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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
The final book in the Montague Siblings series just didn’t hit the mark for me. It lacked the fun and carefree vibe of the first two books. The characters felt forced, and the adventure? It barely made sense. The story focuses on sibling relationships, but the other two siblings—who I guess are in their 40s now—haven’t matured much. And since I’ve never clicked with Monty, my lukewarm reaction wasn’t surprising.
Then there’s the adventure plot. It was a mess. I skimmed so much of it and didn’t miss a thing. Even though reading Monty and Felicity’s books might’ve given me more context, slogging through the convoluted pirate nonsense here didn’t make me want to pick them up. It felt like the author started with a fresh, exciting idea and then ditched it to pull Adrian into the same old storylines.
I even skimmed through the first chapter so much that I lost track of what was happening. I wanted to love this book—I was excited to read about someone with anxiety and OCD living in the 1800s. But I couldn’t even get into the second chapter. I kept flipping pages, hoping for something to happen, but it never did. I wouldn’t recommend it.
That said, it wasn’t all bad. Adrian’s portrayal of mental illness was deeply moving. It was so relatable that it brought me to tears. I appreciated seeing such an accurate representation of anxiety and OCD—without having to write it myself. So, while the book didn’t work for me overall, that part at least left an impact.
Unfortunately too much time has passed since I read the first two and I’m no longer interested in this series… the main character in this one struggles with anxiety (same) and the representation felt so forced! It was as if he needed to mention/be anxious for every single second of the book and it was actually insufferable.
A great end to the adventures of the Montague siblings. It was really fun to see Monty and Felicity as grown ups who had figured some stuff out while still being themselves flaws and all. Adriene was a great character to root for.
4.5 stars rounded up
This book has one of the best portrayals of mental illness, anxiety in particular, I have read in a character. Being in Adrian's head was so difficult at times but so extremely real. His story, while an adventure as well, was at its core the story of accepting yourself in all forms even those forms you don't really like. It was the journey of learning to cope with anxiety and understanding that there will be bad days and sometimes just getting out of bed will feel impossible. But there will be beautiful worthwhile days as well.
Aside from the mental health journey, we also got to catch up with Monty and Felicity which I loved. Learning more about what they have been doing and the new family dynamics was fabulous. Yes the two older siblings do not act their ages at all and if I didnt know better I'd assume they were much younger than their 40ish years. But it was fun anyway.
There were so many beautiful quotes that I wish I had written down as I was listening but I didnt want to take the time to stop so you will have to read it for yourself to see them. The narration was perfect. This was the perfect ending to the series and I highly recommend the whole thing.
This book has one of the best portrayals of mental illness, anxiety in particular, I have read in a character. Being in Adrian's head was so difficult at times but so extremely real. His story, while an adventure as well, was at its core the story of accepting yourself in all forms even those forms you don't really like. It was the journey of learning to cope with anxiety and understanding that there will be bad days and sometimes just getting out of bed will feel impossible. But there will be beautiful worthwhile days as well.
Aside from the mental health journey, we also got to catch up with Monty and Felicity which I loved. Learning more about what they have been doing and the new family dynamics was fabulous. Yes the two older siblings do not act their ages at all and if I didnt know better I'd assume they were much younger than their 40ish years. But it was fun anyway.
There were so many beautiful quotes that I wish I had written down as I was listening but I didnt want to take the time to stop so you will have to read it for yourself to see them. The narration was perfect. This was the perfect ending to the series and I highly recommend the whole thing.
After being a bit disappointed with Lady's Guide, I found this third book in the loosely related trilogy a joyful surprise. At the start I feared that the thing I disliked most about about Lady's Guide--that the point that Felicity deserves her place in academia and science despite being a woman, was repeated ad nauseam, to the point that it began to feel insulting to me as a reader--was beginning to show its face in Nobleman's Guide, but in the case of this story, the repetition revolved around Adrian's many worries and irrational fears and if you have anxiety and intrusive thoughts... well, that's a pretty accurate way to represent them in text and it makes sense in the context of the story.
