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

I didn't enjoy this at all. Even though Felicity was an unlikable character, that wasn't what bothered me. In fact I think I need to read more unlikeable characters.

It's the writing style. Or maybe better to say the style in which the story was told. The writing itself was fine. Easy to read. But the way the story was told felt very much like: FEMINISM 101; HOW TO INCLUDE ALL WOMEN.

Which isn't to say that's a bad thing. Not at all. But I'm old. I've been schooled in 'how not to act a dick to other women, because suprise all choices are valid' the day I made the statement why women would even go to university if all they wanted is to be a housewife. Upon which my foster mum said: " You do realize I'm a housewife?”.

I would actually recommend this to teenagers between 12 and 17. Especially if they like a touch fantasy in their history. Also if they weren't already interested in equality and people rights. This book would be a good starter point. Otherwise, don't bother. ( )

A sequel I thought I would never read. After reading the first book in this series I was okay with stopping there. I had no intention of continuing, but boy am I glad I did. Seeing this book in hardcover for a very low price is what finally made me want to buy it.

This book is about Felicity, a side character in the first book but the main character in this one. She’s was introduced to us as the sister of Monty Montague. She has a very clear point of view and does whatever is necessary to get what she wants. This story follows her trying to realize her dream, becoming a licensed doctor. After being shot down everywhere she goes her only hope is a Doctor living in Germany. With a plan to travel Felicity must make sacrifices and restore old friendships to get to her goal.

This was a pretty good one. Like I said in the beginning I wasn’t planning on reading this book at all. After the first one I felt like I didn’t need to read more about felicity but I was wrong. I fell in love with Felicity! The way she thinks, the way she tries to fight the system and the way how she’s willing to do what’s right.
I felt like she got more time to grow in this story than the previous one. Her character arc was well written and the side characters made sense. They weren’t just there to prolong the story they felt in place and had their own reasons for being there which is a rarity.
As for the world building this one was the same as the previous installment. Lee does a good job of hitting the right tone and setting in her books.
I highly suggest you listen to this on audiobook. It is narrated by a British woman and she does a good job and the British accent gives it a nice little flare.
As for why this is a 4 star and not a 5? Well for some reason I just didn’t feel like a OMG! Everybody has to read this book. Was it good? Yes. Did I like it? Yes. Is it worth mentioning it to everyone I know? Nah. So the only form of criticism I can think of is that it wasn’t memorable enough. None of the scenes really stood out and the characters weren’t something I want to discuss and talk about with someone.

This book is a fun time. If you have low expectations, they can only be shattered.
( )

Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is the book that made me believe that historical fiction can be fun too while being diverse and giving us the perspective of those whose stories we don't hear often enough. I have been waiting to read more of Felicity's adventures and I'm so glad that this one didn't disappoint.

Felicity Montague is a sassy badass woman who wants to become a doctor in a world that will never let her but that doesn't stop her from pursuing all possible avenues, however far fetching they may seem. Despite seeming very ambitious and going off on her usual rants about equality for women and the unfairness of the society, she still feels insecure sometimes about the societal expectations placed on her, how life would be simpler if she could be satisfied being someone's wife. But she never lets these insecurities unsettle her and gives herself constant pep talks to believe in her choices. As the story progresses, she realises her own flaws and prejudices and works to better herself while also gaining an understanding that her path to knowledge might be slightly different than the one she originally planned.

Johanna is the epitome of femininity and compassion and smashes the stereotype of the "strong female character" that we so often see in YA. She loves her dresses and parties, always has a smile on her face and is very charming in social situations, and she also wants to do everything she can to follow in her mother's footsteps and restore her scientific legacy. I love how she stands up for her principles but is also ready to own up to her biases when challenged. But the best part - she is a devoted animal lover and her dog Max is the most adorable one ever. And the scene with the baby sea dragon... I almost cried 😢😢😢

Sim is the swashbuckling African Muslim hijabi pirate we never knew we needed. She is cunning and sassy and brave and just wants to fight for her birthright to inherit her father's pirate fleet. She is very strong in her convictions and never backs down from an argument and the frenemy-ish dynamic she develops with Felicity is my favorite part of the book.

And coming to my adorable babies... Monty and Percy. They just light up the page with all their love whenever they show up and I was waiting for all the little moments. I almost teared up reading about their dire living situation but Monty is still his old flirty delightful self, and nothing can get him down while Percy is his side. It's also very endearing to see how much closer Monty and Felicity have grown and the ends to which Monty and Percy go to protect her is just awesome. She is definitely lucky to be part of that Monty-Percy sandwich 😍😍😍

I just love how easy it is to read and get lost in Mackenzi's writing. Her charming demeanor definitely reflects in her words and that's why this series is so much fun. I especially love that this book while being an adventure tale, gives us a portrait of the misogyny and the discrimination against women at the time and the lives of those ladies who relentlessly fought for their rights when everything was stacked against them. The other most important thread I enjoyed in this book is the importance of friendship and female solidarity. The bond that Felicity, Johanna and Sim form during the course of their journey is very admirable to read about and something we all can learn from.

