic king.