Review by Frank Plowright

Oskars is a gloriously designed mechanical city holding many secrets, some of which are lost to the inhabitants despite four family dynasties being charged with guarding a portion of them. The latest secret keepers have been betrayed by one of their members, who’s seized control of a neighbouring city. As seen in City of Secrets, only bravery and mystery solving skills on the part of new friends Ever Barnes and Hannah Morgan saved the city. It also ended well for the orphaned Ever, who now lives with Hannah’s wealthy family.

Key to Oskars’ salvation was the discovery of a giant robot, and similar protective devices are located in other cities. It provides Victoria Ying with the opportunity to design Alexios as a city sharing aspects with Oskars, but which looks different, down to the way people dress. There are also cultural and political differences, and while Ever and Hannah were successful at home they have to keep their wits about them in a new city. It’s even more dangerous for the presence of Vash, the world’s foremost villain.

There’s no great reason to change a successful formula, so Ying doesn’t, other than recruiting Lynette Wong to handle the colouring. It’s in Ying’s own established style, with a selective, muted palette accompanying her expressive, sketchy illustrations.

For some time it also seems as if Ying doesn’t intend departing far from her plot template either. Ever and Hannah must solve another mystery, while most of those they met last time, good or bad, are also seen again. However, following the literary rule of Chekov’s Gun, there’s no point in showing a giant robot if it’s not seen in action, and that’s where Ying breaks with her previous formula. New characters arrive and so does magic, which is a weak spot, seemingly introduced for the sake of convenience in a story that would have greater grounding without it.

It’s a rare misjudgement, though, and Ying’s instincts otherwise remain on track, telling stories within stories and stressing the importance of stories and song. There’s a message to be picked up on as well, and if we all took it on board the world would be happier. Maybe the children who read this will be. They certainly will be for a few hours. Adhering to formula means too few surprises at the start, so City of Illusions isn’t quite as thrilling as City of Secrets, but comes good in the end.