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yungokssss's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, it's a three star. I had to give it that, because as I was reading it felt like a lot of effort was put in, and I understood all the details and ways of talking, even though I'm not used to oldies talk style. It was an admirable book, but I do have a couple complaints.
1) Throughout the book, it has very... Severe sexual scenes. No, no, they are appropriate for young adults in the STYLE they are written, but it implies so, so, so much more. Usually we teens read books that appeal to us in the sense that we will connect with the character and be all "Oh yeah! That's totally me!" or "I can seriously see this happening!" or "Man, wish that's me!". Being married to a thirty-something man and listening to the author describe his... Desire to be with this girl ("let me show you what an old man knows about love") doesn't really evoke these feelings. At times I found myself thinking, "this should be an adult book!". It's different for everyone, so don't trust my opinion until you try the book for yourself.
2) If you have a weak stomach or feel faint at the mere mention of blood, I would not recommend this book. In the book, Patricia Kelley gets married to the old surgeon/physician, and before and after that, she is his apprentice (or something like that). There were some scenes in the book where the physician drilled holes in people's head, and amputations and stuff were described thoroughly. I sometimes skipped entire paragraphs, because I hate to read about stuff like that. Also, yellow fever comes up a lot. If you don't like to read about people puking and peeing black putrid stuff - ditto.
3) IT'S NOT A BOOK ABOUT PROSTITUTES!! Then WHY do they come up so much???
4) The author puts so much pressure on the book to prove that Patricia is a "wild child" and not like normal girls. She's braver, takes risks, and doesn't like her petticoats. What makes me mad, is that when it comes to deals for who she will marry, her prospects, her dowry, etc, she describes her ideals in a sense that SHE IS NOT INTERESTED IN MARRIAGE UNLESS HE CAN HELP HER GET HER ESTATE or whatever. That being said, I was glad, because I thought she had a bright future. And what happens?? When the physician proposes, she doesn't want to say "yes" but she feels trapped to do so. Because she didn't want to "break his heart:" or whatever. Of course, there were more reasonable reasons, like the fact that the surgeon was her friend, he could brighten her future and all that. But it just surprised me that the author made Patricia so strong on the subject, then let her give in at the peak. I was all "whaaaaaaat?". Maybe I missed something.
I was going to give a reason #5, (the ending), but then I went to Linda Collison's profile and I think there's a second book. Don't think I'm going to read it. So don't judge the ending because I think there're a second book. Yeah there is.
I recommend this for: teens who are OK (or idc) in the medical field, (not as career, but as a patient type deal). Also those who are looking for a book about a girl braving the seas, with adventure, romance, and all that stuff to go.
1) Throughout the book, it has very... Severe sexual scenes. No, no, they are appropriate for young adults in the STYLE they are written, but it implies so, so, so much more. Usually we teens read books that appeal to us in the sense that we will connect with the character and be all "Oh yeah! That's totally me!" or "I can seriously see this happening!" or "Man, wish that's me!". Being married to a thirty-something man and listening to the author describe his... Desire to be with this girl ("let me show you what an old man knows about love") doesn't really evoke these feelings. At times I found myself thinking, "this should be an adult book!". It's different for everyone, so don't trust my opinion until you try the book for yourself.
2) If you have a weak stomach or feel faint at the mere mention of blood, I would not recommend this book. In the book, Patricia Kelley gets married to the old surgeon/physician, and before and after that, she is his apprentice (or something like that). There were some scenes in the book where the physician drilled holes in people's head, and amputations and stuff were described thoroughly. I sometimes skipped entire paragraphs, because I hate to read about stuff like that. Also, yellow fever comes up a lot. If you don't like to read about people puking and peeing black putrid stuff - ditto.
3) IT'S NOT A BOOK ABOUT PROSTITUTES!! Then WHY do they come up so much???
4) The author puts so much pressure on the book to prove that Patricia is a "wild child" and not like normal girls. She's braver, takes risks, and doesn't like her petticoats. What makes me mad, is that when it comes to deals for who she will marry, her prospects, her dowry, etc, she describes her ideals in a sense that SHE IS NOT INTERESTED IN MARRIAGE UNLESS HE CAN HELP HER GET HER ESTATE or whatever. That being said, I was glad, because I thought she had a bright future. And what happens?? When the physician proposes, she doesn't want to say "yes" but she feels trapped to do so. Because she didn't want to "break his heart:" or whatever. Of course, there were more reasonable reasons, like the fact that the surgeon was her friend, he could brighten her future and all that. But it just surprised me that the author made Patricia so strong on the subject, then let her give in at the peak. I was all "whaaaaaaat?". Maybe I missed something.
