atris_lauraborealis's review against another edition
3.0
This is a fun steampunk cross between treasure island and Mulan (weird right? But it totally works).
While it was slow to get started, it had it's fun bits that kept it moving along. It's not a book that will have you glued to the page, desperate to see how it all works out, but it goes from Mars to England and back again with an imaginative alternate reality full of a wealth of opportunity. If anything, I was disappointed we didn't delve deeper into the world and characters. And while I respect the attempt to imitate classic sea-faring novels in tone and language, there were times the storytelling became stilted and we were held at arm's-length from really caring about these characters.
But overall it was a great romp through space with privateers, space storms and Martians!
While it was slow to get started, it had it's fun bits that kept it moving along. It's not a book that will have you glued to the page, desperate to see how it all works out, but it goes from Mars to England and back again with an imaginative alternate reality full of a wealth of opportunity. If anything, I was disappointed we didn't delve deeper into the world and characters. And while I respect the attempt to imitate classic sea-faring novels in tone and language, there were times the storytelling became stilted and we were held at arm's-length from really caring about these characters.
But overall it was a great romp through space with privateers, space storms and Martians!
ubalstecha's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
An ok steampunk adventure. I find the thing the most troubling in this book is
Spoiler
the romance between the captain and Arabella. He is significantly older than her and it, quite frankly, came off as creepy.katmystery's review against another edition
3.0
It was cute but lacking suspense, character development, and a believable, interesting story.
The writing style would have made 1000% more sense in a MG novel. It was ALL tell and not one tiny bit of show. The twists were extremely predictable. Arabella did not think with the depth associated with YA characters. The book had lovely description but too much- it weighed the story down. It was as if the story had not been long enough originally, so the author wished to stretch out every scene... through description!
The pacing was too slow for most of it and too fast in some parts. The whole middle part of the book was drenched with incredible detail about the voyage, which was interesting but not interesting enough for an extra 50 pages of description. The pacing suddenly increased after the voyage, the story navigating through predictable plot-twists every few pages. It just felt very 2D. Like it needed another round of editing.
I think the book could have benefited from some cutting down, flashbacks about Arabella's life on Mars (so that, once we arrived, we could understand all she was talking about instead of having to rely on convenient info dumps), and a rewritten romance. The way the romance was done was unlikely and annoying...
So, in all, enjoyable enough to finish but not without its flaws.
The writing style would have made 1000% more sense in a MG novel. It was ALL tell and not one tiny bit of show. The twists were extremely predictable. Arabella did not think with the depth associated with YA characters. The book had lovely description but too much- it weighed the story down. It was as if the story had not been long enough originally, so the author wished to stretch out every scene... through description!
The pacing was too slow for most of it and too fast in some parts. The whole middle part of the book was drenched with incredible detail about the voyage, which was interesting but not interesting enough for an extra 50 pages of description. The pacing suddenly increased after the voyage, the story navigating through predictable plot-twists every few pages. It just felt very 2D. Like it needed another round of editing.
I think the book could have benefited from some cutting down, flashbacks about Arabella's life on Mars (so that, once we arrived, we could understand all she was talking about instead of having to rely on convenient info dumps), and a rewritten romance. The way the romance was done was unlikely and annoying...
Spoiler
Also, what's the age gap there? Is it as bad as I gathered? I hope hope hope notSo, in all, enjoyable enough to finish but not without its flaws.
majkia's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, light steampunk. Think of how Jules Verne pictured Mars and the passage between. Arabella runs away from home after having been forced to leave Mars for Earth. She pretends to be a boy and gets a birth on a sailing ship headed to Mars.
itabar's review against another edition
3.0
The first 2/3 worked for me, that last third didn't. Surprisingly, I found the romance one of the weakest parts of the book.
ladyofbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. Arabella is awesome, but I want to strangle the men in this book. Women are not weak fragile creatures to be protected, surely Arabella has MORE than proven that but no, at the end she still has to be "a proper lady". Grrrr. Just once, I want a book where the woman is accepted after revealing her true self, not ignored belitted, threatened and punished for daring to act as a man. Happy ending, I guess, with no cliffhanger. Four out of five stars.
greenldydragon's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this book a while ago and don’t remember much about what happened. Whooops.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
It was fine. And a bit goofy. But the Victorian novel thing is not something that adds anything for me, though here it wasn't actually painful. And I'm so tired of the disguised as a boy thing, though again it wasn't horrible here. Suspending belief to allow sailing from Earth to Mars and Martians is difficult enough. So clever, simple, readable but definitely not amazing. Nice cover though. 3.5 of 5.
On a re-read I found it more pleasant than I remembered. And I was going to raise it's rating from 3 to 3.5. But it was already 3.5.
On a re-read I found it more pleasant than I remembered. And I was going to raise it's rating from 3 to 3.5. But it was already 3.5.