A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix

written for younger and glances over traumatic occurrences

Treasure Island, but Asian and inspired by history. It was fun- ships, coming of age, found families, young romance, good pacing. I wasn't blown away though, and it took me a little while to care about what was going on.

Update 31/08/2021 Find my reviews on : An Ode to Fiction Official Release Date : 7th September 2021 Buy the book : Amazon | Book Depository ARC provided by the publisher Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as part of the #AClashofSteelTour organized by Colored Pages Bookish Tours 3.5 rounded up to 4/5 ⭐️ “I want the world.” ARC provided by the publisher Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as part of the #AClashofSteelTour organized by Colored Pages Book Tours An outstanding sapphic Asian inspired remix of a classic pirate adventure story following Xiang and Anh as they embark to find the legendary treasure trove of the famed pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao. A queer pirate adventure that surely will make a splash in the ocean of young adult books. First and foremost I would like to thank Colored Pages Book Tours for choosing me as one of the many amazing book bloggers for A Clash of Steel tour from September 7th to September 14th 2021. Thank you as well to the author and publisher Feiwel & Friends for providing an ARC (Advance Readers Copy) as part of this blog tour. All my life I’ve been waiting, and now I’m doing. During my time in lock down back in July I was scrolling through Twitter and the cover for A Clash of Steel passed by my timeline. When I read the blurb for A Clash of Steel it really appealed to me, “Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in this YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island”. I’ve never read the book Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson before but I’ve seen the Disney Sci-Fi animated adaptation of the book titled Treasure Planet (2002) when I was a child. The movie itself is impressive that I’ve rewatched it plenty of times. For A Clash of Steel I didn’t have any expectations as I don’t remember much from Treasure Planet and never read any of C. B. Lee’s previous works so I went in completely blind. The only thing I know is that A Clash of Steel is an Asian queer retelling of Treasure Island with two protagonists, one Chinese and one Vietnamese. Let me repeat that! An Asian queer retelling! This is what we need! A remixed rendition of a classic that is written by a white author turn it up side down and write it for people of color. That alone is enough to convince me to pick it up. Before we jump into the review, let’s talk about the beautiful cover for A Clash of Steel! The cover is illustrated by Feifei Ruan, the same artist that did the cover for Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane and Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club to name a few. And designed by the talented Rich Deas. It is gorgeous! I love the colors and seeing Anh with Xiang looking back holding swords on the helm of the ship is just *chef’s kiss*. The cover further convince me that it’s gonna be an awesome story and judging by my rating above I can verify I had a good time. I find new strength in the sea, in the wind in my hair, in the way sunlight glints off the ocean waves, in the dazzling sunsets over the water. In A Clash of Steel the story follows Xiang, a girl who lives in a quiet village in the mountains dreaming of seeing the world. Xiang loves spending her time watching the ships from up the hill yearning for the sea and foreign lands. Growing up in a secluded village Xiang is limited to her day to day task of studying, reading, and helping whenever she can at the tea house that is owned by her mother. Xiang rarely meets her mother that is often travelling the world as a salt trader. Xiang’s mother’s visits are rare and brief resulting in Xiang being raise by her tutors and her mother’s tea house employees. The absence of Xiang’s mother has led her to be desperate in earning her approval and affection whenever she visits. The only parental figure Xiang ever known aside from her mother is her tutor, Master Feng. He had taught Xiang everything from philosophy, history, poetry, literature, and sums. But that isn’t enough for a curious child like Xiang, she wants to experience and see everything first hand. Xiang doesn’t want to live a boring life of raising a family and she wants to be like her mother. One day during her mother’s rare visits, Xiang finds courage in herself to prove to her mother that she is capable of continuing her legacy as a trader. But her mother has other plans for Xiang as she is set to marry a man. Determined to prove her mother wrong Xiang convinces her to give Xiang a chance to go to Canton, one of the major port cities in China that is the hub for trade from all over the world. However going to Canton did not satisfy Xiang’s thirst for adventure it only intensifies it. During her outing in town Xiang meets Anh in which she quickly forms a friendship with. Losing hope in her future Xiang convinces herself that she needs to take the matter into her own hands. Accompanied by Anh and her crew she sets of to sea armed with the map to find the legendary treasure of the Dragon Fleet. Perhaps my soul has lived in the wrong place this whole time, and I’ve always been meant to be at sea. The world in which the story takes place is centered mostly in China and somewhere in Vietnam, specifically the sea near those two countries for the most part of the story. Lee expertly weaves history into her story drawing inspiration from one of China’s most infamous and prominent figures Zheng Yi Shao. The legendary pirate Zheng Yi Sao that lead the Pirate Confederation and ruled the South China Sea back in the 1800s serves as an inspiration for the plot that drives our two protagonist. The only time I’ve seen a depiction of Zheng Yi Sao in western media is probably in the movie sequel for Pirates of the Caribbean. Seeing a different version of Zheng Yi Sao that