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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
There was a fun activity at a library summer program that I attended as a teen, which challenged participants to write a six-word summary of a book they read. It was fun to make the summaries as absurd as possible, and the one that I would choose for "A Clash of Steel" is: "Mamma Mia! starring pirates: bad end." Of course, this only applies to a very specific element of the plot (one of the most engaging chapters, in my opinion), but it is one of my favorites, and I hope that my bizarre summary encourages people to give this novel a try.
Knowing "Treasure Island" is completely optional to appreciating this book, as it deviates rather significantly from the original novel. True, our protagonist's family owns an inn/teahouse, and she goes off in search of a famous pirate's treasure. But the focus is shifted so that an imperial military is no longer glorified and so most of the pirates are humanized and sympathetic. Knowing what happens in the original story won't help you guess what happens next in this one, although you could argue that they are similar in terms of their adventurous spirit.
This is the second story by C.B. Lee that I've read, and it is definitely my favorite of the two. I read "Not Your Sidekick" some years ago, and I remember not being intrigued by it enough to continue with the rest of this series. But maybe it was just the setting and subject matter that didn't engage me, because Lee's writing style is far from bland in "A Clash of Steel." I love their descriptions of Canton and the food the characters eat, and I love the way that any ship lingo is explained/simplified (as opposed to the original "Treasure Island," where I often thought, "OK, I don't know what that word means, but I'll just move on and see if I can't figure it out with some more context").
The theme that personal connections are more important than physical treasure is a nice touch, especially since I was a bit underwhelmed by the descriptions of how the treasure was distributed and spent in the original novel. The main romance was also perfectly decent, although (not being a fan of most romances) I wouldn't recommend this story for that alone.
I was actually a bit nervous near the end that this novel would take a more amatonormative stance about needing love to make your life whole. Luckily, it doesn't go that far, but it's true that the themes of interpersonal connection as treasure may not resonate with everyone, especially if they don't form a strong connection to these characters. There's also the Mamma Mia!-esque love triangle that I mentioned earlier, which provides some sick and twisted romances that can help balance out any maudlin sentiments about romantic love conquering all. (I think you can guess why that part was so entertaining to me.)
All in all, both the style and the plot of this novel compelled me, and I would highly recommend it to folks who like pirate stories and a bit of historical fiction. I probably won't return to the Sidekick series, but I will gladly read more of C.B. Lee's works after this, as well as more of the Remixed Classics series!
Knowing "Treasure Island" is completely optional to appreciating this book, as it deviates rather significantly from the original novel. True, our protagonist's family owns an inn/teahouse, and she goes off in search of a famous pirate's treasure. But the focus is shifted so that an imperial military is no longer glorified and so most of the pirates are humanized and sympathetic. Knowing what happens in the original story won't help you guess what happens next in this one, although you could argue that they are similar in terms of their adventurous spirit.
This is the second story by C.B. Lee that I've read, and it is definitely my favorite of the two. I read "Not Your Sidekick" some years ago, and I remember not being intrigued by it enough to continue with the rest of this series. But maybe it was just the setting and subject matter that didn't engage me, because Lee's writing style is far from bland in "A Clash of Steel." I love their descriptions of Canton and the food the characters eat, and I love the way that any ship lingo is explained/simplified (as opposed to the original "Treasure Island," where I often thought, "OK, I don't know what that word means, but I'll just move on and see if I can't figure it out with some more context").
The theme that personal connections are more important than physical treasure is a nice touch, especially since I was a bit underwhelmed by the descriptions of how the treasure was distributed and spent in the original novel. The main romance was also perfectly decent, although (not being a fan of most romances) I wouldn't recommend this story for that alone.
I was actually a bit nervous near the end that this novel would take a more amatonormative stance about needing love to make your life whole. Luckily, it doesn't go that far, but it's true that the themes of interpersonal connection as treasure may not resonate with everyone, especially if they don't form a strong connection to these characters. There's also the Mamma Mia!-esque love triangle that I mentioned earlier, which provides some sick and twisted romances that can help balance out any maudlin sentiments about romantic love conquering all. (I think you can guess why that part was so entertaining to me.)
All in all, both the style and the plot of this novel compelled me, and I would highly recommend it to folks who like pirate stories and a bit of historical fiction. I probably won't return to the Sidekick series, but I will gladly read more of C.B. Lee's works after this, as well as more of the Remixed Classics series!
just couldnt get into i, ill probably pick it up again later lol
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
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
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I think the subtitle "A Treasure Island Remix" really does a disservice to the story. I understand that it's part of a series of remixed classics, but, as a devoted fan of Muppet Treasure Island, I kept being deeply disappointed that Tim Curry was not in this book.
It also doesn't follow the pacing of Treasure Island, which i found grating. There's a lot of world-building/backstory in the first 40% of the book, and the action kind of races to the end after about 85%. There's nothing inherently wrong with that but when I kept expecting pacing more like Treasure Island, it was disappointing.
As far as I'm able to look at the story independently of my Treasure Island expectations, I understand why the POV character is who she is, but I personally would have found the story more rewarding if there was more insight intothe Head of the Dragon 's inner life.
It also doesn't follow the pacing of Treasure Island, which i found grating. There's a lot of world-building/backstory in the first 40% of the book, and the action kind of races to the end after about 85%. There's nothing inherently wrong with that but when I kept expecting pacing more like Treasure Island, it was disappointing.
As far as I'm able to look at the story independently of my Treasure Island expectations, I understand why the POV character is who she is, but I personally would have found the story more rewarding if there was more insight into
adventurous
medium-paced
slow-paced
This book is a great concept. It does a disservice to both the queer romance and the history though.
The romance starts with the LI stealing the MC’s most valuable possession while they are essentially on a date. Which means the MC gets to grapple with her feelings from both ‘queer awakening in a hostile society’ and ‘can this person be trusted’ standpoints. There are several moments that feel like the LI is playing a long con on the MC, especially with the role they have taken over from Treasure Island. I can not see this relationship lasting without becoming extremely toxic.
While I feel the author did a good job on the historical setting, two of these characters were real people. I hate that someone who is usually seen as an incredibly powerful woman who was able to unify thousands has been reduced to a caricature of evil. It feels disingenuous to make a book about a young woman coming into herself at sea have the most famous female commander ever be the villain.
All of this combined with a twist that is obvious 150 pages before it happens and incredibly slow pacing, makes for a disappointing retelling. The sea has been a safe haven for queer people throughout history. I hope that someday Treasure Island gets the queer retelling it deserves.
The romance starts with the LI stealing the MC’s most valuable possession while they are essentially on a date. Which means the MC gets to grapple with her feelings from both ‘queer awakening in a hostile society’ and ‘can this person be trusted’ standpoints. There are several moments that feel like the LI is playing a long con on the MC, especially with the role they have taken over from Treasure Island. I can not see this relationship lasting without becoming extremely toxic.
While I feel the author did a good job on the historical setting, two of these characters were real people. I hate that someone who is usually seen as an incredibly powerful woman who was able to unify thousands has been reduced to a caricature of evil. It feels disingenuous to make a book about a young woman coming into herself at sea have the most famous female commander ever be the villain.
All of this combined with a twist that is obvious 150 pages before it happens and incredibly slow pacing, makes for a disappointing retelling. The sea has been a safe haven for queer people throughout history. I hope that someday Treasure Island gets the queer retelling it deserves.