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A review by steph01924
Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady by L.A. Meyer
4.0
It's been about nine months since I spent time with Jacky Faber. I forgot how fun the first book was. This book was totally different than the first, and I don't mean that in a bad way. Jacky is now on a completely different adventure, and she gets the emotional growth that goes along with that and the fact that she is growing up. Yay for forward movement! It would be way too much to go into what happens throughout the book, so I'm just going to highlight what I liked about Blue Tattoo:
Language - Like I said, we see Jacky's progression, much like the previous book. This plays out wonderfully through the language. I remember in the first book, right at the beginning, it was tough to get into the rhythm of the poor Cockney voice Meyer was writing in. It changed subtly as Jacky began to hang around with 'proper' sounding Brits and learned the language of seamen. Now we see Jacky struggling to be a lady, and as time goes on she starts to narrate in a more standard manner. There's still that free-wheeling aspect to it all, because Jacky just says whatever she's thinking and I love her for it.
Boarding School - When is it ever not fun? Except for the abandonment issues; vile, snooty classmates; super strict rules; and embroidery lessons, it sounds like a blast. Jacky has a complete Little Princess segment, too, which I love because I so saw it coming in the beginning. I like that despite a few mishaps and the fact that Jacky is just too free-spirited for her own good sometimes, she still ended up enjoying herself and learning a few things. I also liked that Miss Pimm actually ended up being a more layered character that she could've been written.
Girls - Jacky finally gets some female friends! I love that she goes around making sister- and brotherhoods wherever she goes. I'm sure Meyer will get around to resolving her relationship with Amy (I hope!) because I enjoyed the two of them being friends. I think Amy needs to go on a few adventures with Jacky to loosen up a bit. Clarissa was cast as your typical stuck-up bitch, but, hey, I suppose there really are people like her in the world. I suspect we will see more of these girls in the future, as Jacky leaves quite dramatically and without much resolution.
Comeuppance - The side plot with the Reverend was decent, and I liked the ending, though I kind of wish
I wish there was more Jaimy in the book (but I get the feeling I will be wishing that a lot in future sequels), but the letters were a nice way to keep him involved and give us updates about Jacky's old haunt, the Dolphin.
Looking forward to seeing what else Jacky can get herself into!
Language - Like I said, we see Jacky's progression, much like the previous book. This plays out wonderfully through the language. I remember in the first book, right at the beginning, it was tough to get into the rhythm of the poor Cockney voice Meyer was writing in. It changed subtly as Jacky began to hang around with 'proper' sounding Brits and learned the language of seamen. Now we see Jacky struggling to be a lady, and as time goes on she starts to narrate in a more standard manner. There's still that free-wheeling aspect to it all, because Jacky just says whatever she's thinking and I love her for it.
Boarding School - When is it ever not fun? Except for the abandonment issues; vile, snooty classmates; super strict rules; and embroidery lessons, it sounds like a blast. Jacky has a complete Little Princess segment, too, which I love because I so saw it coming in the beginning. I like that despite a few mishaps and the fact that Jacky is just too free-spirited for her own good sometimes, she still ended up enjoying herself and learning a few things. I also liked that Miss Pimm actually ended up being a more layered character that she could've been written.
Girls - Jacky finally gets some female friends! I love that she goes around making sister- and brotherhoods wherever she goes. I'm sure Meyer will get around to resolving her relationship with Amy (I hope!) because I enjoyed the two of them being friends. I think Amy needs to go on a few adventures with Jacky to loosen up a bit. Clarissa was cast as your typical stuck-up bitch, but, hey, I suppose there really are people like her in the world. I suspect we will see more of these girls in the future, as Jacky leaves quite dramatically and without much resolution.
Comeuppance - The side plot with the Reverend was decent, and I liked the ending, though I kind of wish
Spoiler
he'd be denounced in front of everyone and sent away to be hanged. I suppose being crushed by your own church-bell and dying a fire should be enough...I wish there was more Jaimy in the book (but I get the feeling I will be wishing that a lot in future sequels), but the letters were a nice way to keep him involved and give us updates about Jacky's old haunt, the Dolphin.
Looking forward to seeing what else Jacky can get herself into!