Article contributed by Yakira Goldsberry
Set in the mysterious city of Highgate, Children of the Flying City follows the tale of Milo Quick and his friends, orphans under the rulership of the iron-fisted Total King. While Milo and friends must bring tithes to the king to survive, Milo must dodge the searching eyes of the crew of the Halcyon, who search for him for unknown reasons.
Milo, Jules, and Dagda are such interesting and intriguing characters. They really jumped off the page with their wit and wisdom, and I found myself wanting to know more about Dagda than the rest of the characters. While the boys ignored her, Dagda seemed drifting in her own world, separated from the rest of the cast. It made me gravitate toward her, and I kind of started wishing that she were the main character instead of Milo. Not that Milo himself isn’t interesting. While things don’t seem to follow a set direction throughout the first half of the book, secrets of Milo’s past are slowly unwound, bringing the random elements together into one surprising ending.
While I really want to say that I loved this book, and that it was breathtaking and interesting all at the same time, I can’t. There were moments where the prose was gorgeous and the story itself heartbreaking, but there was just something about it that couldn’t hold my attention for very long. I feel that part of the reason is the pacing. The amount of detail that Sheehan puts in his story slowed the pace significantly. While it was nice reading about the many heists that the children pulled and the crooked tea parties and really seeing just how despondent they were, it also made things lag a little, especially in the beginning.
When things do pick up, pace-wise, the story takes a turn toward being a little dark. As someone with young siblings, I like to read middle grade fiction to find something they might be interested in. Unfortunately, Children of the Flying City would be a little too dark for them. There’s quite a bit of violence described, like one of the characters losing a few fingers due to an accident. If you’re sure that this wouldn’t bother your young readers, then I’m sure they’d enjoy the story either way, but if you have sensitive readers like my sisters, then that’s something to look out for.
The only major downside I can think of in this book is that there isn’t much described indicating that the city is floating, other than the airships. I was looking forward to descriptions of maybe some catwalks suspended beneath the city, or fog created by flying through clouds, or some other indication, but with the way things were, the city may as well have been on the ground.
Overall, Children of the Flying City gets an 8/10 from me for its wonderful prose and style and unique worldbuilding. It is a somewhat sad tale of children making their way in a world that’s left them behind, perfect for young readers who enjoy a story with mystery, action, suspense, and just a little realism to balance it out.
Children of the Flying City is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of March 15th 2022.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Brought to the flying city of Highgate when he was only five years old, orphan Milo Quick has never known another home. Now almost thirteen, Milo survives one daredevil grift at a time, relying only on his wit, speed, and best friends Jules and Dagda.
A massive armada has surrounded Highgate’s crumbling armaments. Because behind locked doors–in opulent parlors and pneumatic forests and a master toymaker’s workshop–the once-great flying city protects a powerful secret, hidden away for centuries. A secret that’s about to ignite a war. One small airship, the Halcyon, has slipped through the ominous blockade on a mission to collect Milo–and the rich bounty on his head–before the fighting begins. But the members of the Halcyon’s misfit crew aren’t the only ones chasing Milo Quick.
True friendship is worth any risk in this clever, heart-racing adventure from award-winning author and journalist Jason Sheehan. Sheehan weaves together wry narration and multiple points of view to craft a richly imagined tale that is dangerous and surprising, wondrous and joyful.
