Scan barcode
A review by lilyevangeline
Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine
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.