Darkwhispers

Vashti Hardy has done a spectacular job of world building in this series. The technology of the airships and the places to which they travel create the kind of world many young readers will probably want to travel to themselves. I appreciate that Darkwhispers doesn't shy away from handling the difficult task of talking about death and grief. The author allows his characters to feel real emotions and sometimes just not be okay. I also love the family dynamic between everyone aboard the Aurora. I'm really hoping future books take us back to Erythea and the people we got to meet there. Obviously we have not yet seen the last of Eudora and I still look forward to seeing her get her comeuppance, Very much looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received an electronic ARC from W. W. Norton & Company through NetGalley.
This sequel could stand on its own but also works well to build on the first adventure. Arthur and Maudie now live with Harriet Culpepper and her crew. They are planning for the next adventure when Eudora Vane crosses their paths again. This time it's a challenge for all of the families to work together to locate a missing explorer. With a Hardy book, there is always more going on than the obvious portions of the plot. Readers come along on this adventure to search for new lads and meet new friends. The characters continue to reveal more about themselves throughout the story. The descriptions of the various locations make readers feel they are walking there also. There is a death toward the end and though handled sensitively, readers will join the grief other characters feel. Touching ending with one more interconnection.
Looking forward to the next adventure.

Hardy has done a masterful job of world building with characters you just want to cry for and cheer on. I had not read the first book in the series, Brightstorm, and when I started this book I kinda felt a little lost so I stopped and borrowed Brightstorm from my local library. I am really glad I did because it added so much more depth and understanding of the characters and I was way more invested in them and the adventures than if I had only read this second book. If you have a sensitive middle grade reader beware as these two stories will really pull at their heart strings and they may need a few hugs, I know I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC to read for a an honest review.

2nd in the Brightstorm series, Darkwhipsers follows Arthur and Maudie as they adventure out looking for Ermitage Wrigglesworth, who disappeared into the Wide while searching for the mythical fourth continent. Maudie is the inventor and engineer, but Arthur is observant and good at reading people. Arthur thinks that Ermitage left clues behind. He thinks that he saw a bear-like creature with gills, and he suspects that people on an island in Stella Oceana are covering up the truth about Ermitage. He’s right about all of it. Now Arthur is an accidental stowaway on the Culpepper ship, stolen by Eudora Vane, and things are about to get stranger and more dangerous.

I would suggest reading Brightstorm first if possible. This adventure can stand on its own, but there are references to Thought Wolves and South Polaris from the first book without a lot of recap, and that might bother some readers. Plus, the first book is worth the read.
Fans of A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat and Girl with the Dragon Heart by Stephanie Burgis will enjoy this imaginative world.