The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings) (edition 2018)

There is a lot to praise in this book, but I'm writing this review because it's one of those books where I didn't realize how much I enjoyed it until I was finished with it. I was dreading the ending as it approached - there's plenty of narrative tension, but additionally, I was sure we were headed for something that was deeply unsatisfying in one way or another because of so many factors - the colonial and sexist mindsets of the various characters, the prominence of an aspec character (when so many stories go poorly for aspec characters), but it's been months since I finished and I just can't stop thinking about how satisfying this book was. It's one of those that really sells the happy ending well, it doesn't seem too fanciful or convenient or coincidental, partially because it's different than the happy ending that the protagonist was planning and working towards. It's a good one and it stuck with me. I'd say I was wishing for a sequel if I didn't think that saying that is a huge jinx. ( )

I have just taken an overly large bite of iced bun when Callum slices his finger off.

Can we talk about how this book just had everything?

* An aroace protagonist who sometimes wonders if she should just settle for a kind man, but eventually realises it's not worth forcing her heart somewhere it shouldn't be, and she's perfect on her own.
* Badass ladies who are very different from each other, and have different aspirations, but they all want MORE than men would allow them, so they work together to reach those goals.
* Monty and Percy being amazing and in love and having their own quiet life, with neither of their disabilities erased.
* Monty and Felicity's sibling relationship, which is complicated and not always good and yet they would go to the end of the earth for each other (with only mild complaining). I screamed when we are reunited with Monty.
* Felicity having flaws, but being called out on them and learning that she was wrong. This is something that was also VERY true with Monty in his own book, because he fucked up a lot.
* Felicity being a medical genius just from books and her own talent.
* A big dog.

(Yes, it still gets 4 stars, because I loved it, but it didn't quite live up to the first one for me. Still good, though.) ( )

This book is FANTASTIC! It covers a whole range of issues like misogyny, environmental conservation, ingrained patriarchal systems, imperialism, asexuality, and the ills of women judging other women and it does so without becoming preachy or didactic. The characters are wonderfully strong and feel real. I would love to go on an adventure with both of them!

I read The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and really enjoyed that, but this one is even better! Highly recommended! ( )

I loved The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, and so I was excited to hear Felicity was getting her book. Then, lo and behold, the only part of Felicity's book I liked was when Monty and Percy (the leads in A Gentleman's Guide for those who did not read that book) popped up.

It turned out Felicity was insufferable. She was mean, preachy, superior, judgmental and 100% humorless. The weird, part? Not one of those things was the worst thing about her character. No, the biggest problem was the absolute and utter disregard of history. I like a plucky girl as much as the next person, but that person has to have had some chance of existing in her time. Books that were written near the time the stories were set show independent girls who strove for things that were possible (though not the norm) in their time (see eg, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and for nonfiction A Vindication of the Right of Women.) No woman at the time this was set could possibly have had the thoughts, goals, reactions of Felicity, or Johanna, or Sim because they were unimaginable. There is a joke about drawing penises with hats on them on people, like they were all sitting around watching 10 Things I Hate About You the night before. Also they bandied about the word "penis", a word which a well-bred woman at the time would never have uttered and might not even have known. It would be like a Cro-Mag-non woman fantasizing about Netflix Originals. There is no context for those goals or that knowledge. Lee dropped 20th century women (essentially these were unwilling 50's future housewives) into the 19th (18th?) century. I hate when writers do that. Its so lazy and encourages laziness in readers who believe this junk. (I will note here that the ridiculousness and historical inaccuracy of characters extended to all the characters male and female. Alexander was like an evildoer on Scooby Doo. Darn those meddling girls!)

This is pure YA fantasy. If you read it as that maybe it works. I don't like fantasy or YA much so take that into account Also, dragons? Puhleez. I listened to the audio, and the reader was really excellent. If I had read this in print I think it would have been a a DNF. ( )

I'm pretty split on how I feel about this book. Felicity was cute at times and frustrating at others. No matter how much she rehearses what to say and tries to remain cool and collected, she gets so tongue tied and ends up blurting out things that make her look like a fool. I felt bad for her, but also cringed and wanted her to be more confident and get her points across.
The story itself wasn't as interesting to me as the first book. Maybe because Monty is so witty and funny and Felicity is so serious. This one didn't really have a love story either, but I kind of like that Felicity didn't need a man, or woman really, to know what she wanted in life. I am glad we got to see some of Monty and Percy again, they are so cute together. The plot for the first half or so was slow, just Felicity trying to get training in the medical field. Once she found Joanna, the story picked up and we got the promised pirates and battles.
The narrator for the book did a good job, I liked her accents and the sharp way she portrayed Felicity.
( )