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heidenkind's review against another edition
This me reading this book: GLOM. GLOM.
beccakatie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
2.5
The fifth in the series, this book felt like the weakest so far. With the main cast not included in most of the book, it becomes obvious to the reader that, for all Cat’s strength, this series is really best with its ensemble cast. It was good to be reunited with Pedro, but it felt that Billy appearing was very contrived and his friendliness jarring for the most part.
With so much happening, it felt like too much was crammed in. The brief indentured servitude with Kingston Hawkins felt particularly unnecessary, beyond making a ‘see, we’re all the same’ point. And the fact that this book apparently takes place just eighteen months after book 2 feels wrong, considering how much has happened and how much Cat is reported to have grown up by.
Overall, this book definitely let down the rest of the series by missing out on so many of the characters, as well as emphasising an unrealistic and unbelievable timeline.
With so much happening, it felt like too much was crammed in. The brief indentured servitude with Kingston Hawkins felt particularly unnecessary, beyond making a ‘see, we’re all the same’ point. And the fact that this book apparently takes place just eighteen months after book 2 feels wrong, considering how much has happened and how much Cat is reported to have grown up by.
Overall, this book definitely let down the rest of the series by missing out on so many of the characters, as well as emphasising an unrealistic and unbelievable timeline.
yasamanvf's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
inkstainedthumb's review against another edition
5.0
Cat's run in with Pedro's former master and is rescued by her old enemy, Billy Shepherd. Its brilliantly written.
melissajoulwan's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
annaketamina's review against another edition
5.0
The Black Heart of Jamaica is now my favorite Cat Royal book. Cat joins Mrs. Peabody's theatrical group touring Jamaica when Pedro disappears. Cat sets out to look for with help from Billy (suprise!) and gets into a load trouble like usual.
elevetha's review against another edition
3.0
*Warning. Erratic review*
All right, Cat's in Jamaica. Nice.
There is a revolt from the slaves there.
Oh, look, Billy. Billy? Crap, run!!
He's being...niceish? Odd. (No, Cat, don't fall for it! He's the devil's spawn!? I give up. That girl is crazy.)
I don't trust him.
Cat's a slave. Fun times. Now she has a disease. Malaria? Ouch.
Billy, stop being nice!
Pedro, why you stay in Jamaica and leave Cat with Billy? Oh, pretty Jamaican girl. Got cha now, bro.
What the heck? Oh, well. Now I wait years for Cat and Billy to cross the ocean back to London.
All right, Cat's in Jamaica. Nice.
There is a revolt from the slaves there.
Oh, look, Billy. Billy? Crap, run!!
He's being...niceish? Odd. (No, Cat, don't fall for it! He's the devil's spawn!? I give up. That girl is crazy.)
I don't trust him.
Cat's a slave. Fun times. Now she has a disease. Malaria? Ouch.
Billy, stop being nice!
Pedro, why you stay in Jamaica and leave Cat with Billy? Oh, pretty Jamaican girl. Got cha now, bro.
What the heck? Oh, well. Now I wait years for Cat and Billy to cross the ocean back to London.
abixx's review
4.0
I’ve been making my way through re-reading this series, one that I heartily enjoyed as young teen and I wanted to re-read it and see what I thought about it some years later. And, as I found with the former books in this series, I’m still enjoying them just as much as I did when I first read them. I also recently learned that this series is actually marketed as young adult whereas I always considered it to be middle grade. But, in this book in particular, you can really see why this book series is young adult because this book does have a lot of serious themes, such as piracy, slavery and some serious illnesses such as malaria. However, this book also carries the same humour and wit as the other novels and the same engaging and interesting characters too. I’m intrigued to see where this series finishes up because I can’t actually remember what happens!
In Jamaica, Cat and Pedro are disgusted to learn that slavery is still common and both are frightened and horrified when they discover that Pedro’s former owner, Mr Hawkins is in Jamaica. Mr Hawkins thinks that slavery is lawful and fair, and he still believes that Pedro belongs to him. He taunts Cat after her performance on stage and then finally kidnaps her. At his plantation Cat falls ill with malaria and while she is still delusional and sick Billy rescues her. He forces her to buy a slave which Pedro is disgusted at, but he soon learns to forgive Cat. In the end Cat gets involved in a slave revolt but Pedro tells her to leave, while he will stay and help his fellow men gain their rights of freedom and equality. Cat is heartbroken to leave Pedro alone but she knows she must, so she and Billy leave together.
Something that I’ve noticed about these books is that each one of the books takes place in a different place and all of the different places reflect some of the messages and tones within the book. So, of course, the extremely important part of history such as slavery is going to be discussed in Jamaica. I really enjoyed, as I always do, Julia Golding’s writing style because it is so engaging and vivid and realistic and you are able to truly immerse yourself in the world that she’s writing about. And even though these books are works of historical fiction, the feelings of the characters and their motives are still modern and real today and that is what makes the story seem so realistic. And, of course, you get to learn some new historical facts which, as a history buff, I always enjoy doing.
I can go on about the characters in this series until I’m blue in the face so I’m not going to labour the point that I really, really like all of the characters in this book. Of course, some of the characters are terrible people and you definitely wouldn’t want to come across them in an alley way on a dark night because you’d probably leave with a knife in your back. But all of the characters are complex and interesting and engaging and I particularly enjoyed the banter between Cat and Billy in this book. You can really see their emerging relationship in this book and how it’s changed from the beginning of the series where they were hard-out enemies. It’s the character development and relationship growth that really make these books entertaining, as well as the humour and historical references too.
I’d give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was very entertaining and enjoyable to read, but the plot did lack a little bit sometimes and some of the scenes seemed to be a tad bit unrealistic.
In Jamaica, Cat and Pedro are disgusted to learn that slavery is still common and both are frightened and horrified when they discover that Pedro’s former owner, Mr Hawkins is in Jamaica. Mr Hawkins thinks that slavery is lawful and fair, and he still believes that Pedro belongs to him. He taunts Cat after her performance on stage and then finally kidnaps her. At his plantation Cat falls ill with malaria and while she is still delusional and sick Billy rescues her. He forces her to buy a slave which Pedro is disgusted at, but he soon learns to forgive Cat. In the end Cat gets involved in a slave revolt but Pedro tells her to leave, while he will stay and help his fellow men gain their rights of freedom and equality. Cat is heartbroken to leave Pedro alone but she knows she must, so she and Billy leave together.
Something that I’ve noticed about these books is that each one of the books takes place in a different place and all of the different places reflect some of the messages and tones within the book. So, of course, the extremely important part of history such as slavery is going to be discussed in Jamaica. I really enjoyed, as I always do, Julia Golding’s writing style because it is so engaging and vivid and realistic and you are able to truly immerse yourself in the world that she’s writing about. And even though these books are works of historical fiction, the feelings of the characters and their motives are still modern and real today and that is what makes the story seem so realistic. And, of course, you get to learn some new historical facts which, as a history buff, I always enjoy doing.
I can go on about the characters in this series until I’m blue in the face so I’m not going to labour the point that I really, really like all of the characters in this book. Of course, some of the characters are terrible people and you definitely wouldn’t want to come across them in an alley way on a dark night because you’d probably leave with a knife in your back. But all of the characters are complex and interesting and engaging and I particularly enjoyed the banter between Cat and Billy in this book. You can really see their emerging relationship in this book and how it’s changed from the beginning of the series where they were hard-out enemies. It’s the character development and relationship growth that really make these books entertaining, as well as the humour and historical references too.
I’d give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was very entertaining and enjoyable to read, but the plot did lack a little bit sometimes and some of the scenes seemed to be a tad bit unrealistic.
abixx's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve been making my way through re-reading this series, one that I heartily enjoyed as young teen and I wanted to re-read it and see what I thought about it some years later. And, as I found with the former books in this series, I’m still enjoying them just as much as I did when I first read them. I also recently learned that this series is actually marketed as young adult whereas I always considered it to be middle grade. But, in this book in particular, you can really see why this book series is young adult because this book does have a lot of serious themes, such as piracy, slavery and some serious illnesses such as malaria. However, this book also carries the same humour and wit as the other novels and the same engaging and interesting characters too. I’m intrigued to see where this series finishes up because I can’t actually remember what happens!
