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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
It took me a bit to get into this book, (mostly because I was distracted by other books) but it is definitely worth the read. It satisfies the seafaring/pirate itch and the space adventure itch all at once, with the bonus of a fully realised world both on Mars and on Earth, with a delightfully fantastic portrayal of space. Plus, the heroine has a flair for mechanics. What's not to love?
What a silly book this one end up being.
It started so strong, and so interesting. The premise is great, and the first chapter will grab you immediately. However that seems to be all there is to this book. All that potential is not quite ever explored.
The book gets lost in the middle. The aerial trip lasts forever and then the third act is rushed to the point of an outline. I do not want to talk about the end of the mutiny, I just got my eyes back in my sockes after they rolled away.
Arabella might very well be the only developed character in the entire book, all the rest are merely vaguely sketched ideas, and I understand you cannot write all the character background you developed, authors, but we readers are able to tell when it's there and when it's not, it shows in the book, it's shallow. I don't mean aesthetically, but on world building. When you grab a book from Sanderson, Tolkien, Lynch, Martin or even Rothfuss, you know behind the 1000 pages you have in your hands, you also have 50k that can be written about all that was developed and created and shaped the characters and how they behave. This book lacks that. Or at least the ability to comunicate its existance.
It started so strong, and so interesting. The premise is great, and the first chapter will grab you immediately. However that seems to be all there is to this book. All that potential is not quite ever explored.
The book gets lost in the middle. The aerial trip lasts forever and then the third act is rushed to the point of an outline. I do not want to talk about the end of the mutiny, I just got my eyes back in my sockes after they rolled away.
Arabella might very well be the only developed character in the entire book, all the rest are merely vaguely sketched ideas, and I understand you cannot write all the character background you developed, authors, but we readers are able to tell when it's there and when it's not, it shows in the book, it's shallow. I don't mean aesthetically, but on world building. When you grab a book from Sanderson, Tolkien, Lynch, Martin or even Rothfuss, you know behind the 1000 pages you have in your hands, you also have 50k that can be written about all that was developed and created and shaped the characters and how they behave. This book lacks that. Or at least the ability to comunicate its existance.
Way too colonialist for me to truly enjoy. None of the humans seemed to understand why the Martians were upset that the Queen's egg was stolen and left to die. Even Arabella didn't seem to think it was that big of a deal. It (uncritically) recreated 19th century mindsets in a way that is unbecoming to a book written in the 21st.
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have mixed feelings about this book.
On one hand, it's a thoroughly enjoyable adventure tale about a plucky young woman in a steampunk Victorian universe. There's space travel, family betrayals, automatons, and loads of fun.
On the other hand, the depictions of colonialism and gender inequality are one-dimensional and almost cartoonishly simple.
I enjoyed this book. It's pulpy and kind of simplistic, but I liked it in spite of its predictability. But some of the social issues that the author seems to be trying to push are waaaay too simplified. The gender inequality in this book is outright ridiculous (especially later in the book). It also falls a bit into the not-like-other-girls trope - partly because Arabella is NOT RACIST AGAINST MARTIANS (this is hit waaaay too hard) and one of the only women in the entire book. The only other human women who we meet are portrayed as frivolous and whiny. And the Martian women are almost worse - kind of falling into a magical-wise-black-woman trope. The main female Martian even refers to an aspect of her culture as "savage" and something that she's not proud of. It's a weird take on colonialism and ignores all the complexity and difficulty that comes from a planet (or country) being colonized.
This is a quick and enjoyable read that could use a bit more perspective and information on social and historical issues.
On one hand, it's a thoroughly enjoyable adventure tale about a plucky young woman in a steampunk Victorian universe. There's space travel, family betrayals, automatons, and loads of fun.
On the other hand, the depictions of colonialism and gender inequality are one-dimensional and almost cartoonishly simple.
I enjoyed this book. It's pulpy and kind of simplistic, but I liked it in spite of its predictability. But some of the social issues that the author seems to be trying to push are waaaay too simplified. The gender inequality in this book is outright ridiculous (especially later in the book). It also falls a bit into the not-like-other-girls trope - partly because Arabella is NOT RACIST AGAINST MARTIANS (this is hit waaaay too hard) and one of the only women in the entire book. The only other human women who we meet are portrayed as frivolous and whiny. And the Martian women are almost worse - kind of falling into a magical-wise-black-woman trope. The main female Martian even refers to an aspect of her culture as "savage" and something that she's not proud of. It's a weird take on colonialism and ignores all the complexity and difficulty that comes from a planet (or country) being colonized.
This is a quick and enjoyable read that could use a bit more perspective and information on social and historical issues.