In Gentleman's Guide, I had a real suspension of disbelief problem with the whole beating heart plot-line. When Lady's Guide came along I was expecting something supernatural, and was not disappointed. I found the sea monsters from LG both more believable and more entertaining than GG's departure from reality, so although it still felt a little out of left field plot-wise, the supernatural element took me out of the story less. In Nobleman's Guide the supernatural element is woven in masterfully and even though it is a wholly unbelievable occurrence, it felt believable within the story because it was so well done. It fit thematically and emotionally and was very satisfying. I think in many ways this book shows that Lee has matured as a writer and it was nowhere more apparent than in the way the realistic and unrealistic plot elements were brought together so seamlessly and effectively
I surprised myself by how much I ended up liking Adrian. I was so attached to the original cast of characters that I admit I, like Monty, was a bit skeptical of this young upstart, but he really was a charming and delightful character who I felt attached to quite quickly. And it was a wonderful surprise that Monty was a big part of this story. It wouldn't have been the same without him, and I loved having his acerbic wit and generally poor outlook on life along for the ride.
In Gentleman's Guide, I had a real suspension of disbelief problem with the whole beating heart plot-line. When Lady's Guide came along I was expecting something supernatural, and was not disappointed. I found the sea monsters from LG both more believable and more entertaining than GG's departure from reality, so although it still felt a little out of left field plot-wise, the supernatural element took me out of the story less. In Nobleman's Guide the supernatural element is woven in masterfully and even though it is a wholly unbelievable occurrence, it felt believable within the story because it was so well done. It fit thematically and emotionally and was very satisfying. I think in many ways this book shows that Lee has matured as a writer and it was nowhere more apparent than in the way the realistic and unrealistic plot elements were brought together so seamlessly and effectively
I surprised myself by how much I ended up liking Adrian. I was so attached to the original cast of characters that I admit I, like Monty, was a bit skeptical of this young upstart, but he really was a charming and delightful character who I felt attached to quite quickly. And it was a wonderful surprise that Monty was a big part of this story. It wouldn't have been the same without him, and I loved having his acerbic wit and generally poor outlook on life along for the ride.
Liked it better than the first one, haven't read the second one. But this was really nice. I appreciate that Mackenzi Li includes different perspectives we don't usually hear from in an era/location that we usually do. Here we get to listen to the youngest Montague sibling as he struggles with his mental health. He shows signs of OCD and anxiety in times where these are not diagnosed or understood at all. I really enjoyed the adventure that he pushed himself to have- waaay outside his comfort zone. I do understand the critique that the older siblings, who should be in their 40s (or almost), act like young young adults, but part of that is Monty's personality I think. Either way. Fun read, but probably more for young adults.
This book was absolutely fantastic. Read this is you are interested in adventures, world travel, pirates, ghost stories, history, folklore, first person perspective on mental illness experiences. Audio was phenomenal. While I highly recommend the entire trilogy, I actually feel this works as a standalone too.
I loved Adrian and could certainly relate to his anxiety. I think the book did an absolutely wonderful job portraying mental illness and neurodivergence. While Monty will always be my favorite, it was a pure delight seeing the juxtaposition and reflections on their differences and similarities.
I was beyond delighted to see a book where we visit old characters who are in their 30s-40s. It’s especially great seeing their character growth while they are venture isn’t really about them any more and watching them behave as more mature adults. Previous history and emotional growth impacting their actions and decisions and conversations while still not taking away their flaws and their very human quirks. Honestly it was just so well done I loved it. And I loved how the plot did not feel forced, everything felt very natural and consequential. I definitely cried at the end during the Authors Note lol. Sad to see this trilogy end but it was fantastic.
I loved Adrian and could certainly relate to his anxiety. I think the book did an absolutely wonderful job portraying mental illness and neurodivergence. While Monty will always be my favorite, it was a pure delight seeing the juxtaposition and reflections on their differences and similarities.
I was beyond delighted to see a book where we visit old characters who are in their 30s-40s. It’s especially great seeing their character growth while they are venture isn’t really about them any more and watching them behave as more mature adults. Previous history and emotional growth impacting their actions and decisions and conversations while still not taking away their flaws and their very human quirks. Honestly it was just so well done I loved it. And I loved how the plot did not feel forced, everything felt very natural and consequential. I definitely cried at the end during the Authors Note lol. Sad to see this trilogy end but it was fantastic.
I am kicking myself for it taking me over two years to complete this series. I really loved this book series and this flash forward final novel really sealed the deal. An amazing depiction of what it’s like living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder with more fun pirate adventures! Though I this one also needed more Percy!
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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