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A review by joshloftin
The Night Ship by Jess Kidd
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Night Ship follows the stories of two kids connected by an island. While the doomed journey of Mayken and the great merchant ship Batavia is the anchor of the story, the story of Gil (set in 1989) is the more interesting of the two.
The structure alternates the stories between chapters, which is effective in developing the stories and characters early but becomes distracting as the two stories build to their finales.
Jess Kidd weaves wonderful details throughout the book and her writing is engaging. This is the type of book to read on a plane, a beach, or listen to in a car (as I did). It’s gripping enough to keep you reading but not complex enough to demand your full attention.
Overall, this is a better than average book with moments of excellence, built upon a very interesting historical event.
The structure alternates the stories between chapters, which is effective in developing the stories and characters early but becomes distracting as the two stories build to their finales.
Jess Kidd weaves wonderful details throughout the book and her writing is engaging. This is the type of book to read on a plane, a beach, or listen to in a car (as I did). It’s gripping enough to keep you reading but not complex enough to demand your full attention.
Overall, this is a better than average book with moments of excellence, built upon a very interesting historical event.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Blood, Medical trauma, and Toxic friendship