caidyn's review
adventurous
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Utterly delightful retelling of Treasure Island. I loved how it built on the original story and made it its own.
Graphic: Gun violence and Violence
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Xiang feels ignored by her mother, treated as a thing to be kept safe rather than a person who can want things and pursue them competently. She's been surrounded by people paid to teach her and keep her safe, part of a village where she's free to roam to hills and read, but is kept away from anything more adventurous. Her prized possession is a pendant from her presumed-dead father. When her mother agrees to let her try to learn one aspect of the business, it appears as though her mother might finally take her seriously. Instead her mother keeps trying to arrange a marriage for Xiang, a prospect which feels stifling. She meets Anh, a sailor, and feels close to her almost immediately, but takes longer to realize just how different their perspectives are, due to their vastly different life experiences. When she runs away and joins Anh's crew she finds a place where she is valued for what she does and for how she fits into a larger whole.
The worldbuilding leans into a heady mix of clothing, food, and legends of the Dragon Queen's exploits from decades ago. Once she's on the ship, Xiang works to learn as much as she can and revels in the feeling of getting stronger from daily work. There's an emphasis on found family, and in untangling the difference between where you come from and where you feel at home.
I enjoyed this both on its own and as a retelling of Treasure Island. You don't need to be familiar with the original, as this takes the bones of that other story and clads them in something wonderful and new. The ending is tense and dramatic, I like how it wraps things up.
The worldbuilding leans into a heady mix of clothing, food, and legends of the Dragon Queen's exploits from decades ago. Once she's on the ship, Xiang works to learn as much as she can and revels in the feeling of getting stronger from daily work. There's an emphasis on found family, and in untangling the difference between where you come from and where you feel at home.
I enjoyed this both on its own and as a retelling of Treasure Island. You don't need to be familiar with the original, as this takes the bones of that other story and clads them in something wonderful and new. The ending is tense and dramatic, I like how it wraps things up.
Graphic: Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content, Lesbophobia, Drug use, and Child abuse
lily1304's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
LOVED this - just a delightful YA adventure. I love CB Lee's Sidekick Squad series and this did not disappoint, even though it's a completely different genre/setting. SO fun!!
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Blood
Violence is mostly with swords, only the occasional gun There is also at least one near-drowningangelsbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Misogyny, and Gun violence
melaniereadsbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Bookish First and Fierce Reads for a copy of this book!
In this retelling of Treasure Island, Xiang just wants to be accepted by her mother and explore more of the world she's grown up only hearing about. But when she discovers a hint toward the location of the secret treasure hidden by the fabled Head of the Dragon Fleet, Xiang goes on an adventure with Anh and her crew to find the treasure.
This was thrilling! It took me a little bit to really get into it, but once it picked up pace I absolutely loved it! Xiang and Anh are absolutely adorable! I loved the lore and the adventure and the piracy. The character development was also really good and I loved the relationship between Xiang and her sort of father. I also loved Anh's mother and her crew, and the discussion of queerness within the world! They even talked about Matey logs (idk if I'm spelling that right) which is a really interesting pirate concept that I learned about recently, so I thought that was cool!
This was such a great retelling of a classic and another to add to your list if you're a retelling fan!
In this retelling of Treasure Island, Xiang just wants to be accepted by her mother and explore more of the world she's grown up only hearing about. But when she discovers a hint toward the location of the secret treasure hidden by the fabled Head of the Dragon Fleet, Xiang goes on an adventure with Anh and her crew to find the treasure.
This was thrilling! It took me a little bit to really get into it, but once it picked up pace I absolutely loved it! Xiang and Anh are absolutely adorable! I loved the lore and the adventure and the piracy. The character development was also really good and I loved the relationship between Xiang and her sort of father. I also loved Anh's mother and her crew, and the discussion of queerness within the world! They even talked about Matey logs (idk if I'm spelling that right) which is a really interesting pirate concept that I learned about recently, so I thought that was cool!
This was such a great retelling of a classic and another to add to your list if you're a retelling fan!
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping and Homophobia
clovelatte's review
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Blood
Moderate: Death, War, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse
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