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yvo_about_books's review
2.25
Finished reading: July 22nd 2023
“The greatest disgrace of humankind is the failure of the strong to protect the weak. We don't need monsters, Gil; we are the monsters.”
I still can't believe this happened to be honest. I mean, I absolutely LOVED my first experience with Jess Kidd's writing when I read Things In Jars, and I've been excited to read more of her books ever since. The blurb of The Night Ship sounded simply fantastic with the (partial) 17th century setting, the fact that it's based on true events and the hint at a supernatural twist. I had high expectations and fully expected to add a new favorite to my list... Imagine my surprise when I ended up struggling considerably with The Night Ship instead. Don't get me wrong, I still love the premise of this story and its 17th century setting. The references to the Netherlands, the Bavaria ship and journey in general added a little something extra to the story for me. The 1989 timeline was likewise interesting, but I do think I preferred the 1629 timeline in the end... Although on the other hand I did prefer Gil's character over Mayken, so it was a bit tricky to decide on a favorite. Part of what went wrong for me had a lot to do with the constant POV switches. The story jumps between 1629 and 1989 so often that I almost ended up with a whiplash, and as a result it was hard to get a proper feel for both the main characters and the story. I just never felt fully inmerged, because I never got to spend proper time with either timeline; instead of adding tension and suspense, it only highly frustrated me (especially in the second half). I also felt that the story was just too bleak, brutal and graphic, and if things had been toned down I would probably have been able to enjoy it better (case in point: was the animal cruelty really necessary?!). The pace itself was also rather slow, which again probably had a lot to do with the constant POV/timeline switches. It resulted in a very halted story, and I struggled to find the motivation to keep reading. I kept putting the story down to do other things instead, and that is never a good sign. I did like the subtle connections between both timelines; sometimes less is more, and it gave the story more impact this way. Still, all in all I'm sad to admit that I struggled considerably with The Night Ship, and I even started considering a DNF in points. I'm still going to give this author another chance though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Blood, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Murder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug use, Medical content, and Sexual assault
clotalksbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Not what I expected. I was hoping for a friendship across time. Instead there were two separate stories, with similarities and differences.
The writing is haunting. I did find myself having to put it down at points, and didn't have the urge as usual to pick it up again. I just had this sense of dread (well I guess you knew at least one story wasn't going to be a happy one). The beginning felt long, in that there was so much build up and character development I was surprised how little book was left before the real action began. The end, as it sailed towards the final destinations, was very good. The short interweaving chapters, skipping between times was very well done.
The characters and all their flaws, were very detailed, but as viewed from the young. Some moments were just heartbreaking. A very unusual book, that has made me want to find out more about the Batavia.
The writing is haunting. I did find myself having to put it down at points, and didn't have the urge as usual to pick it up again. I just had this sense of dread (well I guess you knew at least one story wasn't going to be a happy one). The beginning felt long, in that there was so much build up and character development I was surprised how little book was left before the real action began. The end, as it sailed towards the final destinations, was very good. The short interweaving chapters, skipping between times was very well done.
The characters and all their flaws, were very detailed, but as viewed from the young. Some moments were just heartbreaking. A very unusual book, that has made me want to find out more about the Batavia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Child abuse, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Suicide
jeanbpdx's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. Despite the dark themes, there’s a lot of sweetness here and redemption for at least one character. Beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Child abuse, Bullying, and Child death
Moderate: Transphobia, Alcohol, and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual violence and Drug abuse
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Classism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Alcohol, Blood, Murder, Rape, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Gore, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, and Violence
billyjepma's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
There’s a lot to like here—striking prose, sharp characterizations, vibes so potent you can feel them sticking on your skin—but it ultimately didn’t work for me as much as I wanted. It’s a very cruel book, for one, with more violence than I expected (that’s on me for going into this without knowing anything about it), which I can usually stomach without a problem. But the cruelty didn’t have the teeth it needed to leave a mark—it’s all blunt and brutal and lacks the intentionality I look for. What’s the violence saying? How does it frame or reframe the themes and characters? I kept looking for a moment to make everything click into place, but I never found it. I’m sure it’s there somewhere, but for whatever reason, it never materialized for me.
The dual storylines have potential, and the structure of the chapters does an admirable job of bouncing between the two timelines. Some moments had me by the throat and used the back-and-forth pacing to keep me reading longer than planned. Those moments are the exception, though, as I usually gravitated toward the 1989 story, where Kidd’s characterizations are the strongest, and the narrative has the most momentum and stakes. I kept waiting for the two stories to converge, but they didn’t, at least not in a way that satisfied me. They share themes, sure, but when the themes are this broad and, honestly, kind of basic, it left me cold. There’s enough good here that I can’t go lower than a three-star rating, but suffice it to say, this one wasn’t for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Stalking, Animal death, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, and Cannibalism
denisedup's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Homophobia, Child abuse, Murder, Violence, Rape, and Torture
rebeccafm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault
sarahlizbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide and Animal death
lachesisreads's review
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A parentless girl in 1629. A parentless boy in 1989. Both end up on the same island, close to Batavia - modern day Jakarta. One might call them flotsam and jetsam.
Their fates connect across the centuries as their lives take parallel turns for a little while - with very different outcomes.
It was impossible to say which narrative strand I liked more. When I was with Mayken, it was Mayken; when I was reading about Gil, it was Gil. Their lives could not have been more different, and yet they have so much in common - a childhood as it should not be for one thing.
I've seen this called straight-up historical fiction, but Jess Kidd wouldn't be Jess Kidd if she hadn't woven some dark magical realism into this story as well. Is it real? Is it in Mayken's imagination? We're left to draw our own conclusions.
I tried to draw out the reading experience because I enjoyed it so much - something I always find myself doing with Kidd's books. A masterfully told story from a master storyteller; I can't recommend it enough.
Content warning: this is not always an easy read and has depictions of violence against people (children included) as well as animals, although they're never very graphic.
I want to thank NetGalley, Canongate and Jess Kidd for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
Their fates connect across the centuries as their lives take parallel turns for a little while - with very different outcomes.
It was impossible to say which narrative strand I liked more. When I was with Mayken, it was Mayken; when I was reading about Gil, it was Gil. Their lives could not have been more different, and yet they have so much in common - a childhood as it should not be for one thing.
I've seen this called straight-up historical fiction, but Jess Kidd wouldn't be Jess Kidd if she hadn't woven some dark magical realism into this story as well. Is it real? Is it in Mayken's imagination? We're left to draw our own conclusions.
I tried to draw out the reading experience because I enjoyed it so much - something I always find myself doing with Kidd's books. A masterfully told story from a master storyteller; I can't recommend it enough.
Content warning: this is not always an easy read and has depictions of violence against people (children included) as well as animals, although they're never very graphic.
I want to thank NetGalley, Canongate and Jess Kidd for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here expressed are my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
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