bek_p87's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
3.5
I was excited to read this: I loved Jaigirdar's "Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating," and this is a story about a fictional heist on the Titanic, with a sapphic romance sub-plot? Sign me up! Unfortunately it fell flat. The characterisation was a little one-dimensional, the pacing was choppy, and the prose wasn't the most sophisticated. It was enjoyable, but I definitely expected more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Violence
asaelizabeth's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
aliciambrux's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
arwombat'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
3.0
mousmoulo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
i'm so beyond disappointed lol
i've never had such high expectations for a book before, especially a book from an author i know nothing about beforehand. but a heist on the titanic, including queer romance? as someone who spends their life looking for books with similar vibes to 'six of crows' and has a hyperfixation on shipwrecks, discovering this book (back when it was first announced, more than a year ago) was like someone had written a story specifically for me to read. it was too good to be true.
(yeah it really was too good to be true)
save for the last 60 or so pages, which were okay, the rest was just... where do i even begin. the writing was poor to the point where some parts seemed unedited. the pacing was horrendous. the characters were flatter than pitta bread and their relationships had no plausibility whatsoever. there was no depth to the romance and i couldn't have cared less. the book is supposed to be ya but it read entirely like middle grade fiction, which didn't work with the content. the stakes were nonexistent and most obstacles (re: matron wallis) felt forced and were resolved 2 chapters later. same for the conflicts. there was a tonne of repetition, especially whenever the characters were separated and had to have the same revelation one by one in their respective povs. important issues were broached but never tackled in a meaningful way.
i wholeheartedly thought i'd found a new favourite book with this one and i'm still insanely sad that i disliked it as much as i did. the concept was incredible, but it was wasted because the execution was so, so poor.
i've never had such high expectations for a book before, especially a book from an author i know nothing about beforehand. but a heist on the titanic, including queer romance? as someone who spends their life looking for books with similar vibes to 'six of crows' and has a hyperfixation on shipwrecks, discovering this book (back when it was first announced, more than a year ago) was like someone had written a story specifically for me to read. it was too good to be true.
(yeah it really was too good to be true)
save for the last 60 or so pages, which were okay, the rest was just... where do i even begin. the writing was poor to the point where some parts seemed unedited. the pacing was horrendous. the characters were flatter than pitta bread and their relationships had no plausibility whatsoever. there was no depth to the romance and i couldn't have cared less. the book is supposed to be ya but it read entirely like middle grade fiction, which didn't work with the content. the stakes were nonexistent and most obstacles (re: matron wallis) felt forced and were resolved 2 chapters later. same for the conflicts. there was a tonne of repetition, especially whenever the characters were separated and had to have the same revelation one by one in their respective povs. important issues were broached but never tackled in a meaningful way.
i wholeheartedly thought i'd found a new favourite book with this one and i'm still insanely sad that i disliked it as much as i did. the concept was incredible, but it was wasted because the execution was so, so poor.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
ainedcodonnell's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
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
3.75
rachfreeb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
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? It's complicated
4.25
alexaileen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-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
3.0
alice16's review
3.5
jaigirdar is one of my favourite authors but this book had v bad pacing it majorly slowed down and the everything major seemed to happen within 40 pages or so
mittymyers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25