INFERNAL DEVICES (Mortal Engines Quartet #3) by Phillip Reeve ⭐⭐

(Original review written April 17, 2019)

I think I figured out a way to describe these books and account for why I’m still reading the whole series: Do you ever put on a TV show when you’re focusing on something else, just to have some background noise because you know you just need about 20% of your attention to understand what’s going on? This series could be that show. And it’s not like The Office where you put it on in the background because every moment is perfection. It’s because you aren’t missing much by skimming or doing that thing where your eyes keep reading the words but your brain thinks about Jim and Pam’s wedding episode, and then your thoughts snap back and you’re two pages farther than you remember being. You just aren’t missing much, and it serves as an easy distraction.

I will concede there was improvement from the last one, though it felt like instead of a jumpstart to the series it had to build up from scratch again. A lot of the same flaws are continued here, but the general...readability?...of the story is easier. I’m not sure I really care about these characters and where they end up after the next book, but I want to finish it anyway to the credit of the world that's been built.

The summary of these books for me is this: If you just want to turn your brain off and read a story that goes from A to B, this is it. No flash or that little “extra” or lovable characters (especially after this entry), just a story that has some okay moments. And I expect I’ll agree after the last one.