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hanyaya's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Child death, Murder, Animal death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Torture, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence
Minor: Drug use and Gun violence
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
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