Review: Behemoth by Scott Westerfield

Title: Behemoth

Author: Scott Westerfield
Release Date: October 5, 2010

Pages: 496
My Rating: 5 stars!!!!
Sequel to: Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

Summary:
This book continues the hard-driving, action-packed adventures of Alek, heir to the throne of the Austrian empire and current British prisoner of war, and Deryn Sharp, a midshipman assigned to the Leviathan. Their loyalties to their respective governments and philosophies are tested as their friendship grows; Alek is an Austrian Clanker and Deryn an English Darwinist. After the Leviathan is damaged by a German attack, Alek and his personal guard escape the airship and join a revolutionary group dedicated to the overthrow of the sultan of Istanbul. Meanwhile Deryn has been sent to sabotage a key military blockade in the Istanbul harbor. But true havoc doesn't ensue until the teens are reunited. (Courtesy of Amazon.com)

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  I LOVED Leviathan, so I was really psyched to finally get my hands on (and the time to read) Behemoth! I've been waiting for this sequel forever and the library finally got a copy.

   I've heard some people say this isn't a steampunk book. Whoever says this novel isn't steampunk is dead wrong. Sure, it's not from a Victorian era, but every genre grows, and this one is, in my opinion, helping the genre of steampunk grow. Everything about this book screams steampunk, the outfits, the goggles (just take a look at the cover), the background, and the whole plot itself. I'm a huge steampunk fan, I've read steampunk novels before, this is steampunk.

   I'm a huge Scott Westerfield fan, I loved Uglies, Peeps, and his books are always circulating my To Read list and are making appearances on my shelves. This wasn't a disappointment. I was worried that I wasn't going to like it as much as I liked Leviathan, but I did. I LOVED it. I love the world he created, the characters. If I had to pick any book to actually live in, I'd pick this one, and be a huge Darwinist, perhaps even dress up like a boy and live on the Leviathan. I was a little disappointed cause the second half of the book takes place in Istanbul, and not on the Leviathan, but it was still really good. He finishes the book with a cliffhanger, so I'm really happy that there's going to be a third, this is one of those series that I want to go on and on forever and never end.

   Scott Westerfield is always good at developing alternate worlds, creating amazing characters, and writing a page turner. I cannot wait for the sequel to Behemoth.

Summin it up:

Plot: Colorful and riveting. A page-turner.
Characters: Deep, interesting. Everyone plays there part.
Writing: It's Scott Westerfield, I need say no more.
Ending: Good, but a cliff-hanger. I can't wait for the next one.
Kid friendly: Very, no cussing, no mentions of sex or substance abuse.