Today on Ariel’s Arcs, we are talking pirates, smugglers, intrigue, treasure hunting– what more could a Treasure Island Remix want? A Clash of Steel is a fun adventure of sailing and following a map, except rather than taking place in the Caribbean, A Clash of Steel takes place in Southeastern Asia during 1826. Trade, embargos, and smuggling is all a part of the setting, as well as beautiful seas, secret bays, and exciting hideaways.
Our story starts off similarly to Treasure Island, where our main character is thrust into a pirate’s life after finding she’s been holding onto a secret treasure map. Xiang finds herself with a diverse cast of pirates who smuggle supplies between countries. They also have a keen interest to find the treasure, all whilst dodging the most powerful fleet in the area, led by the Dragon Queen.
Xiang is a fun character who I was always rooting for her success. I appreciated her point of view and how her sheltered beginning allows the reader to discover the wonders of the world alongside her.
The first three quarters of the book were fantastic. As a kid, I loved the idea of searching for treasure in a complex map of islands. The ending, however, wasn’t as great as I expected. The final reveal of the Dragon Queen felt simultaneously predictable and disjointed from the rest of the book, and the conclusion just didn’t land as well as I had hoped.
Overall, this was such a great book and I’m so happy to have read it. I hope to read more from this author in the future. A big thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Final Rating:
** Be sure to check out Certain Dark Things. It is out September 7, 2021! **
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash
This looks so good! Can’t wait to read it!