The Secrets of Solace

January 1, 2016
An orphan in a mountain stronghold of cultural archivists uncovers secrets. Lina Winterbock of Ortana in the land of Solace is disheveled, in perpetual trouble, and a loner. Her only solace in Solace is an airship she finds in a cave impenetrable by anyone with adult proportions. As an apprentice training to catalog objects catapulted into Solace from other worlds, she wants to restore the ship to prove her worth as an "explorer archivist"--a title of her own design. Outside the neutrality of Ortana, two royal families wage war, and Ozben, the secondary heir of one dynasty, is secreted to Ortana for safeguarding. Lina learns Ozben's true identity, and the two discover that sharing a secret (his blue blood, her airship) heals their loneliness. It also makes them both targets for assassination. In this world, women in positions of power and prestige are prevalent and unquestioned. The third-person narration alternates between Lina and Ozben as they combat adversaries and further comprehend the strength of their special bond. Not as steampunk-y as Johnson's Mark of the Dragonfly (2014), this is still an engaging world rich in detail, mayhem, and adventure. And though there is slight overlap between this and Dragonfly, it is sturdy as a stand-alone. All aboard for fantasy lovers with a dual penchant for girl power and keeping up with the Indiana Joneses. (map, acknowledgments) (Fantasy. 11-15)

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Starred review from May 1, 2016

Gr 4-8-Archivist apprentice Lina lives in the future world of Solace, learning to analyze the curious treasures that fall from the sky in the scrap towns on the borders. Under the absentminded guidance of Councilwoman Zara, the lonely orphaned Lina has become isolated from her fellow apprentices, spending her time eavesdropping on secret conversations and exploring forbidden tunnels. With the discovery of a hidden sentient airship named Merlin, and the assistance of Ozben (a prince who is hiding from vicious assassins), the intrepid Lina sets out to fly Ozben to alert his combatant sister to a treasonous plot to escalate the Iron War, rescuing its desperate refugees on the way. In the midst of a fierce storm, Lina pilots Merlin safely to the rescue, only to face the Solace archivists threatening to seize and imprison the living airship for research on her return. Johnson has achieved another winner in this second book in the series. Lina is a tough cookie who doesn't give up easily, and her dangerous humanitarian mission brings her respect and friendship from unlikely places-and the delicate beginnings of romance, too. Johnson has a sure touch in writing for this age group. Lina's terrible loneliness at the beginning of the story, her forlorn attempts to emotionally engage her disinterested caregiver, and her endearing clumsiness will strike a chord with every (misunderstood) tweenage reader. Johnson's imaginative future world is so cleverly realized and appealing-with the soul of the airship visualized as a tiny flame, chameleons morphing between human and dragonlike form, the memory jar with its "thin pink mist" containing crucial memories unique to the person holding it, the insect lumatites gathering on Lina's glove to light her tunnel explorations-that it almost feels as if readers are already in the movie that this series will hopefully spawn. VERDICT Highly recommended for those who have finished with Harry and are too young for Katniss.-Jane Barrer, United Nations International School, New York City

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
In the future world of Solace, junior apprentice archivist Lina dreams of bringing the airship she discovered to life, but she can't do it on her own. She recruits war refugee Ozben to help her, but he has his own dangerous secrets. Although the story's villains are two-dimensional stereotypes, Lina and Ozben's gripping emotional saga as they learn to trust others is realistic.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)