Firebrand Audiobook by A. J. Hartley

Please visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/audiobook/1003/ to download full audiobooks of your choice for free. Title: Firebrand Subtitle: Steeplejack, Book 2 Author: A. J. Hartley Narrator: Noma Dumezweni Format: Unabridged Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins Language: English Release date: 10-20-17 Publisher: Audible Studios Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Publisher's Summary: New York Times best-selling author A. J. Hartley returns to his intriguing 19th-century South African-inspired fantasy world in Firebrand, another adrenaline-pounding adventure. Once a steeplejack, Anglet Sutonga is used to scaling the heights of Bar-Selehm. Nowadays she assists politician Josiah Willinghouse behind the scenes of Parliament. The latest threat to the city-state: government plans for a secret weapon are stolen and feared to be sold to the rival nation of Grappoli. The investigation leads right to the doorsteps of Elitus, one of the most exclusive social clubs in the city. In order to catch the thief, Ang must pretend to be a foreign princess and infiltrate Elitus. But Ang is far from royal material, so Willinghouse enlists help from the exacting Madam Nahreem.Yet Ang has other things on her mind. Refugees are trickling into the city, fleeing Grappoli-fueled conflicts in the north. A demagogue in Parliament is proposing extreme measures to get rid of them, and she soon discovers that one theft could spark a conflagration of conspiracy that threatens the most vulnerable of Bar-Selehm. Unless she can stop it. Members Reviews: I really enjoyed this sequel to STEEPLEJACK I really enjoyed this sequel to STEEPLEJACK. Ang has another mystery to solve. Plans for a new weapon are stolen and her boss Josiah Willinghouse sets her on the path to find them. Along the way, she pretends to be a foreign princess to gain entry to an exclusive club with links to the theft and finds herself becoming involved with the refugee problem in her city. Ang is a fascinating character. She is an ethnic minority in a city which gives minorities less value. In fact, a new movement in Parliament, which her boss is fighting, wants to remove all ethnic minorities from the city. She has been exiled from her community as a result of actions in the first book and is feeling something like a refugee herself. She is also getting used to being a peripheral part of the ruling class. She is a savvy detective who would never be hired by the white police force. She has friends and contacts throughout the different classes in her city. This story has a steampunk feel. Its setting is an engaging world based on South Africa. I liked the descriptions of the lands outside the city and I liked how uncomfortable Ang was with them. I thought the dangers presented by hippos and lions added to the atmosphere. I recommend this series highly because Ang is such an interesting character and the world building is so well done. A solid second installment in what's shaping up to be an exciting and socially relevant YA series My prevailing thought when I finished FIREBRAND this afternoon? This is turning out to be a fantastic series. :) This sequel retains a lot of what made STEEPLEJACK a special novel: a compelling protagonist, a mind-turning mystery, heart-pumping suspense, and breathlessly believable worldbuilding. And while STEEPLEJACK introduced us to the racial and social class tensions inherent in Bar-Selehm, FIREBRAND fearlessly yet sensitively shows those conflicts coming to a head, drawing from current-day events (namely the worldwide refugee crisis) and apartheid-era South Africa. I also love how Ang's empathy shines through just as much as her detective and climbing skills. I still think I like STEELEJACK more. The story told in FIREBRAND is gripping, but the stakes aren't as personal this time for Ang as they were in the first book.