Reviews

Arabella the Traitor of Mars by David D. Levine

ladyofbooks's review against another edition

5.0

No cliffhanger, but a satisfactory ending. I'm unsure if there will be a book four, as this one ended as though it were meant to be a trilogy. If that's the case then I am sad as I really don't want this lovely series to end!

{Further review to come!}

liacooper's review against another edition

4.0

a really solid trilogy. usually i dont love "female protagonist happily ever after with children" endings but this one was really cute.

overall i think this series is really good though and a great example of an underserved genre (eg pure science fiction steampunk). also i had to stop in the middle and watch Master & Commander because i've been having so many classic 18/19th century naval warfare feels ;)

my one big critique of this book is something ive mentioned with the Gail Carriger novels in that theyre trying to use a conversation about imperialism and colonialism to further their white character's adventures which...sometimes comes across as a little tone deaf. in the case of this book, i think Arabella does stray into white savior territory quite a lot and the author doesnt delve into much of Captain Singh's perspective on the subject which is too bad considering he IS a man from another earth culture that's been colonized by England. just be mindful of that going in. that being said, at least authors are trying to critique this part of history rather than ignore it

dmchurch's review against another edition

Captain Singh is caught between his conscience, his duty to the England, and his love of Arabella when the Prince decides to take over Mars. The space war that ensues requires all of the Singh's wits and much help from their friends. Sadly, the ending seemed like this might be the last book in this series.

davidreyno's review

adventurous inspiring lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A fine ending to the trilogy, with plenty of action and imaginative navigating by Arabella.

leigh9's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

scriptrix's review against another edition

3.0

For some reason, this third book just didn't have the same charm as the first two did, for me. It focused too heavily on battle scenes, and not enough on Arabella winning the day with her mechanical skills (though she did have her moments). I ended up skimming whole scenes. :( I did like the ending, however.

vvbooklady's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

In the final book of the trilogy, Arabella returns to the planet of her birth to save it from the country of which she is a citizen.

High off the defeat of Napoleon, the Regent of the United Kingdom sets his sight on expanding British territory on Mars and enslaving its native people. Arabella and her husband, Captain Singh, must decide where their loyalties lie; for Arabella, the choice is obvious, and she makes haste to warn the Martians of the impending threat and help prepare them for battle … even if it means fighting against her husband.

There’s a battle with a space kraken, which was just about the only thing this series was missing. We also get to see more of Aadim, the automaton navigator of Captain Singh’s creation, whom we didn’t get to see much of in the previous book and who is one of my favourite aspects of the whole series! 

ronmccutchan's review against another edition

4.0

The conclusion to the Arabella trilogy is as action-packed as ever. A few breezy conveniences (solar currents perpendicular to the ecliptic, dramatic reappearances of both Singh and Fox just in the nick of time. Levine still plays coy with Adim (hope I'm spelling his name correctly--book not to hand) and whether he is fully AI or just clockwork.

Spoiler

He's less coy (we get the equivalent of a knowing wink this time) in confirming the ship's doctor is indeed a woman who has fully assumed a male identity--a foil to Arabella's initial disguise in the first book.

Levine himself has said that he's more Master and Commander/Horatio Hornblower than Jane Austen, and Arabella's relationships with Singh and Fox seem like situational responses rather than romance/flirtation.

karenteacher's review against another edition

5.0

An eminently satisfying and enjoyable conclusion to the Arabella trilogy, with many twists and turns along the way.

bookwormmichelle's review against another edition

4.0

Well. The series is over, although I didn't believe Levine was going to be able to get it wrapped up in time. I still enjoyed this, but some of my ambivalence about the series has continued. In this book, Arabella's relationship to her husband just didn't ring true to me. Also I found the final battle to be, well, improbable enough that it almost felt to me like the author had gotten us into this big battle, but suddenly realized his word limit was approaching, just went "Ta-da! They win!" and stopped. Anyway. This was a pretty fun little steampunk trilogy.