Reviews

Dangerous Women by Hope Adams, Hope Adams

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lucyrambles's review against another edition

5.0

**Sent to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Michael Joseph Books for having me on the tour.**

Oh my – where do I even begin to review the marvellous Dangerous Women? I must admit it’s been quite some time since I’ve had my mind blown by plot twists. If there’s one thing I can say about this book it’s that the plot twists are seemingly as endless as the sea they’re sailing upon.

The camaraderie between the women was heart-warming even if their relationships started off a little rocky. Their deep bond forms the longer they’re on the voyage to Australia destined for new lives. Each one who works on the coverlet with Kezia, the ship’s matron, has a truly tragic story to share about how they ended up in prison. The tales riddled with sexism, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, poverty, and pain were deeply disturbing and brought the human element to every character. It made me realise that it’s so easy to judge people for small misdemeanors without seeing the bigger picture. Dangerous Women encapsulated the need we must have to stand together against adversity.

Read the rest of my review on lucyrambles.com

kstrahm21's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

xom4e's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I found myself bored a lot, which is why I’m only giving it 3 1/2 stars, but I think the story was well written. I also liked the alternating timelines and different character point of views. My only issue with the point of view is that it jumped from first person to omniscient, so it was difficult to remembering whose point of view we were looking at, and from which alternating narration standpoint. Other than that, check trigger warnings, but get ready for a wild and interesting ride.

Content Warnings

cathylpowell's review against another edition

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5.0

As an Australian, I am quite keen on reading books that tell about those who were transported to my birth country. This was particularly of interest since there is so much that is known about this particular voyage. Although based on a true event, the author has used artistic licence. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. It provides a warm portrayal of the women convicts and the devotion of those chosen by their 'matron' to work on the patchwork coverlet.

meganstreb's review against another edition

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3.0

I enjoyed elements of this. I think it just wasn't the book I was expecting.

teeny_reads's review against another edition

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informative mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It wasn't until I was reading this that I learned this book is actually based on true events! It's based on a real voyage on the convict ship Rajah from London to Van Dieman Land.

This book tells a story of almost 200 women convicted of petty crimes in London, all being transported to a new place where they can start over. While on the voyage one of the women is viciously stabbed and hospitalised, there is a type of trial held with interviews for all possible suspects and witnesses to get to the bottom of who could have done it.

I enjoyed the story overall. However, the multiple POVs and time jumping was a little difficult to keep up with and was a little confusing.

This didn't have the ending I was expecting at all, but it was a very intriguing read, especially as it was based on actual events.

I would definitely recommend giving this a read!

carmen_jimenezv's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved loved loved Dangerous Women. It was a fantastic story that had a little bit of everything, from mystery and murder to love and compassion. It was fantastic and I devoured the book in just a few nights. I hadn't read anything about the Raja or the Raja Quilt before and it was such a great way to learn more about them both. A sad story at times, it was extremely interesting, and I cannot wait to see what Hope Adams writes next!