Thanks to Macmillan/Feiwel Friends and BookishFirst for a physical copies of this book in exchange for an honest review.
A CLASH OF STEEL is part of Macmillan's Remixed Classics YA series where BIPOC authors are reimagining classic stories but adding diversity to them. They aren't retellings (so don't go into reading this thinking that's what you're going to get). C.B. Lee takes TREASURE ISLAND and turns it into something unique and amazing.
Lee gives us Xiang and Anh - two girls from different backgrounds, but both with the desire to see the world. Set in China in 1826, Xiang and Anh decide to search for the long missing treasure from the legendary Dragon Fleet. There is self-discovery, there are adventures and trials, and at the heart of it is the story of two girls who come to realize that they love each other. Yes, this is a Sapphic version of a pirate story that combines TREASURE ISLAND with Chinese history.
But there is also representation from other Asian cultures. The crew that Anh sails with is far more diverse and puts Xiang into the situation where she chooses to learn Vietnamese and other languages in order to keep up with conversations on the ship.
And the twist! Maybe other readers will see it coming, but I definitely did not to the extent of how things played out. This is a wildly entertaining read, so far Macmillan is hitting it out of the park with their Remixed Classics!
A CLASH OF STEEL is part of Macmillan's Remixed Classics YA series where BIPOC authors are reimagining classic stories but adding diversity to them. They aren't retellings (so don't go into reading this thinking that's what you're going to get). C.B. Lee takes TREASURE ISLAND and turns it into something unique and amazing.
Lee gives us Xiang and Anh - two girls from different backgrounds, but both with the desire to see the world. Set in China in 1826, Xiang and Anh decide to search for the long missing treasure from the legendary Dragon Fleet. There is self-discovery, there are adventures and trials, and at the heart of it is the story of two girls who come to realize that they love each other. Yes, this is a Sapphic version of a pirate story that combines TREASURE ISLAND with Chinese history.
But there is also representation from other Asian cultures. The crew that Anh sails with is far more diverse and puts Xiang into the situation where she chooses to learn Vietnamese and other languages in order to keep up with conversations on the ship.
And the twist! Maybe other readers will see it coming, but I definitely did not to the extent of how things played out. This is a wildly entertaining read, so far Macmillan is hitting it out of the park with their Remixed Classics!