sarahp85's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know, maybe the fact that I finished this but kept forgetting to review says it all.
I liked it, as I'm a sucker for anything Titanic related and this was a whole different story than anything I've read before.
But for some reason I found it quite slow at the start, couldn't really get into it for a while and found the leading lady a bit... annoying
I liked it, as I'm a sucker for anything Titanic related and this was a whole different story than anything I've read before.
But for some reason I found it quite slow at the start, couldn't really get into it for a while and found the leading lady a bit... annoying
seinen's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love how Stacy Lee writes, it was easy to read which is something I personally can't find too often at least within my niche of interests. I love the characters, sometimes I personally found the main character a little annoying... but honestly that's because I don't relate to her too much, but that's not to say I didn't love her character as a whole because she was presented in a very interesting way. I love her brother and his friends, I found comedic and honestly emotional relief within these characters... overall they were really impressive to me!
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a historical fiction book that reads smoothly and has good characters in it.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a historical fiction book that reads smoothly and has good characters in it.
mscoleman1920's review against another edition
4.0
I'm glad I went to the library on a whim for this one. It was on my list and I am glad I gave it a moment. It is straight up a Chinese version of Titanic but the author played up the racism and fixed the "door problem." Lee had some beautiful personification examples and metaphors which really did add to her narrative. It would work as a summer reading book next year.
This was also great for another way to show perspective through a single character. 1st v 3rd class, white v Chinese, twin v twin. Lots of shifts occur but are minor and within one character. Kind of crazy to see but really illuminating. Worth reviewing for 8th and the early 20th century.
LINES TO REMEMBER:
"Don't spend too much time looking behind you, or you'll miss out on what's ahead." - Valora quoting her mom
"Lady Sky wears rouge when she wants to be noticed." -Valora about the sky
"It's clear we experienced our sameness in very different ways." - Valora and Jaime
"I'm not a leaver. People can leave me, but I'll never leave them when I'm still needed." -Valora
This was also great for another way to show perspective through a single character. 1st v 3rd class, white v Chinese, twin v twin. Lots of shifts occur but are minor and within one character. Kind of crazy to see but really illuminating. Worth reviewing for 8th and the early 20th century.
LINES TO REMEMBER:
"Don't spend too much time looking behind you, or you'll miss out on what's ahead." - Valora quoting her mom
"Lady Sky wears rouge when she wants to be noticed." -Valora about the sky
"It's clear we experienced our sameness in very different ways." - Valora and Jaime
"I'm not a leaver. People can leave me, but I'll never leave them when I'm still needed." -Valora
evamadera1's review against another edition
4.5
This book really surprised me. I expected that it might get campy or play fast and loose with history. However, Lee avoids common pitfalls and creates a compelling story that explores an aspect of history (Chinese Exclusion Act) not frequently discussed. Also, what she did at the end of the story to maintain historical accuracy hid so hard.
hpdischler's review against another edition
4.0
So, I read this book purely based on the reason that it’s set on the Titanic. I am a huge Titanic nerd and I love hearing stories and reading stories about the ship even though the ending for the vessel never changes. The story here, though, wasn’t as mature as I wanted it to be. The characters seemed a little childish in my opinion even though this is a YA novel. While I didn’t dislike this novel, Val especially was a little hard for me to like sometimes. The author definitely developed her character well in that aspect. However, like I mentioned earlier, a lot of the things that happened in the novel seemed a little hard to swallow and unbelievable.
I loved all of the side characters and the eventual character arcs that you get to see throughout the novel. The story was well paced and went by pretty quickly in my opinion. I really liked how the author played with the idea of different perspectives and how someone’s perspective on a certain event can be completely different from another person’s.
Overall, I loved being on the Titanic with Val and her friends and brother. I loved the atmosphere of the book and the characters. I will never, and I mean never, pass up a chance to read more about the Titanic.
Favorite quote: “There are moments to be strong but there are also moments to be weak.”
I loved all of the side characters and the eventual character arcs that you get to see throughout the novel. The story was well paced and went by pretty quickly in my opinion. I really liked how the author played with the idea of different perspectives and how someone’s perspective on a certain event can be completely different from another person’s.
