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ginaparrish's review
2.0
This novel was a complete slog for me. On the surface the topics interested me—an ocean liner, the 1930s, a revenge plot, false identities—but it felt like the author couldn’t make up her mind about what she wanted the book to be so she made it everything and nothing all at once.
There were many mysterious circumstances revolving around the Morro Castle in real life, and yet none of them were really explored in the book. Instead she forced her own plot on top of the true story and they never really meshed. As soon as the climax began it felt out of place, because it wasn’t really foreshadowed at all. I began skimming, ready to be done… not my typical reaction to what’s supposed to be the most exciting part of the book.
As for the writing, the dialogue felt unnatural and there were places that could’ve used tighter editing. I usually prefer sparse writing but there should’ve been more detail in this one to establish a sense of place and to make you care about the characters. The whole novel felt a touch lazy to be honest, rushed to the publisher because of a deadline. I won’t read another of this author’s books.
There were many mysterious circumstances revolving around the Morro Castle in real life, and yet none of them were really explored in the book. Instead she forced her own plot on top of the true story and they never really meshed. As soon as the climax began it felt out of place, because it wasn’t really foreshadowed at all. I began skimming, ready to be done… not my typical reaction to what’s supposed to be the most exciting part of the book.
As for the writing, the dialogue felt unnatural and there were places that could’ve used tighter editing. I usually prefer sparse writing but there should’ve been more detail in this one to establish a sense of place and to make you care about the characters. The whole novel felt a touch lazy to be honest, rushed to the publisher because of a deadline. I won’t read another of this author’s books.
princessfabulous's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
kappafrog's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
This was a fun and fast read. I liked the mysteries and intrigue and trying to figure out what happened. To my surprise, I also really liked Harry and his romance with Catherine . They had a lot of chemistry, and he worked well as the "noble thief" archetype. Elena and especially Julio received less development and characterization - I would have liked to learn more about them and especially Julio's political activities and how Elena, being from a wealthy family, felt about them. The setting of the lavish ballroom society escaping the Depression was a fun one to explore. I really liked seeing Havana, but I wish we had seen much more of it.
That kinda sums up my feelings on this book as a whole - a lot was introduced but was rushed in the execution, and I wanted to spend more time on various ideas. Elena could have used more characterization - who was she outside of her relationships? I would have liked to see more of the crew conflicts that led to the final horrific ending of the fire too. Julio and Harry gave us little snippets, but I was left feeling like that part of the plot was underdeveloped in spite of being the reasoning behind the big set piece at the end. On the flip side, I thought the epilogue added nothing and would have liked to see an exploration ofElena and Ava's relationship in its place.
Some of the twists were clever and a nice change of pace, while others were a little perplexing.I liked that the murder in the beginning turned out not to be the point of the mystery at all. However, I didn't like that the connection between Elena and Katie was sprung on us when we'd been experiencing Katie's first-person POV for so long. That was another thing - why was Katie written in first person and Elena in third? It felt like it was just so that the novel could open with the exciting line about the dead woman (Elena) in third person, rather than being justified by the plot or structure.
That kinda sums up my feelings on this book as a whole - a lot was introduced but was rushed in the execution, and I wanted to spend more time on various ideas. Elena could have used more characterization - who was she outside of her relationships? I would have liked to see more of the crew conflicts that led to the final horrific ending of the fire too. Julio and Harry gave us little snippets, but I was left feeling like that part of the plot was underdeveloped in spite of being the reasoning behind the big set piece at the end. On the flip side, I thought the epilogue added nothing and would have liked to see an exploration of
Some of the twists were clever and a nice change of pace, while others were a little perplexing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Car accident, Alcohol, War, and Deportation
katieclinebell's review
3.0
Good twists that really picked up the plot once revealed. Very dialogue heavy with conversation that didn’t drive the plot or evolve the characters substantially. Enjoyed that this was about a real ship and events that occurred. Wish there was more time spent in and description about Cuba and its culture. Probably would have enjoyed more as a movie.
juliaehill's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Rather flat character development in a book that I would only lightly classify as historical fiction. If you're interested in the burning of the Morro Castle, read a non-fiction book instead. This was primarily an uninteresting romance mixed with maybe a revenge story? It fulfilled a prompt for a reading challenge and was short, which was my primary motivation for reading it.
mgleeson's review
adventurous
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I absolutely love this Cuban series from Chanel Cleeton. This one wasn't my favorite. It felt rushed and superficial, but I really liked how it was centered around the tragic sinking of the ship, Morro Castle, and the details surrounding that were interesting and something I've never heard of. I would highly recommend the series but I wouldn't read this one again.
haleyanne's review
emotional
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
3.75
knewberr's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
3.75
vynexareads's review
fast-paced
4.5
One thing Chanel Cleeton is going to do is take a lesser known event in history and use it in her fictional novel to teach an audience about it.
We all know the tragic event that occurred to the Titanic, but many of us aren't privy to the event that took place on SS Morro Castle labor day week in 1934.
As a first generation Cuban-American, this is an event that is important for me to know as the SS Morro Castle helped Cubans flee from Cuba during the beginning of the revolution. When the SS Morro Castle's even happened, there were more lives lost than recorded due to this.
Another thing that Cleeton will do is write a romance between two characters with so much chemistry I have absolutely no choice but to root for them.
I will always pick up a historical fiction written by Cleeton. Not just for the entertainment, but also to educate myself on my people's history that isn't talked about.
We all know the tragic event that occurred to the Titanic, but many of us aren't privy to the event that took place on SS Morro Castle labor day week in 1934.
As a first generation Cuban-American, this is an event that is important for me to know as the SS Morro Castle helped Cubans flee from Cuba during the beginning of the revolution. When the SS Morro Castle's even happened, there were more lives lost than recorded due to this.
Another thing that Cleeton will do is write a romance between two characters with so much chemistry I have absolutely no choice but to root for them.
I will always pick up a historical fiction written by Cleeton. Not just for the entertainment, but also to educate myself on my people's history that isn't talked about.