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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
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:
Yes
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
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After reading two terrible books about "European" piracy/sea faring, this one was refreshing. Also my first Sapphic book (!!)
It was kind of cliche and the character development could be improved upon.
It was kind of cliche and the character development could be improved upon.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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:
Complicated
Treasure Island set in 1826 in the South China Sea with a pirate crew of queer misfits sailing for treasure and a better life – plus actual historical Pirate Queen Zheng Yi Sao as Captain Flint.
With contemporary prose and an updated cast, this still feels true to the source material with the adventurous quest deciphering maps and clues. Long John Silver doesn’t have an exact analogue, but his surprisingly complex parental feelings come through with found-family bonds as well as a wild ride of birth-family feelings, and a fraught lesbian love interest.
New Voices midway discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/wqb3w1/new_voices_book_club_a_clash_of_steel_midway/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
New Voices final discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/x1d567/new_voices_book_club_a_clash_of_steel_final/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
>Really enjoyed exploring a part of the world in a time in history that I don't know very well at all. The culture of Canton was fascinating as well as the life of fishers and black market traders at a time when much in the world was changing. Learning about the history of the Red Banner Fleet and the historical Zheng Yi Sao in the end notes was just the cherry on top! Pirate lore was never something I was super into, but still I can't believe I'd never heard of this complex but still objectively badass Pirate Queen until now - blaming Western biases for that.
>Overall, this book was a lot of fun to me! The pacing was excellent, and though we took a bit longer to get to the sea than I expected, it never felt like it was dragging. I think this book did a good job balancing some tough emotional moments with an overall feeling of adventure and discovery of freedom and identity. As far as the romance itself, it was a touch more YA-true-lovey than is my personal preference, but it was still the kind of romance that makes your heart happy
I loved Treasure Island as a kid, reading it several times, so I was excited to see a retelling. Having it be a retelling set in ancient China makes it even better. Lee did a wonderful job with developing the characters of Xiang and Anh, with developing their relationship, and it was a wonderful addition to the adventure.
While the other characters were not developed quite as much, they were not left as stereotypes or cardboard cut-outs. Indeed, Lee went against the grain with many characters, not the least of which is the fact that the notorious pirate, the one who united all of the smaller pirate groups and took on the emperor, was a woman. Then to learn, in the afterward of the audiobook, that she was an actual historical figure was amazing.
Of course, there is still the filial pressure that is so culturally important, and the relationship between Xiang and her mother, with Xiang's desire to make her mother proud yet having no idea how to attain it, drives so much of what Xiang did.
With as much fun as this retelling was, I do hope that Lee writes more retellings of the classics, seating them in different cultures from the original as this one was. It colors the story so differently and enhances the original story in a wonderful way.
For this novel, I also had a chance to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Her performance was great, and I appreciated listening to someone who knows how to pronounce the names and various Mandarin and Viet words that were used. The short section when Anh translates the poem Xiang is talking about into Viet was wonderful to listen to; it definitely would have short-changed the story to have it narrated by someone who couldn't speak those languages themselves.
While the other characters were not developed quite as much, they were not left as stereotypes or cardboard cut-outs. Indeed, Lee went against the grain with many characters, not the least of which is the fact that the notorious pirate, the one who united all of the smaller pirate groups and took on the emperor, was a woman. Then to learn, in the afterward of the audiobook, that she was an actual historical figure was amazing.
Of course, there is still the filial pressure that is so culturally important, and the relationship between Xiang and her mother, with Xiang's desire to make her mother proud yet having no idea how to attain it, drives so much of what Xiang did.
With as much fun as this retelling was, I do hope that Lee writes more retellings of the classics, seating them in different cultures from the original as this one was. It colors the story so differently and enhances the original story in a wonderful way.
For this novel, I also had a chance to listen to the audiobook, which was narrated by Emily Woo Zeller. Her performance was great, and I appreciated listening to someone who knows how to pronounce the names and various Mandarin and Viet words that were used. The short section when Anh translates the poem Xiang is talking about into Viet was wonderful to listen to; it definitely would have short-changed the story to have it narrated by someone who couldn't speak those languages themselves.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
SAPPHIC PIRATES EVERYONE!!!
DID YOU HEAR ME?!?! I SAID SAPPHIC PIRATES!!!
Hehehhehehhehe. Another cute remixed classic book! All the ones I've read, were very wholesome so far :) There's just nothing like your love interest stealing your most important possession...
I loved the (surprising) historical accuracy! Zheng Yisao sounds like an og girlboss-gaslight-gatekeep kinda person. The multilingual aspect was refreshing as well.
I saw the big plot twist coming from 1000 miles away, but it was still very satisfying to see I was right:)
DID YOU HEAR ME?!?! I SAID SAPPHIC PIRATES!!!
Hehehhehehhehe. Another cute remixed classic book! All the ones I've read, were very wholesome so far :) There's just nothing like your love interest stealing your most important possession...
I loved the (surprising) historical accuracy! Zheng Yisao sounds like an og girlboss-gaslight-gatekeep kinda person. The multilingual aspect was refreshing as well.
I saw the big plot twist coming from 1000 miles away, but it was still very satisfying to see I was right:)
The big reveal was telegraphed from the beginning. Too much unnecessary foolishness, even for YA.
Such a fun retelling that incorporated the legend of Zheng Yi Sao in a clever, fun way. The plot did drag for me a bit in the middle, but I loved the earlier chapters featuring our lead character bonding with the pirates and learning the ways of the sea.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced