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A review by joinreallife
A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee
4.0
Man, my classically-paced, retelling, sapphic pirate loving ass really enjoyed this. Admittedly, I have never read the source material BUT I have seen both Muppet Treasure Island and Treasure Planet several times, so I feel like I've got the requisite knowledge to make a comparison.
Action, adventure, betrayal, found family, tragedy, treasure, and love. Following Xiang as a main character was such a treat, she is the perfect protagonist, infinitely curious and bringing us along to explore new worlds with her. The development of her relationship with Anh is just cute as kittens. The found family vibes are strong here, and I'm always looking for more books with those. Now I want more stories about the whole crew going on more adventures, or their backstories, and I'm bummed that won't be happening.
I would say anyone who is really attached to the source material and is looking for a beat-for-beat, character-for-character retelling, this is not going to be that. But how boring would that be? Just read Treasure Island then.
One of the most poignant aspects of this book is how much real and personal history is infused into the story. Lee includes several notes at the end of the book, sharing how one of the woman pirates who is portrayed was a real person, and arguably the most successful pirate who ever lived. Lee also discusses her own family history, especially related to Vietnam and the atrocities there during the "war." (In the story, the family of pirates that Xiang joins is from Vietnam, similarly fleeing unrest and conflict.) I truly don't believe that books need to actively teach you something - this is a debate that perpetually pops up, especially when it comes to YA titles - but I always appreciate the opportunity to pause and consider who decides what books and stories become "classics" and which stories are lost to time. This is a feature not only of A Clash of Steel, but also of the entire remixed classics series, and I'm thankful for that.
Thanks to Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan and Netgalley for the advance access to this book. I can't wait to handsell it.
Action, adventure, betrayal, found family, tragedy, treasure, and love. Following Xiang as a main character was such a treat, she is the perfect protagonist, infinitely curious and bringing us along to explore new worlds with her. The development of her relationship with Anh is just cute as kittens. The found family vibes are strong here, and I'm always looking for more books with those. Now I want more stories about the whole crew going on more adventures, or their backstories, and I'm bummed that won't be happening.
I would say anyone who is really attached to the source material and is looking for a beat-for-beat, character-for-character retelling, this is not going to be that. But how boring would that be? Just read Treasure Island then.
One of the most poignant aspects of this book is how much real and personal history is infused into the story. Lee includes several notes at the end of the book, sharing how one of the woman pirates who is portrayed was a real person, and arguably the most successful pirate who ever lived. Lee also discusses her own family history, especially related to Vietnam and the atrocities there during the "war." (In the story, the family of pirates that Xiang joins is from Vietnam, similarly fleeing unrest and conflict.) I truly don't believe that books need to actively teach you something - this is a debate that perpetually pops up, especially when it comes to YA titles - but I always appreciate the opportunity to pause and consider who decides what books and stories become "classics" and which stories are lost to time. This is a feature not only of A Clash of Steel, but also of the entire remixed classics series, and I'm thankful for that.
Thanks to Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan and Netgalley for the advance access to this book. I can't wait to handsell it.