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ilkirk's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent fusion of genres
This was a very interesting and intriguing story with a wonderful female lead. The naval history aspect was a very strange and compelling element to a science fiction novel. I'm hopeful that the author will continue in this vein, as I think it was done very well!
This was a very interesting and intriguing story with a wonderful female lead. The naval history aspect was a very strange and compelling element to a science fiction novel. I'm hopeful that the author will continue in this vein, as I think it was done very well!
davidreyno's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A very entertaining adventure story that imagines space travel by sailing ships in the early 1800's (breezily allows that there is atmosphere in space, but still acknowledges gravity :). The hero is quite plucky, and the story, quite dramatic.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great, sweeping, Mars adventure, in the tradition of Burroughs, but also striding out imaginatively into uncharted territory. The airships between the stars remind me of Timlin's The Ship That Sailed to Mars, and the "science" explaining how this could be is a marvelous iteration of Victorian understandings.
The audio book is soundly read, and Arabella herself is a winning character. There are some areas of repetition and self-inflicted drama that I found mildly annoying, but on the whole, hurrah for an epic Victorian Mars adventure! Hurrah for our plucky heroine and dashing Captain Singh! Long may they sail, and swashbuckle between the stars.
The audio book is soundly read, and Arabella herself is a winning character. There are some areas of repetition and self-inflicted drama that I found mildly annoying, but on the whole, hurrah for an epic Victorian Mars adventure! Hurrah for our plucky heroine and dashing Captain Singh! Long may they sail, and swashbuckle between the stars.
accidentalspaceexplorer's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was very compelling and I flew through it - Arabella is a fun character, and the setting is definitely fun.
However, it's not really a romance. Most of the development of their feelings obviously happens off page, and is only hinted at by the characters. I also found the ending resolution of their getting together pretty unsatisfying. I also had some issues with the racial tensions in this book - they weren't addressed in a meaningful and thoughtful way, and I found the reveal of the Captain's past to be very ridiculous and stereotypical.
If you're going into this expecting it to be a romance, don't. If you're going into this expecting it to be a fun steampunk sailing romp, you'll be much more satisfied, if you can look past the couple of flaws.
However, it's not really a romance. Most of the development of their feelings obviously happens off page, and is only hinted at by the characters. I also found the ending resolution of their getting together pretty unsatisfying. I also had some issues with the racial tensions in this book - they weren't addressed in a meaningful and thoughtful way, and I found the reveal of the Captain's past to be very ridiculous and stereotypical.
If you're going into this expecting it to be a romance, don't. If you're going into this expecting it to be a fun steampunk sailing romp, you'll be much more satisfied, if you can look past the couple of flaws.
wishfulfillment's review against another edition
2.0
DNFing at 25%. While the setting is exciting, the author piqued my interest in some of the conflicts, and the writing style was fast and concise, I could not get myself interested in the plot. I want to say that this is an "it's not you, it's me" issue, but I felt like there was something missing from this. Maybe it wasn't emotionally engaging?
queersubtext's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
asphodelic's review against another edition
1.0
(+) Steampunk setting.
(+) Some good vocabulary words.
(-) Boring.
(-) Lack of suspense or tension.
(-) Mary Sue.
(-) Martians.
SUMMED UP: I sadly continue to dislike steampunk novels.
(+) Some good vocabulary words.
(-) Boring.
(-) Lack of suspense or tension.
(-) Mary Sue.
(-) Martians.
SUMMED UP: I sadly continue to dislike steampunk novels.
gigiatthelibrary's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this more. I'm not super into the steampunk genre, so I don't have much to compare to, but although the book was a pretty enjoyable adventure, there was a bit too much colonial-savior and male-savior stuff going on for me to really enjoy it. The Martians are rioting??? Why would they do that??? They have no reason to be upset that we colonized their planet!
selfwinding's review against another edition
4.0
Arabella is my kind of Regency heroine. As soon as I saw the cover and title, I knew I had to read this book. Something that mixes my love of the nineteenth century with space travel? Sign me up!
Overall the story did not disappoint, though it only gets 4 stars from me and not 5 because there were a few notes that I felt were a little weaker than I would have liked. (Believe it or not, not the laughable science! Obviously the space travel described in this is cockamamie but it describes physics and phenomena that exist in this specific world and they are so delightful and inventive that I had no trouble ignoring my usual inclination to cry about how science works.) My main complaint is that in the middle third of the book while Arabella is making her passage on the Diana, we lose focus of her motivation for getting to Mars. I got so wrapped up in life on the ship (which is amazing, don't get me wrong), that it was jarring to finally remember that she had a driving and time-sensitive reason for getting to Mars.
Speaking of Mars, I really enjoyed the way Levine constructed the Martian world and juxtaposed British colonialism against this sci-fi setting. Because the Martians are filling in for actual abused people, I would have liked to see a few more people of color in the novel, but Captain Singh is wonderful and I really appreciated the mutiny subplot. Even though this is very much a space opera, it is also a novel that is aware of its historical context and uses that context to heighten the conflict and tension.
Arabella is a fantastic character—and actually all of the characters are fully developed and three-dimensional, including some of the villains who could have easily been one-note caricatures. The complexity, depth, and detail in this novel are three of the things that make it so wonderful. I can't wait to pick up the second book in the series.
Overall the story did not disappoint, though it only gets 4 stars from me and not 5 because there were a few notes that I felt were a little weaker than I would have liked. (Believe it or not, not the laughable science! Obviously the space travel described in this is cockamamie but it describes physics and phenomena that exist in this specific world and they are so delightful and inventive that I had no trouble ignoring my usual inclination to cry about how science works.) My main complaint is that in the middle third of the book while Arabella is making her passage on the Diana, we lose focus of her motivation for getting to Mars. I got so wrapped up in life on the ship (which is amazing, don't get me wrong), that it was jarring to finally remember that she had a driving and time-sensitive reason for getting to Mars.
Speaking of Mars, I really enjoyed the way Levine constructed the Martian world and juxtaposed British colonialism against this sci-fi setting. Because the Martians are filling in for actual abused people, I would have liked to see a few more people of color in the novel, but Captain Singh is wonderful and I really appreciated the mutiny subplot. Even though this is very much a space opera, it is also a novel that is aware of its historical context and uses that context to heighten the conflict and tension.
Arabella is a fantastic character—and actually all of the characters are fully developed and three-dimensional, including some of the villains who could have easily been one-note caricatures. The complexity, depth, and detail in this novel are three of the things that make it so wonderful. I can't wait to pick up the second book in the series.