Leviathan 17-51

We last left off with Alek being quickly whisked away to a huge machine which he was to start driving. He was told this was the beginning of his training so that he could succeed this father. However, he realizes that this might be a trap. His parents are out of the country, and its midnight. He has been taken from the house in a huge war machine. After realizing this Alek begins to resist. However, before he can do anything serious, he is knocked out by some chemicals that are pressed to his face. His vision goes black, but just before he passes out he hears Count Volger say that his parents have been killed on their trip. He later wakes up and finds himself in a room that is pretty well accommodated. He is constantly told that he is not being kidnapped, but Alek doesn't believe it. He then sees an enemy French ship that tries to kill him. He now realizes that everything Count Volger has told him about his parents is true. He has to trust them if he wants to survive.

The story then switches views here. We now are following a young girl named Deryn. Deryn is a young girl who is quite an optimistic individual. She loves to fly and loves everything about aeronautics. She used to fly with her father, but he had unexpectedly passed away. Deryn decided that she would continue her passion and try to get accepted into a flying school. Her brother was already in one, so she is staying with him until she can pass her exam. Sadly she is a women, who aren't allowed to be flying. She must dress up as a boy and act like one too. Luckily she is pretty tall and can easily look like a boy. She just needs to make sure she plays the part. She arrives at the academy for the test, and within the first few minutes half the volunteers were already gone. They were scared by the test itself. This greatly helped Deryn's confidence. She volunteered to be the first one to attempt the real test, to fly a Huxley. This is some sort of jellyfish animal that can float because bacteria in its stomach release hydrogen. As she is flying tho, the Huxley begins to freak out as there is a storm approaching. She has the choice to either ride it out and be brave, or throw down the emergency flag for assistance.

Overall the book seems quite interesting. There are some unique creatures which all for strange yet practical things to happen. For example, the Huxley seems like a great animal. It can float in the air, but it has a mind of its own. If its scared it will react in a way which could injure an individual. Also Alek is quite an interesting character. He has to trust these people hes trusted his entire life. But with his parents dead, the world he lives in is completely different. I'm also interested in the connection between Deryn and Alek.