From the slightly odd sounding language (different but not different enough to make younger readers stumble over it) to the strange otherworldly skills and unusual animals Driver has created a sumptuous world that captivates the imagination long after you've stopped reading. In this second book in the Huntress trilogy Mouse and her friends travel to some awesome new places including a marsh community with houses with walls dripping with slime, where de-fanged poisonous frogs sleep on the heroes as they sleep and I can't tell you how much I loved the scenes with the 'Skybrarian' who has saved all of the precious books belonging to the divided clans and is preserving them in a secret 'Skybrary' inside an iceberg.

Personally I think that a successful fantasy series depends on the sincerity of the imaginative world, the attention to detail and the obvious delight taken in its creation and this series glows with Driver's obvious commitment to this. The story itself is a rollicking flight from one scene of peril to another and the characters are sympathetic but quite simply drawn which is right for this kind of tale. I'm going to enjoy introducing readers to this series immensely and the wait for the final book- Storm- is going to be agonising!

So this won't be a lengthy review because essentially everything I loved about Sea is still there in Sky. The narrator Mouse still has a hugely unique voice (though she uses 'ent' a lot less now which I am all for) and we have new characters being added to the series for me to fall in love with.

I actually thought the plot of this book was more coherent than the first since everything was basically set up after book one. We know who the bad guys are, we get how the magic system works, it's all wonderful.

This book does a great job at building on the previous novel, those who are evil get even more evil, our heroine and her friends get even more plucky and brave but are also starting to grow up, facing the harsh realities of life. It's an enjoyable read because it doesn't repeat everything that happens in book one, rather it develops those ideas.

These are definitely more MG novels that YA but they are still huge fun to read. I'm sad I don't have a physical copy to show you because the illustrations that adorn the pages are also beautiful (they don't show up properly on my kindle screen otherwise I would screenshot them for you).

This is a beautiful sequel as well as being a good book in and of itself. If you need a book recommendation for a younger reader I can heartily suggest you put them onto The Huntress.

Looking forward to book #3 which I thought would be called Land but thankfully has the much more exciting name of Storm. 

My rating: 4/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Sea and I think Sky was even better. The second book in The Huntress series sees more high seas adventures for Mouse and her brother. The language so unique and charming in book 1 is slightly less evident here but I think this is a faster paced more action packed read. New adventures, new characters and old - this is a superb mid grade fantasy series with an excellent heroine.