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lilyevangeline's review against another edition
3.0
Read almost entirely during a particularly slow shift at work, between scribing for visits with a surprisingly high number of patients who believed they had UTIs but did not (hint: it was STDs).
This, thankfully, did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, though it did make for somewhat disjointed reading experience.
This book is basically your average female-dresses-as-a-male-to-go-on-a-ship adventure, except the young woman in question was raised on Mars (is trying to get back to Mars) and the ship is flying through the space. The less you think about it, the more it makes sense. It's all the usual scenes, with space privateers, an unplanned stop at an asteroid for refueling, lots of bothersome pulling at large ropes, and, of course, a mutiny. Arabella, with little but her knowledge of Mars and hidden gift for automatons, must keep her cover, save the ship, and get back to Mars in time to warn her brother of their devious relative.
The world is imaginative and fun, if the politics and emotional complexity of our villains seemed a bit simplistic. Personally, I felt our romantic interest (aforementioned handsome captain) was rather undeveloped, but Arabella was compelling enough to make up for it. When all is said and done, I had quite a good time.
This, thankfully, did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, though it did make for somewhat disjointed reading experience.
This book is basically your average female-dresses-as-a-male-to-go-on-a-ship adventure, except the young woman in question was raised on Mars (is trying to get back to Mars) and the ship is flying through the space. The less you think about it, the more it makes sense. It's all the usual scenes, with space privateers, an unplanned stop at an asteroid for refueling, lots of bothersome pulling at large ropes, and, of course, a mutiny. Arabella, with little but her knowledge of Mars and hidden gift for automatons, must keep her cover, save the ship, and get back to Mars in time to warn her brother of their devious relative.
The world is imaginative and fun, if the politics and emotional complexity of our villains seemed a bit simplistic. Personally, I felt our romantic interest (aforementioned handsome captain) was rather undeveloped, but Arabella was compelling enough to make up for it. When all is said and done, I had quite a good time.
ceredonia's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe I was just in the mood for a wonderful, fantastical science fiction adventure, but this was a delight to read. I'm very excited for the next stories in the series, and very much enjoyed the character of Arabella, the Captain, and the journey itself.
It's a great blend of steampunk, science fiction, and a smidgen of romance, though at its heart its a well written classic adventure.
It's a great blend of steampunk, science fiction, and a smidgen of romance, though at its heart its a well written classic adventure.
trueperception's review against another edition
4.0
First off, I received this free from a Goodreads Giveaway.
A bit predictable towards the end, but all in all, a well written story with interesting characters.
A bit predictable towards the end, but all in all, a well written story with interesting characters.
corvinaq's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t believe this book doesn’t get more hype! I absolutely loved it. The world-building is sooo good and intriguing.
mdunnbass's review against another edition
5.0
Hot damn this was a great read. Highly recommended. The author, David D Levine wrote in a blurb on Mary Robinette Kowal's website that for the first 100 pages, the main character Arabella was "a Patrick O'Brian girl living in a Jane Austen world." Fantastically well put. And the rest of the book is her entering--and f**king owning--that Patrick O'Brian world. Loved every page of it.
crasscasualty's review against another edition
4.0
Absurd and enjoyable. Ably embodies and updates the breathless narration of Victorian ladies' novels.
atris_lauraborealis's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fun steampunk cross between treasure island and Mulan (weird right? But it totally works).
While it was slow to get started, it had it's fun bits that kept it moving along. It's not a book that will have you glued to the page, desperate to see how it all works out, but it goes from Mars to England and back again with an imaginative alternate reality full of a wealth of opportunity. If anything, I was disappointed we didn't delve deeper into the world and characters. And while I respect the attempt to imitate classic sea-faring novels in tone and language, there were times the storytelling became stilted and we were held at arm's-length from really caring about these characters.
But overall it was a great romp through space with privateers, space storms and Martians!
While it was slow to get started, it had it's fun bits that kept it moving along. It's not a book that will have you glued to the page, desperate to see how it all works out, but it goes from Mars to England and back again with an imaginative alternate reality full of a wealth of opportunity. If anything, I was disappointed we didn't delve deeper into the world and characters. And while I respect the attempt to imitate classic sea-faring novels in tone and language, there were times the storytelling became stilted and we were held at arm's-length from really caring about these characters.
But overall it was a great romp through space with privateers, space storms and Martians!
ubalstecha's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
An ok steampunk adventure. I find the thing the most troubling in this book is the romance between the captain and Arabella. He is significantly older than her and it, quite frankly, came off as creepy.
katmystery's review against another edition
3.0
It was cute but lacking suspense, character development, and a believable, interesting story.
The writing style would have made 1000% more sense in a MG novel. It was ALL tell and not one tiny bit of show. The twists were extremely predictable. Arabella did not think with the depth associated with YA characters. The book had lovely description but too much- it weighed the story down. It was as if the story had not been long enough originally, so the author wished to stretch out every scene... through description!
The pacing was too slow for most of it and too fast in some parts. The whole middle part of the book was drenched with incredible detail about the voyage, which was interesting but not interesting enough for an extra 50 pages of description. The pacing suddenly increased after the voyage, the story navigating through predictable plot-twists every few pages. It just felt very 2D. Like it needed another round of editing.
I think the book could have benefited from some cutting down, flashbacks about Arabella's life on Mars (so that, once we arrived, we could understand all she was talking about instead of having to rely on convenient info dumps), and a rewritten romance. The way the romance was done was unlikely and annoying...
So, in all, enjoyable enough to finish but not without its flaws.
The writing style would have made 1000% more sense in a MG novel. It was ALL tell and not one tiny bit of show. The twists were extremely predictable. Arabella did not think with the depth associated with YA characters. The book had lovely description but too much- it weighed the story down. It was as if the story had not been long enough originally, so the author wished to stretch out every scene... through description!
The pacing was too slow for most of it and too fast in some parts. The whole middle part of the book was drenched with incredible detail about the voyage, which was interesting but not interesting enough for an extra 50 pages of description. The pacing suddenly increased after the voyage, the story navigating through predictable plot-twists every few pages. It just felt very 2D. Like it needed another round of editing.
I think the book could have benefited from some cutting down, flashbacks about Arabella's life on Mars (so that, once we arrived, we could understand all she was talking about instead of having to rely on convenient info dumps), and a rewritten romance. The way the romance was done was unlikely and annoying...
Spoiler
Also, what's the age gap there? Is it as bad as I gathered? I hope hope hope notSo, in all, enjoyable enough to finish but not without its flaws.
majkia's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, light steampunk. Think of how Jules Verne pictured Mars and the passage between. Arabella runs away from home after having been forced to leave Mars for Earth. She pretends to be a boy and gets a birth on a sailing ship headed to Mars.