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emily_mh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Rep: sapphic Chinese MC, sapphic Vietnamese LI, Chinese SCs, Vietnamese SCs, Muslim (?) Nepalese SC, Thai SC, Korean SC
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Homophobia, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Animal death
Moderate: drowning Minor: loss of a loved one, theft, gambling, colourismtalonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- 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
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
imaginingly's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Blood
caidyn's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
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.
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
lily1304's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Blood
Violence is mostly with swords, only the occasional gun There is also at least one near-drowningangelsbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, and Gun violence
melaniereadsbooks's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
In this retelling of Treasure Island, Xiang just wants to be accepted by her mother and explore more of the world she's grown up only hearing about. But when she discovers a hint toward the location of the secret treasure hidden by the fabled Head of the Dragon Fleet, Xiang goes on an adventure with Anh and her crew to find the treasure.
This was thrilling! It took me a little bit to really get into it, but once it picked up pace I absolutely loved it! Xiang and Anh are absolutely adorable! I loved the lore and the adventure and the piracy. The character development was also really good and I loved the relationship between Xiang and her sort of father. I also loved Anh's mother and her crew, and the discussion of queerness within the world! They even talked about Matey logs (idk if I'm spelling that right) which is a really interesting pirate concept that I learned about recently, so I thought that was cool!
This was such a great retelling of a classic and another to add to your list if you're a retelling fan!
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Homophobia
clovelatte's review
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Death, War, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse