Sweet sapphic romance/found-family/pirate adventure tale.
A Clash of Steel is a sweet sapphic romance/found-family/adventure tale set in 1826. The fearsome female leader of the once-powerful Dragon Fleet is a legend, a mystery. No one knows what happened to her or where her hidden treasure is. When a piece of a map is found, two girls who meet by chance will set out to find this fabled treasure trove. Thus, they set out on the South China Sea.
Lee is really good at developing her characters. Told from the point of view Xiang, who hopes to earn her mother's respect by finding the treasure and saving their tea house after an arson attack, the prose is heart-felt and filled with wonder. Xiang wants to choose her destiny, and the journey from meek daughter to pirate crew is fun.
The pacing is slow in the middle of the book. Unlike similar books such as Percy Jackson or Children of the Lamp, not a lot happens in the middle portion. Whereas, Percy Jackson or the twins (in Children of the Lamp) would run into trouble or have to solve a problem to escape something, Xiang doesn't face much adversity until the last third.
In summary, I enjoyed the characters on the pirate ship Xiang travels with. The setting is vivid, and the sailing scenes majestic. Overall, this Treasure Island re-mix offers up a good character story about family and finding your treasure (hint, hint: its not gold or jewels).
Lee is really good at developing her characters. Told from the point of view Xiang, who hopes to earn her mother's respect by finding the treasure and saving their tea house after an arson attack, the prose is heart-felt and filled with wonder. Xiang wants to choose her destiny, and the journey from meek daughter to pirate crew is fun.
The pacing is slow in the middle of the book. Unlike similar books such as Percy Jackson or Children of the Lamp, not a lot happens in the middle portion. Whereas, Percy Jackson or the twins (in Children of the Lamp) would run into trouble or have to solve a problem to escape something, Xiang doesn't face much adversity until the last third.
In summary, I enjoyed the characters on the pirate ship Xiang travels with. The setting is vivid, and the sailing scenes majestic. Overall, this Treasure Island re-mix offers up a good character story about family and finding your treasure (hint, hint: its not gold or jewels).