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xxsamarxx's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
stefhyena's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I liked a lot of this but it leaned into a liberal capitalist expansionist politics of inevitability (who knows what is right and wrong but I am sick of not exploiting things) that was really gross...to portray the claims of Sybil Glass and the "pirates" (ie Africans on their own lands and waters) as equivalent might be "true to the time" but that's not a good excuse in a book that has dragons and other anachronisms like pirate tattoos.
So that passive racist thing annoyed me. I also felt that while Felicity's feeling of superiority and exceptionalism was rightly critiqued by Johanna (who in other ways was my least favourite character) and rightly portrayed as stemming from deep loneliness, she leans back into it in her letter to Callum at the end. WTF was that? Most women just want to be gaslit wives sorry that I am not like the other girls???? I hate that sort of exceptionalism (again liberal feminism, the sovereign individual).
The afterword defends the idea of feminist characters (which shouldn't really need defending) which is great. And yeah I gues people like Felicity are exceptional BECAUSE MOST WOMEN WERE CRUSHED IN THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS not because few women dreamed or most didn't want it enough. All the way through the book she says "you are Felicity Montagu" as if some people are just more worthy than others. I thought the unequal relationship between Sim and Felicity was problematic too. And portraying Sim as a potential "Traitor" for caring about her people and her indigenous heritage was just awful.
I can't get past that. I really enjoyed early in the book where literally all the men were on the spectrum between awful or just useless (the pansies as useless and the hetero men as awful). I thought it was over the top but making an interesting point...I feel like toward the end of the book it became too much about empire building selfish rich white people and I was not as into that.
So that passive racist thing annoyed me. I also felt that while Felicity's feeling of superiority and exceptionalism was rightly critiqued by Johanna (who in other ways was my least favourite character) and rightly portrayed as stemming from deep loneliness, she leans back into it in her letter to Callum at the end. WTF was that? Most women just want to be gaslit wives sorry that I am not like the other girls???? I hate that sort of exceptionalism (again liberal feminism, the sovereign individual).
The afterword defends the idea of feminist characters (which shouldn't really need defending) which is great. And yeah I gues people like Felicity are exceptional BECAUSE MOST WOMEN WERE CRUSHED IN THEIR HOPES AND DREAMS not because few women dreamed or most didn't want it enough. All the way through the book she says "you are Felicity Montagu" as if some people are just more worthy than others. I thought the unequal relationship between Sim and Felicity was problematic too. And portraying Sim as a potential "Traitor" for caring about her people and her indigenous heritage was just awful.
I can't get past that. I really enjoyed early in the book where literally all the men were on the spectrum between awful or just useless (the pansies as useless and the hetero men as awful). I thought it was over the top but making an interesting point...I feel like toward the end of the book it became too much about empire building selfish rich white people and I was not as into that.
bookwyrm76's review against another edition
5.0
All the love. I thought I knew where this book was going and it didn't. Same great writing as the first of the series. Now I need to go find the 3rd book.
daumari's review against another edition
4.0
While I have been making good on my plan to read more LGBTQ+ stories this year (2019), I am pleasantly surprised to stumble upon ace (asexual) spectrum characters/leads in some of my reads (which, for one demonstrates I have a ways to go in broadening my reads but also secondly, shows that young adult lit is pretty lit in terms of having a range of characters).
I'm not sure what else I could say given that other reviews are so thorough in why this is really good- strong (and by this, I mean solidly built in their personalities, memorable) female characters that have different strengths/aren't carbon copies of one another, flaws in our heroine (Felicity is understandably upset about not being able to pursue her dream of medicine through traditional means, but it's ~fascinating~ to see it gradually dawn on her that she *is* afforded certain privileges that others don't have in fictional 1700s Western society). Also also, parts of this are DEFINITELY inspired by 1700 naturalists, and in particular Maria Sibylla Merian, who with her daughter Dorothea, illustrated intricate plates of entomology from field expeditions to Suriname. Women have been involved in science for a LONG time, and it's nice to see [fictional] acknowledgement of real world work.
also! Dogs. and dragons. Animals are girls' best friends.
I'm not sure what else I could say given that other reviews are so thorough in why this is really good- strong (and by this, I mean solidly built in their personalities, memorable) female characters that have different strengths/aren't carbon copies of one another, flaws in our heroine (Felicity is understandably upset about not being able to pursue her dream of medicine through traditional means, but it's ~fascinating~ to see it gradually dawn on her that she *is* afforded certain privileges that others don't have in fictional 1700s Western society). Also also, parts of this are DEFINITELY inspired by 1700 naturalists, and in particular Maria Sibylla Merian, who with her daughter Dorothea, illustrated intricate plates of entomology from field expeditions to Suriname. Women have been involved in science for a LONG time, and it's nice to see [fictional] acknowledgement of real world work.
also! Dogs. and dragons. Animals are girls' best friends.
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.