So after finishing two books I really enjoyed reading, The Leviathan and Behemoth, I started reading the third one, Goliath. In this book, I guess the main plot is about Alek and Deryn trying to stop the war, with help of an inventor, Mr. Tesla, who built a weapon that can stop the whole world, as long as he doesn't use it, since it can wipe out a whole city, maybe even more.
But the book also focuses on Alek and Deryn's relationship. Or is it Dylan? That's what Alek finally finds out, that Dylan is a girl, named Deryn. Confusing, right? He realizes that Deryn has been lying to him the whole time, so he's been pretty angry at her for a while. He also finds out that she has feelings for him. But although Deryn did lie and probably should have told him earlier, I feel bad for her. She's been trying to tell him since the first book, but she's afraid he'll "run a mile" if he finds out that she's a girl, and the whole reason she was pretending to be a boy in the first place was because girls aren't allowed to be soldiers. So there's kind of a small sexism issue here. And if the captain does find out, she could be hung for treason.
I think it's wrong to only let men into the military in this book because although Deryn is a girl, she's done many brave and daring things while serving, more than a normal middy (as in mishipman, or soldier). I think Deryn is actually a very inspiring character and could play a very good role model for some women.
