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booklifeisthelife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
1.5
I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It made me uncomfortable. I didn't like the insistence that Alex was a woman. You could tell even at the end beche thought of him as such but didn't want to force it on him. It still made me uncomfortable. Accept people are what they say they are. Please don't push your weird gender views onto others. Even though at the end he wasn't pushing it, the fact that he still saw him as one..it's like "I know you say you are male but since you are feminine and align with how I I view a female it doesn't matter that you say otherwise because my opinions and views are more important than how you yourself feel." Like ew. The fact that when they met Philla they just said she had a man's soul because she wasn't super feminine? Ew. And no offense to the setting but I'm not fond of the protagonist or love interest being homophobic even it was because of the dark way they were raised/treated. I'm not a fan of reading that journey though I am glad that it reflects how some people have those thought then they learn more about the world and form different more supportive and accepting opinions. However it's not something I want as a main theme in the story. I did like how Alex matured and grew to know more about the world, how he became less sheltered and formed his own opinions. How he stood up for Beche and saved him, chose to go back. I did like the romance (aside from the gender thing) so that was nice. || it's just really hard for me to rate.
teresab78's review
4.0
While this is a good steampunk pirate tale, there are more than a few social issues addressed as well; Slavery, class division, women's rights, trans-sexuality, and homosexuality. It got a bit much. However, I still found it to be a well crafted story with interesting characters and contrivances.
cmira2027's review
4.0
In Claimings, Lyn Gala focused on submission and wrote an amazing book, in this book the focus is on male/female - what makes a man a man, a woman a woman - can a man have the soul of a woman? Is a gentle man a real man? This book was thought provoking as well as being a great pirate adventure story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and stayed up way too late last night because I couldn't put it down.
alisonalisonalison's review
3.0
2.5 stars. Likeable. This was an entertaining adventure romance. I read this a few weeks ago and the details are already pretty fuzzy, but it was fun and kind of superficial. Alex's sisters were one of my favourite part of this book.
kaje_harper's review
4.0
Lyn Gala has written some of my very favorite stories, including [b:Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts|17304775|Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts (Claimings, #1)|Lyn Gala|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359491586s/17304775.jpg|23962861] and [b:Turbulence|18694013|Turbulence (Turbulence #1)|Lyn Gala|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385640623s/18694013.jpg|26542597]. This book is a steampunk historical fantasy, (with no BDSM) and a slow-burn romance, with pirates.
Alex, a young nobleman who is trying to keep his family's finances afloat, is supervising the transport of a cargo overseas to market, when his ship is boarded by pirates. Thinking fast, Alex is able to throw a partial wrench in the pirates' plans, but ends up taken hostage by Beche, the pirate captain. Once onboard the pirate ship, they both face a dilemma. The captain hasn't quite figured out what he wants to do with his prize, since Alex's family has no money for a ransom. His crew would be happy to take their past hurts out on Alex, but Beche does know that he's not willing to see the young, soft nobleman handed over for vengeance.
I liked Beche a lot - he had an interesting past, a unique if sometimes questionable philosophy, and almost enough hardness to plausibly hold his position. Alex was a bit more difficult to connect with, seeming remarkably naive for a man of his age and one who had become head of his family. His passive personality made him less interesting. The emotional/romantic connection between the two men felt fast and a bit inexplicable, especially given Beche's past heterosexuality, and the explanation he gives to convince himself grated on me a bit.
I liked the secondary characters almost more than the MCs. Manuel, Beche's second in command, had the edge Beche needed, and a fascinating conflicted viewpoint. Alex's sisters were great, and their difficulties with, and solutions for, their social positions were interesting. I loved the strong, unique and colorful women in the story. The steampunk setting was imaginative, although it got slightly short shrift, due to much of the story being confined to the romance isolated onboard Beche's ship. I'd love to have seen more development of the world-building and the chance to watch the characters operating within the larger society. This felt a little superficial, perhaps because the romance didn't absorb my attention as much as usual.
Lyn Gala's writing style always makes for smooth, pleasurable reading. I just didn't get absorbed into this one as deeply as some of her other work, but she remains an auto-buy author for me.
Alex, a young nobleman who is trying to keep his family's finances afloat, is supervising the transport of a cargo overseas to market, when his ship is boarded by pirates. Thinking fast, Alex is able to throw a partial wrench in the pirates' plans, but ends up taken hostage by Beche, the pirate captain. Once onboard the pirate ship, they both face a dilemma. The captain hasn't quite figured out what he wants to do with his prize, since Alex's family has no money for a ransom. His crew would be happy to take their past hurts out on Alex, but Beche does know that he's not willing to see the young, soft nobleman handed over for vengeance.
I liked Beche a lot - he had an interesting past, a unique if sometimes questionable philosophy, and almost enough hardness to plausibly hold his position. Alex was a bit more difficult to connect with, seeming remarkably naive for a man of his age and one who had become head of his family. His passive personality made him less interesting. The emotional/romantic connection between the two men felt fast and a bit inexplicable, especially given Beche's past heterosexuality, and the explanation he gives to convince himself grated on me a bit.
I liked the secondary characters almost more than the MCs. Manuel, Beche's second in command, had the edge Beche needed, and a fascinating conflicted viewpoint. Alex's sisters were great, and their difficulties with, and solutions for, their social positions were interesting. I loved the strong, unique and colorful women in the story. The steampunk setting was imaginative, although it got slightly short shrift, due to much of the story being confined to the romance isolated onboard Beche's ship. I'd love to have seen more development of the world-building and the chance to watch the characters operating within the larger society. This felt a little superficial, perhaps because the romance didn't absorb my attention as much as usual.
Lyn Gala's writing style always makes for smooth, pleasurable reading. I just didn't get absorbed into this one as deeply as some of her other work, but she remains an auto-buy author for me.
nigmatillium's review
5.0
This is my first steampunk novel ever and I must say it was a really interesting read. I felt a bit overwhelmed at first, but soon I got to really enjoy it, the contraptions and everything that went on. At the same time I must admit that I am glad this is not my first Lyn Gala novel, I might have been put off, but since it is the second, now I know that Lyn Gala is a versatile author and I look forward to discovering what else is there.
In this novel I didn't like any character more than the other, I liked all of them equally. Well, with a few obvious exceptions, but all the important characters are well set in the liked area. I liked how Lyn Gala managed to make them all so distinct and how nicely the contradictory personalities of Alex and Beche were displayed.
One thing, and the only one, I found odd was the way the time setting was introduced. It felt so weird to me and also kind of unnecessary. The writing is so masterful it would have been obvious rather quick what year the plot was set in. And speaking of the writing, I am in awe. Although I only read one more novel by Lyn Gala before, the difference is obvious and that is a fantastic skill!
Moving along, the novel is simply great. The plot flows smoothly, I loved the whole of pirate life, Alex's capture and everything that followed. I especially liked that there is no sugar coating, piracy is not wrapped in something shiny and soft, it is delivered bluntly. Whatever you think piracy is about, you get it.
I also liked a lot Alex and Beche's conversations. (Speaking of Beche, he can be such an idiot, he's great) At some point I was almost pissed at Beche, but as I read further I came to understand where he was coming from and everything made perfect sense. This being pretty much a new territory to me, I might have been a bit jumpy at times, but I was thoroughly put back into my place.
The novel rises some very serious issues too such as slavery and the position of woman in society, as well as religion. This was hardly unexpected given the setting, but I liked how the author dealt with them. It made me wonder about some things too and that's always a big plus from me.
Alex's first meeting with pleasure was delightful. It was so well written and I liked Alex's reactions so much. He, but Beche as well, have so much to learn and explore, I really love that for them. It's going to be such an interesting journey, it makes me all giddy.
What else is there to say?
Pirates? Check.
Steampunk? Check.
Two clashing main characters? Check.
Awesome supporting characters? Check.
Good plot? Check.
All that's left is giving it a try.
In this novel I didn't like any character more than the other, I liked all of them equally. Well, with a few obvious exceptions, but all the important characters are well set in the liked area. I liked how Lyn Gala managed to make them all so distinct and how nicely the contradictory personalities of Alex and Beche were displayed.
One thing, and the only one, I found odd was the way the time setting was introduced. It felt so weird to me and also kind of unnecessary. The writing is so masterful it would have been obvious rather quick what year the plot was set in. And speaking of the writing, I am in awe. Although I only read one more novel by Lyn Gala before, the difference is obvious and that is a fantastic skill!
Moving along, the novel is simply great. The plot flows smoothly, I loved the whole of pirate life, Alex's capture and everything that followed. I especially liked that there is no sugar coating, piracy is not wrapped in something shiny and soft, it is delivered bluntly. Whatever you think piracy is about, you get it.
I also liked a lot Alex and Beche's conversations. (Speaking of Beche, he can be such an idiot, he's great) At some point I was almost pissed at Beche, but as I read further I came to understand where he was coming from and everything made perfect sense. This being pretty much a new territory to me, I might have been a bit jumpy at times, but I was thoroughly put back into my place.
The novel rises some very serious issues too such as slavery and the position of woman in society, as well as religion. This was hardly unexpected given the setting, but I liked how the author dealt with them. It made me wonder about some things too and that's always a big plus from me.
Alex's first meeting with pleasure was delightful. It was so well written and I liked Alex's reactions so much. He, but Beche as well, have so much to learn and explore, I really love that for them. It's going to be such an interesting journey, it makes me all giddy.
What else is there to say?
Pirates? Check.
Steampunk? Check.
Two clashing main characters? Check.
Awesome supporting characters? Check.
Good plot? Check.
All that's left is giving it a try.
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