is every bit of gas light, gate keep, and girl boss is refreshing to see. Lee did an amazing job at remixing a classic into a more modern and inclusive story that I’m sure a lot of the younger generation will grow up to appreciate. A Clash of Steel is a well written story from start to end. Lee’s writing is accessible and detailed that I could easily immerse myself into the story. The descriptions of places and the scenery is meticulously done which only made me want to travel more than ever. Besides the historical inspiration I want to gush about the food that are mentioned throughout the story. What I love more besides characters in books is descriptions of food. Lee wrote about the food with the same amount of importance as any other part of the story. In my opinion food is a window to the culture and the people of the world as it is a universal language that anyone can relate to. In A Clash of Steel it achieved that by showing how big and diverse Canton is through the food which is such a delight to read. Though I have to admit personally I had trouble with the pacing. During the first few chapters the pacing is on the slower side for me that it made crave for something interesting to happen. This is something subjective and relatively a small speed bump in my reading experience. Because the plot did pick up when Anh is introduced into the story and the pacing did get better in the later chapters. I have felt untethered all my life, drifting endlessly, and here, finally is a safe place to land, a quite harbor to protect me from the turbulence of the sea. The back bone of A Clash of Steel is it’s cast of strong and lovable characters. Xiang the main driving force of the story is determined, compassionate, and all around a joy to read. Her development throughout the story is believable and realistic. The need to prove to herself and everyone else fuels her drive to break barrier after barrier that stood in her way. Xiang stood up for herself and took it upon herself to show how determined she is to find who she is and where she fits in the story. Lee’s characterization of Xiang exceeded my expectations tremendously. The obedient and sheltered Xiang grew to be a strong woman by the end of the book carrying herself with much more confidence. Anh, the main love interest, is also well fleshed out and is so fun to see interact with our main character. I wish we get to see more from her perspective because Anh’s characterization is interesting and has a lot of potential. The relationship that developed between the two characters is a slow build that creeps on with the small acts. The lingering stares and breathless brief brushes of fingers against hands between the two left me yearning to see them together. Xiang and Anh is the ship I wish to never sink because of their chemistry and vibe when they are near is crackling with tension. I’m tired of others deciding my story for me. I’m done. A few other characters that caught my attention in the story is Xiang’s mother and Captain Hoa, Anh’s mother. Two very different mother figures which parallel each other throughout the book. Xiang’s mother is mostly absent from her life and shows that she has very high standards towards the people she associates with including Xiang. The affection she shows are limited, cold, and detached like she’s putting on an act instead of genuinely expressing it. Captain Hoa on the other hand is a present mother that loves and cares for her family deeply extending to the crew of Huyền Vũ. Even to Xiang, a total stranger, she shows kindness and warmth towards her. Captain Hoa shows her appreciation and gives constant assurances to her crew with no discrimination or lack of empathy. Seeing the parallels between the two women made me think a lot about Xiang and Anh’s upbringing. If Xiang didn’t board the Huyền Vũ she wouldn’t have developed to become a much stronger character that finally realizes who she is and the real people that care about her. “I suppose I wouldn’t rather be stuck on this island with anyone but you.” Final thoughts, A Clash of Steel is the Sapphic nautical adventure that I didn’t know I needed until I read this book. It is a story filled with self discovery and development both on ground and sea that any reader can easily get lost into during these rough times. C. B. Lee’s ability to weave Asian history into a well loved classic, all the while making it educational, inclusive, fun, and queer is truly astounding. The masterful story telling and amazing characters made the whole experience of reading A Clash of Steel all the more enjoyable. Even though it is a story about treasure hunting the message it carries strives beyond material things. The themes about family, friendship, and love that became the core of the story were conveyed beautifully through the experiences of our main protagonist Xiang and other characters. Everything from the plot, premise, and overall structure is executed beautifully by C. B. Lee that by the end of the story I felt satisfied with how things turned out. The ending is wrapped up nicely and carries a hopeful tone of endless possibilities for adventure. Reading Lee’s author’s note I understood that A Clash of Steel is also inspired by Lee’s family history. Specifically Lee’s mother’s and father’s experience escaping a war torn Vietnam on boats. Lee’s mother actually met pirates in real life and had first hand encounters with them. The story hits differently for me after knowing this piece of personal account. I hope by writing this review that I can convince people to read A Clash of Steel not only for the Sapphic yearning between Xiang and Anh but also to shed a light on the stories that is never given a chance to be told. Stories by people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities. Please do pick up A Clash of Steel I highly recommend this book for all readers who are looking to escape to the sea for an action packed sapphic treasure hunting adventure. By the time this review is up the book is already released so I strongly urge you to pick up a copy. The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

