Book Review: Castle in the Stars Book Two by Alex Alice

Castle in the Stars Book Two: The Moon King by Alex Alice

See my review of Book One here.

The king of Bavaria is trapped in the aethership along with Archibald Dulac, his son Seraphin, the son's friend Sophie, and tagalong Hans. The ship has launched into the sky and is moving at a break-neck pace towards outer space. A key component of the engine is missing. The crew assumes the court spy who accidentally launched them took the component for his own country. The ship races beyond the atmosphere and soon they are headed to the moon. What will they find there?

The book continues the "alternate science" from Book One. They crash-land on the moon but it turns out okay since there is a breathable atmosphere when the sun is up. Repairs to the ship and coming up with a new component are the top priority for everyone except the King, who explores the moonscape with unbridled interest.

The action of the story picks up and the ending promises more story to come, though I feel like it may be dissatisfyingly slow in coming. Even so, the art is beautiful and the plot is compelling enough.

Slightly recommended.