I was going to give a reason #5, (the ending), but then I went to Linda Collison's profile and I think there's a second book. Don't think I'm going to read it. So don't judge the ending because I think there're a second book. Yeah there is.
I recommend this for: teens who are OK (or idc) in the medical field, (not as career, but as a patient type deal). Also those who are looking for a book about a girl braving the seas, with adventure, romance, and all that stuff to go.
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
after her father dies, patricia kelley is unable to remain in the boarding school he paid for. she plans a trip to barbados to claim the plantation he promised her, and stows away on a ship. when she is discovered, the ship's surgeon, Dr. MacPherson, allows her to stay on board by training her as his assistant. patricia makes friends, falls in love with a sailor called brian dalton, and arrives in barbados to claim her plantation. her father, however, sold it to pay off debts before he died. patricia is shocked, but returns to the ship still determined to someday own the plantation.
what follows are many adventures on the high seas (not really any pirates though) as patricia grows and learns that it's not where you are, but who you're with. a fun (though lengthy) read with an admirable heroine for her time.
what follows are many adventures on the high seas (not really any pirates though) as patricia grows and learns that it's not where you are, but who you're with. a fun (though lengthy) read with an admirable heroine for her time.
plattin's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting look at life aboard a ship in the 18th century.
bubblegumbook's review against another edition
4.0
Wow this book took me by surprise. I went through a rollercoaster of emotions reading this. I have been eyeing this book for ten years and I finally read it. It did not disappoint.
charisanorris's review against another edition
3.0
Star-Crossed was a pretty good book. Definitly not for people who are squimish, as the details regarding sickness and injuries are kind of graphic. But I loved the main character, Patricia. I felt really bad for her, but I'm glad she was able to take matters into her own hands and attempt at carving out a future for herself without the aid of a man, which was nearly impossible in the eighteenth-century. What drew me was the cover art for this book; it is breathtaking. The story wasn't what I thought it would be, but that's ok. I found it just by browsing, and I'm going to do that more often: you never know what jewels you'll find that way. All in all, I'm giving this book three stars.
squrnky's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
4.0
In Star-Crossed, Patricia is the bastard daughter of a sugar-cane plantation owner in Barbados. Her mother was an Irish slave girl who died shortly after Patricia was born. Her father sent her away to an English boarding school but when he dies suddenly of an infection, Patricia decides her only option is to go back home. Without her father's support she doesn't have the money to book passage aboard a ship. She then sneaks on board a boat with prostitutes that's going towards a ship Patricia believes to be heading for Barbados. After a narrow escape from some uncouth sailors, she manages to find a place to hide for the next few days without being discovered. Someone does manage to find Patricia, and eventually the whole ship learns a stowaway is aboard ship. The ship's surgeon takes pity on her however and offers Patricia a deal. If she wants to stay aboard ship and not be set on land at the nearest port she is to become the surgeon's apprentice. She'll have to work during the day learning the tools and practices of the surgeon. However, during the night she takes to wearing men's garb and learning how the ship is run with the sailors. However, everything doesn't go as planned and Patricia has a hard time leaving one sailor in particular.
I really liked this book. The language used is very descriptive and you really feel for Patricia and what she faces. It reminded me a lot of an expanded, more adult version of 'Bloody Jack' by L.A. Meyer which is one of my favorite books. There isn't a lot of humor in Star-Crossed but it's very moving and large in scale. It's definitely one of those books that takes you places and creates a wonderful escape from every day life. There was one decision Patricia made towards the middle of the book that I wish she didn't and I wished this book was even longer. Readers who are a little squeamish on descriptions of places plagued with sickness and the entailing symptoms be warned. Some parts go in detail of an area plagued with yellow fever and it's pretty gross. Otherwise though it's a very enjoyable read.
I really liked this book. The language used is very descriptive and you really feel for Patricia and what she faces. It reminded me a lot of an expanded, more adult version of 'Bloody Jack' by L.A. Meyer which is one of my favorite books. There isn't a lot of humor in Star-Crossed but it's very moving and large in scale. It's definitely one of those books that takes you places and creates a wonderful escape from every day life. There was one decision Patricia made towards the middle of the book that I wish she didn't and I wished this book was even longer. Readers who are a little squeamish on descriptions of places plagued with sickness and the entailing symptoms be warned. Some parts go in detail of an area plagued with yellow fever and it's pretty gross. Otherwise though it's a very enjoyable read.
leigh9's review against another edition
1.0
I gave this book one star.