The author follows the same tone of writing as in Gentleman's Guide - using the quirky humor to give subtle commentary on various social issues. Misogyny is the main theme here because each of these amazing women are fighting for their rightful place in the world. Despite wanting to be a doctor and live an independent life, Felicity is still a victim of internalized misogyny, and it takes an intense conversation with Johanna for her to realize how quickly she used to judge other women for making choices different than hers, and that strong women come in all forms. The extremely problematic views that we hear from men along the way made me very angry and frustrated because unfortunately, people who think like this still exist in our world.

The other theme that is very subtle and might not feel very impactful but I felt very differently about was colonization. As the daughter of an African pirate commodore, Sim has a very opposing perspective to the narrow minded European view that Johanna and Felicity share. The conflict between Johanna's insistence on opening up the resources of the islands for the sake of science and research, and Sim's protectiveness for her people and natural resources is depicted with a lot of care; and it's clearly pointed out that the European justification for colonization for the good of the people is a boatload of crap.

We also get some awesome aroace rep in the form of Felicity and it's done wonderfully, especially in a time period when it was a woman's duty to marry and procreate. She has many internal monologues questioning her feelings and not being able to explain to others about the same, but I love that she finds peace within herself towards the end. Sim flirts with her in such adorable ways, sometimes even through arguments... it was very cute to read. Despite the possibility for a beautiful sapphic romance, I'm glad that the author portrays their sexualities independent of each other. And it's great that none of their orientations are depicted as wrong. My only gripe is that while she is understanding of the love that Monty and Percy share, and even calls Percy her brother, Felicity still thinks of their relationship as sinful in her head and I wish she had evolved beyond that.

If you loved Gentleman's Guide, you might find this book slightly less adventurous and more forceful in it's message - but in this age of persistent women trying to fight for better gender equality, I feel this is a great book with an empowering story featuring badass women taking down the patriarchy in their own ways. ( )

I liked it!! I was really considering giving this up in the beginning, before chapter 4 when it was just dreary(?), and I was just bored. But by the end, this turned out to be really enjoyable!! To be honest, this book was getting three stars at most, till Monty turned up at around 77%, and that was when I really, really got into the story. I mean I was invested after she met Sim, and read it with considerably more interest after that, but this was when I just couldn't stop reading. I liked the way the struggles of women were portrayed, and the pirates were really cool!! The petticoat was also cool ;) Not to be rude or offensive to anyone, but I really wanted Felicity to end up with you know who. I just felt the way some scenes were written, especially after Monty met her, seemed to suggest (to me) that she liked you know who. Also, I feel I would have enjoyed this a lot more had this been a standalone, in the sense that it wasn't a sequel to [b:The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue|29283884|The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1)|Mackenzi Lee|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492601464l/29283884._SY75_.jpg|49527118], because I personally like books with romance more than I like ones with platonic relationships. Again, I would like to say that I'm not trying to be rude or offensive to the many people out there who related more to Felicity than I did, it's just my personal opinion. I'm apologise if this review makes you feel that way. So far my journey with books from Mackenzi Lee has been really enjoyable, and I hope she continues to write such masterpieces. Can't wait to read the next book!! ( )

This book was... fine? I don't know if I've just grown a lot as a person since I read Gentlemen's Guide, and I don't necessarily need this kind of story the way I might have as a younger person. A lot of it to me felt kind of very This Is the Point, and there's something going on about Felicity's refusal to engage other pathways of medical care (nursing, for example,) that while Lee speaks a little bit to other parts of this in the afterword on history, comes across in a weird way. (Why a doctor versus a midwife etc.? What's going on class-wise with that?) Basically like the nuance that Lee has in the afterword.... doesn't really make it into the text itself, which, I know it's a YA book, but I also think teens deserve nuanced history in their historical fiction!

If folks are looking for an asexual MC, this is a cool book though I think that the struggle of like not having a Term Back Then for This hinders some of this because it feels like it has to be made So Glaringly Obvious that it feels like "yes we get it, it's great for her, oh we're going over it AGAIN?"

But some of this is really compelling--at times it really was suspenseful and felt like I had to keep turning pages to find out what happened--and again, I get that I'm not in a place where I Need this book the way some teens might Need this book, so I'm glad it exists for them. I just also wish there was a little more subtlety to it in some ways, if only because I didn't need to be hit with the point about Women in History the way some might. ( )