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ninakatzenwuschel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
taylor394's review against another edition
3.0
The piracy didn’t really start until chapter 20. This book had better prose than the first but was less engaging plot wise. Somehow I liked Felicity less in this than the first book.
itslucyamber's review against another edition
4.5
Dear Authors Everywhere,
This is how we want our women written.
Sincerely, Everyone.
"In the company of women like this— sharp- edged as raw diamonds but with soft hands and hearts, not strong in spite of anything but powerful because of everything— I feel invincible. Every chink and rut and battering wind has made us tough and brave and impossible to strike down. We are mountains— or perhaps temples, with foundations that could outlast time itself."
This is how we want our women written.
Sincerely, Everyone.
"In the company of women like this— sharp- edged as raw diamonds but with soft hands and hearts, not strong in spite of anything but powerful because of everything— I feel invincible. Every chink and rut and battering wind has made us tough and brave and impossible to strike down. We are mountains— or perhaps temples, with foundations that could outlast time itself."
joksas's review against another edition
4.5
In the company of women like this—sharp-edged as raw diamonds but with soft hands and hearts, not strong in spite of anything but powerful because of everything—I feel invincible. Every chink and rut and battering wind has made us tough and brave and impossible to strike down. We are mountains—or perhaps temples, with foundations that could outlast time itself.
I loved this a rather lot. Even better when read with a friend 🩵
beaullinger's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
4.75
kivt's review against another edition
3.0
another fun read! i didn’t really fall in love with any of the characters the way i think i was meant to. i couldn’t relate to Felicity or Johanna, even tho Felicity was almost created in a lab to be a character i’d adore. as far as alt-history books about lady naturalists go, i’d recommend Marie Brennan’s Lady Trent series over this. even tho Lady Trent should have been way gayer.
Lee does a hell of a lot more grandstanding thru Felicity’s inner monologues than thru Monty’s. i’m guessing Lee feels a lot more connected to Felicity’s struggle, Felicity has a more external struggle than Monty (who def faced external oppression, but mostly struggled with himself), and Felicity as a character is more prone to indignant and sincere speeches than Monty. but by the end of the book, the prose did get pretty purple and the grandstanding tiresome.
the other weak points of this book are the same as the first in the series. there were a lot of dubious travel logistics that i frankly don’t actually need to know about. again, Lee is strongest when she lets three different characters interact and steps back from interpreting the interaction too heavy-handedly. i wish she’d done more of that, developed Sim more, and edited out about half if Felicity’s thoughts about women sharp as diamonds, or whatever. i liked the tension between Felicity and Johanna. if the resolution of their tension was rushed, it just matched the hectic pace of the book.
Sim & Felicity’s resolution fell especially flat. Part of this was that Sim never truly became a character—she was more of a plot bus, showing up when Felicity needed to get somewhere & disappearing shortly after. She even did this metaphorically, saying the right thing to Felicity about Felicity at the right time to propel Felicity’s sense of self to the next phase of actualization. I would like a whole book about Sim, who is obviously the more interesting concept for a woke adventure novel protagonist.
Lee does a hell of a lot more grandstanding thru Felicity’s inner monologues than thru Monty’s. i’m guessing Lee feels a lot more connected to Felicity’s struggle, Felicity has a more external struggle than Monty (who def faced external oppression, but mostly struggled with himself), and Felicity as a character is more prone to indignant and sincere speeches than Monty. but by the end of the book, the prose did get pretty purple and the grandstanding tiresome.
the other weak points of this book are the same as the first in the series. there were a lot of dubious travel logistics that i frankly don’t actually need to know about. again, Lee is strongest when she lets three different characters interact and steps back from interpreting the interaction too heavy-handedly. i wish she’d done more of that, developed Sim more, and edited out about half if Felicity’s thoughts about women sharp as diamonds, or whatever. i liked the tension between Felicity and Johanna. if the resolution of their tension was rushed, it just matched the hectic pace of the book.
Sim & Felicity’s resolution fell especially flat. Part of this was that Sim never truly became a character—she was more of a plot bus, showing up when Felicity needed to get somewhere & disappearing shortly after. She even did this metaphorically, saying the right thing to Felicity about Felicity at the right time to propel Felicity’s sense of self to the next phase of actualization. I would like a whole book about Sim, who is obviously the more interesting concept for a woke adventure novel protagonist.
Spoiler
But her marriage proposal to Felicity just didn’t work for me. I think this is supposed to be an example of how asexual people can still have romances & fulfilling romantic relationships, but it just wasn’t convincing. Felicity didn’t seem romantically interested in Sim either, and Sim still seemed to want sexual physical contact. It almost read more like a lesbian trying to suppress her sexuality by having an intimate relationship with a woman...that’s safe because it’s chaste. I did enough of this kind of mental contortion and bargaining with myself to see this as an “extremely bad idea” not a “happy ending.” I do think Felicity was very fond of Sim by the end of the book, and that their friendship could grow to be as intimate as Felicity & Johanna’s. But if the lady is asexual, let her have her house & library & dog & close friends! Don’t pair her off in a weird relationship that she doesn’t need!msrcreation's review against another edition
2.0
Most of these stars are for Sim.
I had so much hope for this but was a bit nervous to start it. Let's talk about the positives first. Monty and Percy are still wonderful. Sim. Just all of Sim. I absolutely loved her and would easily follow her in any story. Funny dialogue. There were moments through out that had me laugh out loud though I'm not surprised since the first book had me laughing the whole time. The plot line of Felicity and Johanna working on their friendship after having a falling out. Ace rep is always a good thing. But even with all of this I was bored a lot of the time. The plot felt a bit all over the place. Like it was the beginning of one book the middle of another and the end of a completely different book. Felicity has a lot of moments and things she does or will say that I don't like or makes me not like her as a character. Then the biggest issue is the problematic handling of bipoc characters. Before even diving into the reviews that discuss this I instantly felt uncomfortable with how these characters were being treated through out the story. There are tons of reviews that will go into this so much better than I will so I advise you to check those out before picking this up.
I had so much hope for this but was a bit nervous to start it. Let's talk about the positives first. Monty and Percy are still wonderful. Sim. Just all of Sim. I absolutely loved her and would easily follow her in any story. Funny dialogue. There were moments through out that had me laugh out loud though I'm not surprised since the first book had me laughing the whole time. The plot line of Felicity and Johanna working on their friendship after having a falling out. Ace rep is always a good thing. But even with all of this I was bored a lot of the time. The plot felt a bit all over the place. Like it was the beginning of one book the middle of another and the end of a completely different book. Felicity has a lot of moments and things she does or will say that I don't like or makes me not like her as a character. Then the biggest issue is the problematic handling of bipoc characters. Before even diving into the reviews that discuss this I instantly felt uncomfortable with how these characters were being treated through out the story. There are tons of reviews that will go into this so much better than I will so I advise you to check those out before picking this up.
alexan13's review against another edition
4.0
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK. (Maybe even more than Gent's Guide?)
I mostly appreciated Felicity's character development and the important lesson she learns about womanhood -- that traditional femininity is not in opposition to strength and intelligence, and there's no wrong way to be a woman.
I mostly appreciated Felicity's character development and the important lesson she learns about womanhood -- that traditional femininity is not in opposition to strength and intelligence, and there's no wrong way to be a woman.
zaameeno100's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-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? N/A
3.75