It’s more of a 3.5 but I’m rounding up. I have never been much of a classics reader and I probably don’t even remember all of them which I did manage to read, and Treasure Island seems to be one of those which I can’t recollect at all. So I couldn’t approach this as a retelling and more like any new YA fantasy. And it was definitely quite fun. The first thing that makes an impression in this book is the prose. It’s beautiful and lush and there were so many moments where I wanted to linger and savor the descriptions, as well as the atmosphere the author managed to create. The other highlight of the book was the setting, and it’s inspiration from the story of the Chinese pirate queen Ching Shih. I loved how the author incorporated her legend into this tale while also giving a commentary on the corrupt empires of both China and Vietnam. The story itself on the other hand is a fairly standard YA adventure fantasy with the usual tropes, a cute f/f romance subplot and a twist that was quite predictable. But nonetheless, it was quite entertaining and I managed to finish it in a single sitting. Xiang is also a typical YA protagonist - ignored by her successful independent but absent mother whose love and attention she craves; and is obsessed with reading adventure stories and dreams that one day she could have her own. But she is ultimately an innocent village girl who sees the vibrant city life of Canton with stars in her eyes and just wants the option to experience it all. There is an innocence to her privileged bookish existence, but it doesn’t make her arrogant in anyway and she is very capable of compassion, humility and hard work. Anh on the other hand knows the reality of poverty and the struggles of living on the sea, which has made her cynical as well as practical, giving more importance only to things which can provide meals and shelter and not frivolous experiences like poetry and books. But she can’t escape the sweet charm of Xiang, in the same way Xiang can’t help but fall for Anh’s mischievous nature. It may not be insta love but there’s definitely a bond that’s formed in their first meeting, which slowly develops into love. It’s sweet and endearing and a nice addition to the story. There were quite a few side characters but the ones who made the most impression were Xiang’s formidable mother who is a force to reckon with and not easy to understand at all; Master Feng who was more of a caring parent to Xiang than anyone else in the world; and Captain Hoa, Anh’s mother who is good natured and caring while also being a brave leader of her crew. In the end, this one was basically fun. It has a cool on the sea setting, a fascinating backdrop of pirate legends, two young women who may have different motives but ultimately want to have an adventure together and prove themselves, and an ever elusive long lost treasure that forms the fulcrum of the story but ultimately it isn’t what this book is about. This is a tale of love and family and I think it will delight any lover of YA adventure novels, and I also feel that it will be perfect for younger readers as well.

(3.5 stars out of 5)