Overall, I loved being on the Titanic with Val and her friends and brother. I loved the atmosphere of the book and the characters. I will never, and I mean never, pass up a chance to read more about the Titanic.
Favorite quote: “There are moments to be strong but there are also moments to be weak.”
imdunn's review against another edition
5.0
I have read so many good books this month! This one is probably more like a 4.5, but I'm rounding up. The main character, Valora, was so much fun to follow, and I loved her spirit and the fact that she refused to give up. She grew so much over the book, and I loved watching it happen. I also really enjoyed how acrobatics played into this book. I don't think I've read many books where that talent plays into the plot, so I found this to be very interesting. And of course, I loved the setting of the Titanic. The best part of this story is that you think you know what is going to happen, but it still manages to surprise you.
imperrterritus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
echo_finished_cake's review against another edition
1.0
It pains me to give such a low rating on a book from my favorite genre. However, now that I have finished this book, I am trying hard to think of anything good about it. The result: not much at all, unfortunately.
Where to begin in regards to all my dislikes about it? I suppose I'll start with the main character and narrator, Valora Luck. I strongly disliked this character. She spent 95% of the book lying, cheating and being deceitful to get her way, not seeming to care who she hurt, even if it was people she was actually getting close with. I could not get behind/root for her. In fact, I almost hated her. But I also wonder if the author intentionally made her unlikable, but after reading the Author's Notes, I doubt it. As the author writes in her notes at the end, she really wanted to share the stories of the few Chinese passengers that were on the actual Titanic, which I think is a noble purpose for writing this book. However, she did not write this main character, who is part Chinese, part English in a good light.
The only good thing I have to say about the character of Valora Luck is how noble and selfless the sacrifice she made at the end was. Otherwise, I strongly disliked her.
I did like how the author describes the experiences of the other Chinese on the boat and how they all banded together to become a little makeshift family. That was sweet.
I also didn't understand the purpose of some of the flashbacks Valora had towards the end of the story. Of course, by that part of the story, I didn't much care why. Often times during reading this, I was quite bored with the story. I felt it wasn't progressing very well through the plot. Why? Because I thought this book read extremely dense, much like "Island of the Blue Dolphins". It was hard to read, hard to care and easy to get off track with what was happening in any given part. There wasn't enough emotion described in each event that happened in the story; not enough characterization in an emotional sense of any of the characters, really. In this aspect, this book was not my cup of tea.
The only reason I finished it was because I paid money to read it, which I want refunded more than anything as this book was a pain and labor to read.
Where to begin in regards to all my dislikes about it? I suppose I'll start with the main character and narrator, Valora Luck. I strongly disliked this character. She spent 95% of the book lying, cheating and being deceitful to get her way, not seeming to care who she hurt, even if it was people she was actually getting close with. I could not get behind/root for her. In fact, I almost hated her. But I also wonder if the author intentionally made her unlikable, but after reading the Author's Notes, I doubt it. As the author writes in her notes at the end, she really wanted to share the stories of the few Chinese passengers that were on the actual Titanic, which I think is a noble purpose for writing this book. However, she did not write this main character, who is part Chinese, part English in a good light.
The only good thing I have to say about the character of Valora Luck is how noble and selfless the sacrifice she made at the end was. Otherwise, I strongly disliked her.
I did like how the author describes the experiences of the other Chinese on the boat and how they all banded together to become a little makeshift family. That was sweet.
I also didn't understand the purpose of some of the flashbacks Valora had towards the end of the story. Of course, by that part of the story, I didn't much care why. Often times during reading this, I was quite bored with the story. I felt it wasn't progressing very well through the plot. Why? Because I thought this book read extremely dense, much like "Island of the Blue Dolphins". It was hard to read, hard to care and easy to get off track with what was happening in any given part. There wasn't enough emotion described in each event that happened in the story; not enough characterization in an emotional sense of any of the characters, really. In this aspect, this book was not my cup of tea.
The only reason I finished it was because I paid money to read it, which I want refunded more than anything as this book was a pain and labor to read.