Amulet: The Cloud Searchers (book three) by Kazu Kibuishi

Summary (from Goodreads):

Emily, Navin, and their crew of resistance fighters charter an airship and set off in search of the lost city of Cielis. There they hope to find help from the Guardian Council's powerful Stonekeepers. It's a mission that Alledia's survival depends on, and time is running out--Emily's got to find Cielis before the Elf King finds her.

Review:

This may be my favorite book in the series so far! The artwork just gets better and better as the story goes along and become more and more fantastical. A large portion of the book takes place in the sky, and all the panoramic views of the ship and the skies were just plain beautiful.

This one focuses more on getting the help the characters need and finding this mysteriously missing city in the sky than it does on Emily learning not to give in to the stone. This on was also definitely more action oriented then book two was. I also liked that the characters have developed a truce of sorts with two elves (and past enemies). I like the idea that not all elves are bad.

I also found myself a lot more interested in the elf storyline with this book. Like what really went down with the elf king? Who is this crazy assassin who can steal memories? And why did he steal the memories of a certain character?

Also, what is with this mysterious city that has disappeared? Why haven’t the stonekeepers there been helping with any of the stuff that is expected of Emily? And why did so many characters refuse to believe it existed? I have so many questions. And I was sad that the book ended where it did because I have a feeling a whole bunch of questions were about to be answered. I’ll have to get to book 4 soon.

I like that the mom is in the story, though all of her dialog seemed a little too forced –too motherly, or too much like a mom in a sitcom and not enough like a real mom or a mom in a fantasy setting. Also, it’s clear that Emily is in charge and not the mom, which is super interesting.

This one also had a bit of a steam punk vibe to it. It reminded me a little bit of Scott Westerfeld’s Levithan, which also took place partly on an airship. I can’t wait to see more of this beautiful world. And I certainly can’t wait to have my questions answered. I give this volume a 10/10. And I’m so looking forward to reading more of these.