Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix

This is probably my <i>favourite pirate book</i> in existence. A retelling of <i>Treasure Island</i>, darling and daring queer Asian girls go on an adventure in search of legendary treasure. I LOVED this.<br /><br />- Follows Xiang, a sheltered girl who discovers that the pendant left by her dead father may contain clues to treasure - and goes off on a whirlwind adventure with a motley crew of sailors, including the alluring girl named Anh, in search of treasure - and also herself.<br />- I loved how this book puts Zheng Yi Sao or Cheng Shih, one of the most notorious and most successful pirates - who was a woman! - in history, front and center. I've been craving for a story about Zheng Yi Sao and <i>A Clash of Steel</i> integrates her significance in history into this story.<br />- This book balances the thrills of adventure with the tenderness of first love. It's also about found family, what it means to trust someone and to find yourself. <br />- The romance in this was gorgeous. I loved Xiang and Anh so much and loved their slow-burn romance. <br />- Love the 'there's only one bed' and 'our clothes were wet so let's take them off to dry them off even thought there's so much romantic tension between us' tropes? You'll love this.<br /><br />Content warning: death of loved one, physical violence (sword and fist fight scenes), alcohol consumption<br /><br /><i>I received a digital advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.</i>

so... pirate sapphics, anyone??<br /><br />// god this was perfect, rtc!

A wonderfully sapphic remix of Treasure Island (or, if you haven’t read Treasure Island, you can think of it like a remix of that other Treasure Island remix, Pirates of the Caribbean) ft. girls who want more than they were given, fresh and non-exoticised settings on the South China Sea, and China’s absolutely badass female pirate Ching Shih. The women of this story are so much fiercer than you’ll expect, and a key event totally wrung a joyous cry of “oh no you DIDN’T” out of me.<br /><br />It’s a ‘true YA’, if you know what I mean, so dive in for the feminist action-adventure rather than steamy romance vibes. But there IS a romance, and it’s definitely sapphic.

Read this book if you like:<br /><br />↝Historical fiction and retellings<br />↝Pirates and learning about the “Dragon Fleet”<br />↝Found Family<br />↝Sapphic slowburn romance with one bed trope<br /><br />This book meant the world to me. Seeing Asian (Chinese and Vietnamese) sapphics that made me feel represented get their adventure made me so happy it hurts &lt;3<br /><br /><b>Pacing and Plot</b><br />I took off a star since I think this book definitely struggles a bit with the pacing. The first 1/3 was just build up about Xiang’s background that I found bearable but could have used a speed booster. The second 1/3 was where the found family of the crew developed. It might’ve seemed slow but I think it was like Six of Crows type of event like (sword fighting lessons) that make you fall in love with the characters and setting. The last third was INCREDIBLE. So many events that I didn’t see coming and left me thinking “just one more chapter”. The plot overall was enjoyable and loved the historical events infused into it. <br /><br /><b>Xiang and Anh</b><br />Omg my love for these characters is infinite. Xang was the sheltered girl with wit and quick learning. Her character flaws and growth was so much fun to see. Anh on the other hand was experienced at sea but struggled to not deflect emotions (I saw some of myself in her and was very grateful for the Vietnamese representation)They were the perfect pair. Their love felt very natural and fills your heart with warmth. <br /><br /><b>Side Characters</b><br />I think this book had a common problem of the side characters needing more development. However, I think they played a nice part in the found family and added funny moments. A special place is in my heart for Captain Hoa because she was an incredible leader and mother. <br /><br /><b>Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children Publishing for an earc in exchange for honest opinions.</b><br /><br />~~~~~<br />Thank you netgalley gods for coming through, I’m screaming of excitement right now!!

<blockquote> <i>“i have no answers, only questions about why in every story i’ve heard, the pirates were always the ones portrayed as monsters.”</i> </blockquote><br /><br /><i>a clash of steel</i> is part <i>treasure island</i>, part historical fiction, and part reimagining of the historical figure zheng yi sao, who was perhaps the most successful pirate in history—and a woman. i loved the concept of this book, but the story itself was so predictable and lacked a lot of the nail-biting <i>adventure</i> i expected from a pirate story.<br /><br />xiang grows up in a remote village, raised on stories of faraway places and desperate to prove herself to her often-absent mother. when a chance to leave her village and show herself capable of taking over her mother’s business goes awry, she goes on the run in pursuit of the long-lost treasure of zheng yi sao and soon finds herself questioning everything she believed she wanted out of life.<br /><br />the writing is lush and descriptive, with vivid settings (i especially loved canton), but the pacing dragged until around the 75% mark. there are also a few very anachronistic conversations that pulled me out of the story—i think it’s so interesting to explore gender nonconformity, lgbtq+ identities, etc., in historical fiction, but it frustrates me when it’s done through overly modern language and ideas. if you’re going to include those themes in your historical fiction, you should be able to write them through the lens of the time period your characters live in.<br /><br />the romance between xiang and ahn was sweet but underdeveloped. xiang was smitten early on, but i thought their overall relationship was rushed and ahn’s entire personality seemed to change once she acknowledged her feelings for xiang. the other characters were frustratingly one-dimensional, and i was particularly irritated with the portrayal of zheng yi sao. based on what i’ve read, she was a fascinating, impressive woman; here she’s reduced to a caricature.<br /><br />i think the biggest issue with <i>a clash of steel</i> is its length. this did not need to be a 400+ page book, and if it was trimmed down to 300–350 pages i think it would be closer to a three-star read for me.<br /><br /><i>i received an arc from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i><br /><br /><b>rating: 2/5 stars</b>