Maybe I'm not being fair to the book. This book is... well written, mostly, historically accurate, and it's very different than what I had wanted it to be. But I don't care.
I thought, "Hey, book with a lady with a ship on her head, I can't go wrong here with this purchase!". Well, surprise. This book had no ladies with ships on their heads.
Patricia doesn't start off annoying, she kind of grows to be annoying. She starts off spunky (man, so many YA heroines are solely "spunky") and naive, attempting to stowaway to the Caribbean and take back her father's plantation even though she's an illegitimate daughter. She almost immediately gets found out by the cabin boy and becomes the assistant to Dr. MacPherson on the ship while spending her nights climbing the rigging with handsome and dangerous Dalton. Unfortunately and kind of predictably, when she gets to her plantation she cannot take control of it and it has already been sold.
MacPherson "helps" by getting married to her and together they go to different ships and MacPherson begins to teach Patricia medicine even though she's insanely squeamish.
This is kind of where the book lost me.
There is a lot of detail when it comes to the story from here on out. But most of the detail is about disease and bloody injuries. I'm not as squeamish as Patricia, but I still felt like throwing up. MacPherson is kind of an interesting character, but then he dies .
The rest of the story has to be a spoiler: so after her husband's death, Patricia gets in a shipwreck and meets Kid!Alexander Hamilton and his mom (for some reason?). Patricia then decides that to get a job, she'll pass herself to be a man and a doctor and joins a ship where, surprise surprise, Dalton is there. Dalton immediately recognizes her, they have an adventure where her identity is almost discovered and then they live happily ever after never truly together but never apart? IDK, I was skimming by this point.
The main issues of this book (I'll try to constrain myself) is that this book, or at least my edition, needs a different cover--I was expecting a swashbuckling, almost magic-history book but instead it was gritty-realistic, well, I don't know what the opposite of swashbuckling is. The book also needed to decide what it wanted to be--was it the story of a girl becoming a doctor? Was it her finding love (like the title would have you presume)? Was it her becoming mature? 'Cause that didn't happen. I've heard that there's a sequel and maybe that solves some of these issues, but I didn't enjoy this book enough to read that one.
Maybe I'm not being fair to the book. This book is... well written, mostly, historically accurate, and it's very different than what I had wanted it to be. But I don't care.
I thought, "Hey, book with a lady with a ship on her head, I can't go wrong here with this purchase!". Well, surprise. This book had no ladies with ships on their heads.
Patricia doesn't start off annoying, she kind of grows to be annoying. She starts off spunky (man, so many YA heroines are solely "spunky") and naive, attempting to stowaway to the Caribbean and take back her father's plantation even though she's an illegitimate daughter. She almost immediately gets found out by the cabin boy and becomes the assistant to Dr. MacPherson on the ship while spending her nights climbing the rigging with handsome and dangerous Dalton. Unfortunately and kind of predictably, when she gets to her plantation she cannot take control of it and it has already been sold.
MacPherson "helps" by getting married to her and together they go to different ships and MacPherson begins to teach Patricia medicine even though she's insanely squeamish.
This is kind of where the book lost me.
There is a lot of detail when it comes to the story from here on out. But most of the detail is about disease and bloody injuries. I'm not as squeamish as Patricia, but I still felt like throwing up. MacPherson is kind of an interesting character, but then
The rest of the story has to be a spoiler:
The main issues of this book (I'll try to constrain myself) is that this book, or at least my edition, needs a different cover--I was expecting a swashbuckling, almost magic-history book but instead it was gritty-realistic, well, I don't know what the opposite of swashbuckling is. The book also needed to decide what it wanted to be--was it the story of a girl becoming a doctor? Was it her finding love (like the title would have you presume)? Was it her becoming mature? 'Cause that didn't happen. I've heard that there's a sequel and maybe that solves some of these issues, but I didn't enjoy this book enough to read that one.
shilo1364's review
3.0
I enjoyed the story - I like any story about a girl pretending to be a boy and sailing on the high seas. That said, I would have rated it higher except that the story, characters, and mannerisms of the characters was eerily similar to the Jacky Faber books. (And yes, the first few were published before this book - I checked.) In the end there were just too many similarities, and it was definitely not as good as the Jacky Faber books.
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