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richard_nell's review
3.0
Overall/Tl;dr
3.5 stars. A very interesting book that reminded me of Gulliver's Travels, or something by Jules Verne. It's written in first-person from a female character's perspective. I'd recommend the book for anyone interested in similar literature, or age-of-sail history/adventure fans.
Setting/World-building
The story begins in July, 1706, and the author's knowledge of the period is clear. The fantasy elements are very much in tune with Swift or Verne - magical lodestones, and flying islands 'off the map'. It's the magic of exoticism, which I thought worked well as an homage, but didn't really excite me.
Plot
Part adventure, part romance. Our protagonist moves through a lot of time and space in 300 pages. The over-arching drive behind this is escape from an undesirable betrothal, but her betrothed is not not so easily escaped. I struggled a bit with the adventure plot. It felt a bit forced, with this strange man targeting the main character inexplicably. I might have missed it, but I never quite did figure this out.
I will say the transition from adventure to romance worked well, and I found my interest increase once it did.
Characters
Our main character is Elizabeth, the daughter of a reasonably well to-do English merchant. She goes through quite a lot in the book (some of which actually might have been a little over the top) and her resilience certainly gained my respect. Her decision-making seemed occasionally questionable, but her youth made this feel real enough. By the end of the book, I was cheering for her.
We meet a variety of other interesting characters on Elizabeth's journey, from learned doctors to Chinese pirate-lords to a Samurai Daimyo. Basically all of them bring something interesting to the table.
For me the strangest character was Elizabeth's betrothed and nemesis, Mr. Van Guelder. I didn't like him, which is fine, but I didn't understand him. I suppose ultimately one doesn't need to understand, but considering the vast powers of this character, it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity not to make him more interesting.
Writing
I might have given the book a slightly lower rating were it not for the writing. It's efficient and polished, literary but approachable. More than anything this got me through any flaws in the adventure plot and makes the book worthwhile.
Final thoughts
Ultimately I want to see more from the author and enjoyed many things about the book. I'll also perhaps point out that I read the physical version, and it is a beautifully made/designed paperback, so well-done Top Hat Books.
3.5 stars. A very interesting book that reminded me of Gulliver's Travels, or something by Jules Verne. It's written in first-person from a female character's perspective. I'd recommend the book for anyone interested in similar literature, or age-of-sail history/adventure fans.
Setting/World-building
The story begins in July, 1706, and the author's knowledge of the period is clear. The fantasy elements are very much in tune with Swift or Verne - magical lodestones, and flying islands 'off the map'. It's the magic of exoticism, which I thought worked well as an homage, but didn't really excite me.
Plot
Part adventure, part romance. Our protagonist moves through a lot of time and space in 300 pages. The over-arching drive behind this is escape from an undesirable betrothal, but her betrothed is not not so easily escaped. I struggled a bit with the adventure plot. It felt a bit forced, with this strange man targeting the main character inexplicably. I might have missed it, but I never quite did figure this out.
I will say the transition from adventure to romance worked well, and I found my interest increase once it did.
Characters
Our main character is Elizabeth, the daughter of a reasonably well to-do English merchant. She goes through quite a lot in the book (some of which actually might have been a little over the top) and her resilience certainly gained my respect. Her decision-making seemed occasionally questionable, but her youth made this feel real enough. By the end of the book, I was cheering for her.
We meet a variety of other interesting characters on Elizabeth's journey, from learned doctors to Chinese pirate-lords to a Samurai Daimyo. Basically all of them bring something interesting to the table.
For me the strangest character was Elizabeth's betrothed and nemesis, Mr. Van Guelder. I didn't like him, which is fine, but I didn't understand him. I suppose ultimately one doesn't need to understand, but considering the vast powers of this character, it felt like a bit of a missed opportunity not to make him more interesting.
Writing
I might have given the book a slightly lower rating were it not for the writing. It's efficient and polished, literary but approachable. More than anything this got me through any flaws in the adventure plot and makes the book worthwhile.
Final thoughts
Ultimately I want to see more from the author and enjoyed many things about the book. I'll also perhaps point out that I read the physical version, and it is a beautifully made/designed paperback, so well-done Top Hat Books.
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