I love the sounds of this new series, from various authors, releasing in 2021. I think the folks at Feiwel and Friends are definitely onto something with this!<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1587866194ra/29358163.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br><i>Treasure Island</i> is one of my favorite classics. I'm really looking forward to seeing C.B. Lee's spin on it. <br><br>Bring it on!

Zheng Yi Sao is a figure shrouded myth and mystery. She was known as a pirate active in the early 1800s operating in the South China Sea. Zheng Yi Sao commanded a fleet of over 1500 to 1800 ships crewed by 80,000 sailors, and went up against went up against the East India Company, the Portuguese Empire, and Qing China. She was undoubtedly one of the greatest pirates that ever lived. Of course an Asian retelling of Treasure Island is going to involve her!<br /><br />Before I picked up A Clash of Steel, I already knew that this was going to involve Zheng Yi Sao in some way. As the book started out and we’re introduced to Xiang and Anh, it slowly becomes obvious just how deeply involved and enmeshed the legendary Zheng Yi Sao is in this story. One of my favorite tropes ever is when a staid, stern figure turns out to have a secret badass past, and A Clash of Steel has this trope in spades.<br /><br />Any story that was inspired by Zheng Yi Sao has to be one hell of a thrilling pirate story. A Clash of Steel definitely delivers. I could almost see Anh, Xiang, and their crew sailing the South China Sea, complete with the theme of Pirates of the Caribbean playing in the background. The theme of adventure is carried throughout the entire treasure hunt, which is described in as old school a manner as possible. Clues hidden in poetry. Secret maps. Navigating treacherous cliffs, forests, and caves. This is every high-stakes adventure movie that we loved as kids, but elevated by a really damn good and meaningful story.<br /><br /><a href="https://yourtitakate.com/a-clash-of-steel-cb-lee/" rel="nofollow noopener">? Read my full review at my blog, <i>Your Tita Kate</i>! ?</a>

<b>4 STARS</b><br /><br />Sapphic pirates? Um, yes please. How could I not read a historical fantasy book featuring Asian sapphic pirate MC's? I know I say this a lot but I feel like this book was made for me.<br /><br /><i>A Clash of Steel</i> is a young adult historical fantasy novel. It is a retelling of Treasure Island, but with queer Asian girls. When Xiang's pendant is stolen by a girl named Anh, they strike a bargain that leads to them setting sail in pursuit of a treasure. A tale of adventure and love, <i>A Clash of Steel</i> is a release that you do not want to miss.<br /><br />This book was magical. The premise was enticing right off the bat. The characters were loveable and pretty well developed. Anh and Xiang were definitely the most compelling characters, but the side characters were also fun to read about. The writing was excellent at capturing the world through vivid desciptions. I felt like I was in the world with the main characters. I do feel like the first part of the book was a little slow, but once the inciting incident occured, I was hooked. <i>A Clash of Steel</i> has such great found family and there were so many cute moments. The love story was beautiful and made me wish I was there with them. This is my first book by C.B. Lee, but now I'm excited to read more!<br /><br /><b>Thank you to C.B. Lee and BookTalk for sending me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.</b>

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up<br /><br />If you're looking for a fun adventure story with lady pirates and a sapphic romance you should definitely try A Clash of Steel! This book reimagines Treasure Island, but set in 1800's China where there really was a powerful woman pirate I had heard very little about before. Her story is woven into the narrative here which is cool.<br /><br />Much like the original, this is a coming of age story surrounding the search for a legendary stash of treasure, except we follow a young woman experiencing the world for the first time, determined to prove herself capable while falling for a girl she meets along the way. This does deal with some difficult subject matter like parental neglect and emotional abuse, but overall the tone is fun and adventurous. I have been loving this series of remixed classics and you don't want to miss this one! I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway (I know! I'm shocked people actually win these too! First time for me) so thank you to Fierce Reads for the copy!

Even though I have never read the original Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stevenson, I really loved this retelling! I love Xiang and Anh’s close relationship and the development of their characters throughout the book. I love the queer found family on board the ship. I love the idea that your family is not necessarily the one you are born into but the family that you have grown to love. I love the world building and the culture and historical figures that the author includes in this book. I love the fact that this author includes their own Vietnamese and Chinese heritage in this book. I read this book as part of Pride Month!