After the explosive fourth book, City of Secrets, this fifth novel in the Stravaganza series has a lot to live up to and Mary Hoffman does not miss the opportunity to surprise the readers again with another exciting twist.
From the blurb;
'Isabel felt really out of her depth. 'You mean it's possible to go to Talia and not come back?' she asked. 'Only if you die,' Said Georgia.
'Isabel Evans has just made a very surprising discovery: she is a Stravagante, somebody who, with the help of a talisman, can travel in time and space to the country of Talia in a parallel world. When faced with the extreme danger that Talia presents, the normally shy and quiet Isabel is forced to dig deep and find strength she never knew she had, as she is plunged into a world of pirates, ferocious sea battles and deadly adversaries....'
Of all the characters from the series so far, Georgia, the main character from City of Stars, the second novel in the series, is swiftly becoming a core element to the stories moving forwards. Connecting our new characters real world lives to those they live in Talia and quickening the pace with which our characters learn and adapt to their new realities within Talia.
Georgia's importance to our cast of characters makes for a quicker entry into the main story not just to our new Stravagante, but also for the readers, who by now have a firm grasp of the rules and order of Hoffman's world.
Not to make us too comfortable Hoffman takes City of Ships off land, and in doing so enters her characters and the readers into a whole new playing field. With old enemies lying in wait and new scores to be settled Isabel must quickly learn to live a life unlike any of our characters before her, one at sea, without a city to vanish into, and without the safety of land. At any point Isabel could find herself thrown out into cold and violent waters, and her way back to reality may drop out of her grasp if she isn't cautious.
This new twist to the dynamic of the world and our characters risks in entering into it adds to the tension and excitement of City of Ships, keeping us hooked in the world of Talia and enchanted by Hoffman's delicate craftsmanship of it.
While we adjust to this new landscape and the new threats that have come with it Hoffman rewards long term readers with insights into the progress and lives of characters long loved and enjoyed from the first few books. This gift to the reader shows that Hoffman is dedicated to the development of all of her ever growing cast of characters and leaves us excited to see where she will eventually leave each of them.
We Give City of Ships Three Stars.
ISBN - 978-0-7475-9253-2 Cover Price - £6.99 First published in Great Britain in March 2010 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc