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talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
Minor: Lesbophobia, Drug use, War, Misogyny, Sexism, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Animal death, and Alcohol
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Xiang feels ignored by her mother, treated as a thing to be kept safe rather than a person who can want things and pursue them competently. She's been surrounded by people paid to teach her and keep her safe, part of a village where she's free to roam to hills and read, but is kept away from anything more adventurous. Her prized possession is a pendant from her presumed-dead father. When her mother agrees to let her try to learn one aspect of the business, it appears as though her mother might finally take her seriously. Instead her mother keeps trying to arrange a marriage for Xiang, a prospect which feels stifling. She meets Anh, a sailor, and feels close to her almost immediately, but takes longer to realize just how different their perspectives are, due to their vastly different life experiences. When she runs away and joins Anh's crew she finds a place where she is valued for what she does and for how she fits into a larger whole.
The worldbuilding leans into a heady mix of clothing, food, and legends of the Dragon Queen's exploits from decades ago. Once she's on the ship, Xiang works to learn as much as she can and revels in the feeling of getting stronger from daily work. There's an emphasis on found family, and in untangling the difference between where you come from and where you feel at home.
I enjoyed this both on its own and as a retelling of Treasure Island. You don't need to be familiar with the original, as this takes the bones of that other story and clads them in something wonderful and new. The ending is tense and dramatic, I like how it wraps things up.
The worldbuilding leans into a heady mix of clothing, food, and legends of the Dragon Queen's exploits from decades ago. Once she's on the ship, Xiang works to learn as much as she can and revels in the feeling of getting stronger from daily work. There's an emphasis on found family, and in untangling the difference between where you come from and where you feel at home.
I enjoyed this both on its own and as a retelling of Treasure Island. You don't need to be familiar with the original, as this takes the bones of that other story and clads them in something wonderful and new. The ending is tense and dramatic, I like how it wraps things up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Drug use, and Child abuse
mandkips's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Blood
Minor: Sexism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
alouette's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
a lovingly crafted historical fiction filled with adventure, as advertised. and queer pirates! saw this one as a recommendation at a local book shop, and i'm glad i did. the author did a great job of transporting me back to the right time period with descriptions of the various settings. and though the ship's crew kind of melded together, the central characters were really well fleshed out and i liked them a lot! Xiang's development as a person, a sheltered girl entering adulthood and realizing the truths of a chosen family and a chosen lifestyle, becoming her own individual, was lovely to see. and the development of Anh, someone cynical being able to believe and hope again, was great as well. though i didn't think their was much development between the two to being a romantic pair, i was still happy for it nonetheless. i liked Master Feng a lot, too.
another big bonus is that this book actually does travel scenes well! a lot of books, especially historical fiction, can turn the periods during which characters are travelling for an extended time into a slog. but in this case, the pacing felt very smooth.
the twist was very obvious and some of the character motivations very questionable, thus some points off on my star rating, but this is still a novel that i adored. :)
another big bonus is that this book actually does travel scenes well! a lot of books, especially historical fiction, can turn the periods during which characters are travelling for an extended time into a slog. but in this case, the pacing felt very smooth.
the twist was very obvious and some of the character motivations very questionable, thus some points off on my star rating, but this is still a novel that i adored. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Violence
Minor: Homophobia and Misogyny
clovelatte's review
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Death, War, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse
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