emilie and the sky world by martha wells

[lcohen]

a sequel to emilie and the hollow world, and i think i may have liked this one better, though i liked both. emilie has returned from her adventure in the hollow world, and she barely manages to catch her breath before she is whisked away on another adventure as there is a disturbance in the aether current, and when the marlendes are called upon to investigate, she goes along, too. we meet more new cultures, one of emilie's brothers (as well as her cousin), and various relatives of other people. again, this is pitched to a YA audience, or even a little younger than that, perhaps? but it can be read with enjoyment by older folks. wells isn't afraid to have tough choices for her young protagonists.

the reason that i feel that it's pitched a little younger than YA is that i'm used to YA having more ... angst and emo, maybe? even though there are tough things that happen, it doesn't have that same sensibility. like the first one, it's a rip-roaring yarn--just a tad steam-punky. i'm on board for the third one, when it appears.