Zeina Starborn and the Emerald King

Please note there are spoliers in this review.

Zeina and her father now work alongside the Smog Rats, which we have now discovered are fighting the tyranny of the Aboves and freeing all the Sky Whales from the abdominal diabolical STAN systems that hold these sentient beings against their will to become mere means for floating hotels.

Jackson, the now orphaned son of the creators of the STAN system, won't rest till the last whale is freed. With Vivianne Steele and his uncle Hamilton now dead, he wants to fight with the Smog Rat crews, who are the freedom fighters of the story. But it has been months since their ship, the Nightjar, was sent into action, and Jackson and Zeina are kept back from the front line.

Zeina helps her father invent devices for the cause, but she, too, wants to be doing other things. Her latest machine, to create clean energy from the sun, is stalled as she can't rest till some other friends on a mission return home. Jackson's stress isn't helping matters either!

When the Nightjar's sistership, the Osprey, returns with their friends, including Prince Katu, a Kotarth prince, it has a new passenger, an Above, called Nedra. A one-time thief and master of disguise, she escaped being a prisoner in the Above mines and now seeks refuge with the Rats, Zeina, and her friends. Katu brings a secret message for the fearsome Captain Parr, who is in charge of the Nightjar. It is a mission to seek an alliance in the Northen lands with the new King of the Feln.

They are a race of huge bearlike beings, warriors, but also guardians of the Sky Whales in all their forms. The meeting will take place in the Glacial Palace at the time of the Equinox celebration.

If the Katu and Parrs negotiations succeed, an alliance between the Feln, Kotarth and Smog Rats would be sealed. The Feln ruler, known as the Emerald King, is keen to see Zeina's gadgets, especially the solar power unit, which promises clean energy, so very different from the pollution smog energy of the Above.

But, things are put at risk when an anonymous reporter for the Smog Rats, called Pseudonym, reveals sensitive information that annoys the King. So much so, the King decides that unless Captain Parr finds and turns over for trial and punishment, Pseudonym, who, from the information disclosed, must be a part of the Smog Rats crew, the treaty and effectively the tipping point in the fight against the Above's, is off.

Through it all, Jackson, who has been forced to go on the mission instead of rescuing Sky Whales, is seething, which spills over into his actions along the way.

When they head to the meeting by sledge rather than airship, the crew and friends realize something isn't quite right in the land of the Feln, and their journey across the thinning ice becomes perilous.

When suddenly the Emerald King vanishes along with Zeina's new gadget, the whole book and adventure explode into the most daring of life-threatening cliffhanging adventures.

Which is where I have to say goodbye. Rest assured, dear readers everywhere, the thrill of an action-packed movie awaits the imagination.

So, what did we think?

This sequel goes above and beyond. In fact, it voyages to a whole new level and new continents in pursuit of adventure. And my, has Hannah come up trumps!

An epic, edge-of-the-seat adventure in a world akin but deliciously different to Lyra's from His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, but geared squarely BUT without limitation to Middle-Grade readers. Everything to love and marvel at!

The writing is bold, pacy and engaging, with twists and turns, betrayals and surprises aplenty. It is also super relevant to our lives, dealing with pollution, corruption and the broader global impact of actions and greed.

I can't add to that, as there are heaps to enjoy and take on board with this adventure. We both gasped at the concluding chapters, and then Mrs H had tears, followed by a cheer towards the end.

I may just have said too much there, but let me tell you now, the adventure was one I wish I could have been a part of!

How Hannah can raise this already very high bar, I don't know. I, for one, however, will be queueing up to read and review to find out.

This is the second book about Zeina, and one I was eagerly awaiting. I would say that this is not a standalone book, and you must read the first one otherwise none of it will make any sense.

In this sequel, we see Zeina reunited with her friends, and invited to a festival hosted by the Emerald King.

Once again, Zeina finds adventures- we meet old enemies and make new ones (obviously!)

As per Hannah’s last book, it’s never ending adventure!

Fantastic fun!

My thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Children's Group for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.