Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee

14 reviews

ghostlyprince's review against another edition

reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Addiction, Alcoholism, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Racism, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Hate crime

Moderate: Grief, Misogyny, Confinement, and Sexism

bookish_afrolatina's review

adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Like anyone who has seen the movie Titanic and has a morbid fascination with this history, I was drawn to Luck of the Titanic after learning that there were Chinese passengers onboard and wanted to explore that. 
The book started off well with a dose of the reality for folks of Chinese descent in the Western world during this time but had a dash of playfulness thanks to the creative license Lee took in making the MC a trained acrobat. As the story progressed, I started to feel like the choices Valora made didn’t really seem feasible. Her “disguise” didn't really work for me but I decided to stick with the story anyway. Like the Titanic movie, the book focuses more on the journey before the disaster so it starts to speed up about 80% of the way into the book. I found the ending pretty disappointing. I had hoped that Lee would bring us into the experience of these folks after this tragedy and I didn’t get that. 
If this doesn’t bother you, then you may still enjoy this book for it’s effectiveness in getting one to think about the Chinese Exclusion Act and how Chinese people were treated at the time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Confinement

janiscox's review

emotional lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Couldnt put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Classism, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

Minor: Body horror, Blood, Deportation, Grief, Police brutality, and Violence

scrubsandbooks's review

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Death

Moderate: Confinement and Sexual assault

mandkips's review

emotional sad tense 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Sexual assault, Confinement, and Death of parent

teatimewtrisha's review against another edition

adventurous emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death of parent, and Racism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, and Grief

rhm04's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Confinement, Racism, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault

thenovelmaura's review

adventurous emotional sad 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

4.0

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the eARC of this book! I enjoyed this one and I see why Stacey Lee has such an enthusiastic fanbase. It was fascinating to get a glimpse into what could have been the lives of the eight Chinese passengers who were on the Titanic. It was definitely more of a character-driven novel than a plot-heavy one (I understand why people thought the beginning was slow, and I too grew weary of Valora's many costume changes), with most of the tension coming from the inevitable sinking of the ship. The book's setting is a microcosm of society in the 1910's, with racial and class disparities on full display in the different cabins, treatment from the crew, and seating arrangements at mealtimes.

The relationship between Valora and Jamie was complex and is really what drew me into the story. As twins, they had a deep bond that could be both comforting and painful. They each matured a lot as they struggled to reconcile the sibling they had known growing up with the one that boarded the Titanic. I admired the way Lee chose to end the book, as well as her graceful and informative author's note. While I don't read a lot of YA historical fiction, this author is added to my list of ones to watch!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent and Grief

Minor: Confinement and Sexual assault

bookcrushin's review

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Sexism

Moderate: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Cultural appropriation

betweentheshelves's review

emotional informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

You can tell that a lot of research went into this, and I appreciated the different perspective this offered on the Titanic. Especially in the context of the author's note at the end, this whole story is facsinating. The characters are great and you're really immersed in this time period. You know how it's going to end, but you kind of hope something else will happen anyway. I feel like that with basically every historical fiction that I read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Death of parent, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Minor: Grief