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spacerkip's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I could really feel the love the author had for this story and its themes. Xiang and her personal struggles with living up to her mother's expectations (and wanting something different out of life entirely) explored a different facet of the coming-of-age narrative the original novel puts forth - just like Jim from Treasure Planet, another retelling I adore. Treasure Island simply stays winning.
(And as a fun little bit of meta, the audiobook narrator, Emily Woo Zeller, is the same person who read the audiobook for Red As the Sky, Deep As the Sea. Zheng Yi Sao cinematic universe lmao.)
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Murder
Minor: Homophobia, Drug use, Misogyny, and Sexism
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, colourismimaginingly'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
peggy_racham's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Blood and Death of parent
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
astridsbookishlife'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Blood, Homophobia, and Murder
Minor: Sexism and Misogyny
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-drowningshelvesofivy'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
4.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Alcohol and War
shaipanda'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? No
4.25
I did feel like it was a bit rushed at times and it was a lot of story to fit into one book but overall I really liked it :)
Edit: had to dock it a bit from 4.75 to 4.25 cause I remember very little lol but I did really enjoy it and I remember liking the characters a lot
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Death, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Blood and Homophobia
bookishfaye'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
-The slow burn romance ❤️🤌
- Xiang realizing & accepting her sexuality & the acceptance of the found family of pirates around her 🥲
- the mommy issues were wildly relatable
- the historical context was so interesting & I loved the authors note, language notes, historical notes, & recommended reading all listed in the back!! The author put so much effort into this book & it shows!
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Alcohol, Abandonment, Murder, Blood, Death, and Misogyny