In Jamaica, Cat and Pedro are disgusted to learn that slavery is still common and both are frightened and horrified when they discover that Pedro’s former owner, Mr Hawkins is in Jamaica. Mr Hawkins thinks that slavery is lawful and fair, and he still believes that Pedro belongs to him. He taunts Cat after her performance on stage and then finally kidnaps her. At his plantation Cat falls ill with malaria and while she is still delusional and sick Billy rescues her. He forces her to buy a slave which Pedro is disgusted at, but he soon learns to forgive Cat. In the end Cat gets involved in a slave revolt but Pedro tells her to leave, while he will stay and help his fellow men gain their rights of freedom and equality. Cat is heartbroken to leave Pedro alone but she knows she must, so she and Billy leave together.
Something that I’ve noticed about these books is that each one of the books takes place in a different place and all of the different places reflect some of the messages and tones within the book. So, of course, the extremely important part of history such as slavery is going to be discussed in Jamaica. I really enjoyed, as I always do, Julia Golding’s writing style because it is so engaging and vivid and realistic and you are able to truly immerse yourself in the world that she’s writing about. And even though these books are works of historical fiction, the feelings of the characters and their motives are still modern and real today and that is what makes the story seem so realistic. And, of course, you get to learn some new historical facts which, as a history buff, I always enjoy doing.
I can go on about the characters in this series until I’m blue in the face so I’m not going to labour the point that I really, really like all of the characters in this book. Of course, some of the characters are terrible people and you definitely wouldn’t want to come across them in an alley way on a dark night because you’d probably leave with a knife in your back. But all of the characters are complex and interesting and engaging and I particularly enjoyed the banter between Cat and Billy in this book. You can really see their emerging relationship in this book and how it’s changed from the beginning of the series where they were hard-out enemies. It’s the character development and relationship growth that really make these books entertaining, as well as the humour and historical references too.
I’d give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was very entertaining and enjoyable to read, but the plot did lack a little bit sometimes and some of the scenes seemed to be a tad bit unrealistic.
In Jamaica, Cat and Pedro are disgusted to learn that slavery is still common and both are frightened and horrified when they discover that Pedro’s former owner, Mr Hawkins is in Jamaica. Mr Hawkins thinks that slavery is lawful and fair, and he still believes that Pedro belongs to him. He taunts Cat after her performance on stage and then finally kidnaps her. At his plantation Cat falls ill with malaria and while she is still delusional and sick Billy rescues her. He forces her to buy a slave which Pedro is disgusted at, but he soon learns to forgive Cat. In the end Cat gets involved in a slave revolt but Pedro tells her to leave, while he will stay and help his fellow men gain their rights of freedom and equality. Cat is heartbroken to leave Pedro alone but she knows she must, so she and Billy leave together.
Something that I’ve noticed about these books is that each one of the books takes place in a different place and all of the different places reflect some of the messages and tones within the book. So, of course, the extremely important part of history such as slavery is going to be discussed in Jamaica. I really enjoyed, as I always do, Julia Golding’s writing style because it is so engaging and vivid and realistic and you are able to truly immerse yourself in the world that she’s writing about. And even though these books are works of historical fiction, the feelings of the characters and their motives are still modern and real today and that is what makes the story seem so realistic. And, of course, you get to learn some new historical facts which, as a history buff, I always enjoy doing.
I can go on about the characters in this series until I’m blue in the face so I’m not going to labour the point that I really, really like all of the characters in this book. Of course, some of the characters are terrible people and you definitely wouldn’t want to come across them in an alley way on a dark night because you’d probably leave with a knife in your back. But all of the characters are complex and interesting and engaging and I particularly enjoyed the banter between Cat and Billy in this book. You can really see their emerging relationship in this book and how it’s changed from the beginning of the series where they were hard-out enemies. It’s the character development and relationship growth that really make these books entertaining, as well as the humour and historical references too.
I’d give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because it was very entertaining and enjoyable to read, but the plot did lack a little bit sometimes and some of the scenes seemed to be a tad bit unrealistic.