What a lovely read! I’ve never read Treasure Island (or consumed any of its derivative medias) so I had no idea what to expect coming in, but this was a delightful tale of sapphic discovery and Chinese-Vietnamese worldbuilding!
We follow the journey of Xiang, only daughter her wealthy merchant mother but oft-neglected to a small, country-side village in Southern China while her mother takes to the seas. Xiang, as people stuck in the countryside with only stories of the outside do, dreams of adventure, of exploring the outdoors. And when she finally convinces her mother to take her to the city with her, to finally learn her mother’s business and trade, she becomes whisked away on a wild adventure of sailing, treasure, and a possible romance with the mysterious young sailor Anh.
What stood out to me the most while reading was the sheer sensory pleasure Lee invokes in her writing. Xiang journey’s through a myriad of new locations and we, the readers, are encompassed with beautifully evocative language, from the smells of fresh foods to the bustles of crowded cities. Xiang visits the hectic street markets of Guangdong, the boisterous taverns of sailors on break, experiences the quiet intimate moments between her and Ahn. The worldbuilding and settings are so richly written.
That being said, it seemed the pacing of this book slowed immensely to allow Xiang the time to take in all these new locations. Plot-wise, I found the pacing to be extremely slow and did occasionally find myself wishing Xiang would spend less time describing things and more time actually doing whatever she’d set out to do. To me, Xiang was a little *too* introspective for my liking.
Overall, I rate this book a 4/5. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the sapphic romance. The worldbuilding was phenomenally done, but I did find myself wishing the pacing were a little faster.
We follow the journey of Xiang, only daughter her wealthy merchant mother but oft-neglected to a small, country-side village in Southern China while her mother takes to the seas. Xiang, as people stuck in the countryside with only stories of the outside do, dreams of adventure, of exploring the outdoors. And when she finally convinces her mother to take her to the city with her, to finally learn her mother’s business and trade, she becomes whisked away on a wild adventure of sailing, treasure, and a possible romance with the mysterious young sailor Anh.
What stood out to me the most while reading was the sheer sensory pleasure Lee invokes in her writing. Xiang journey’s through a myriad of new locations and we, the readers, are encompassed with beautifully evocative language, from the smells of fresh foods to the bustles of crowded cities. Xiang visits the hectic street markets of Guangdong, the boisterous taverns of sailors on break, experiences the quiet intimate moments between her and Ahn. The worldbuilding and settings are so richly written.
That being said, it seemed the pacing of this book slowed immensely to allow Xiang the time to take in all these new locations. Plot-wise, I found the pacing to be extremely slow and did occasionally find myself wishing Xiang would spend less time describing things and more time actually doing whatever she’d set out to do. To me, Xiang was a little *too* introspective for my liking.
Overall, I rate this book a 4/5. I enjoyed the plot, the characters, and the sapphic romance. The worldbuilding was phenomenally done, but I did find myself wishing the pacing were a little faster.