A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C.B. Lee

Content Tags: Retelling, LGBTQIA+, Murder, Piracy

Description from Storygraph:
Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in A Clash of Steel by C.B. Lee, a thrilling YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island.

1826. The sun is setting on the golden age of piracy, and the legendary Dragon Fleet, the scourge of the South China Sea, is no more. Xiang has grown up with stories about the Dragon Fleet and its ruthless leader, a woman known only as the Dragon Queen, all her life. Xiang desperately wants to set sail and explore--mainly to find her father, a presumed dead crew member of the Dragon Fleet. Her only memento of him is a pendant she always wears, a simple but plain piece of gold jewelry.

But the pendant's true nature is revealed when a mysterious girl named Anh steals it, only to return it to Xiang in exchange for her help in decoding the tiny map scroll hidden inside. Rumor has it that the legendary Dragon Queen had one last treasure--the plunder of a thousand ports--hidden away on an island shrouded in mist that only can be seen once in a blue moon.

Xiang is convinced this map could lead to the fabled treasure. Captivated with the thrill of adventure, she joins Anh and her motley crew off in pursuit of the island. But the girls soon find that the sea--and especially those who sail it--are far more dangerous than the legends led them to believe.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'll be real - I've never read Treasure Island. Buuuuuut I have seen Treasure Planet, so this book, to me, was really a retelling of that. (Shhhhh... I know that was also a retelling. Let me have this.) And I was very excited for another queer retelling of a classic, particularly with women protagonists! Xiang and Anh are such badasses!!

This book mixed some history with the fiction of Treasure (Planet) Island which was incredibly interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed the way everything played out and the different plot twists and there was "found family" element which I connect with. The story touched on the concept of "who gets to decide who is 'bad' or 'wrong' and who is 'good' or 'right'" as applied to pirates vs the "legitimacy" of government agents.

One of my favorite lines was: "Guilt automatically rises up inside me, built upon a lifetime of obedience." Because, same, Xiang. It was really great to see how Xiang grew as she discovered more of herself and what she was capable when she finally had the space and encouragement outside of her home life.


Book Reflection Wrap-up:
Did the characters’ motives seem reasonable or a little far-fetched?
100% reasonable. People are poor and being taken advantage of by the government and Xiang is overlooked and constantly ignored by her mother. Both are great motives to do what needs to be done to change that.

If there were any twists or big reveals, how believable were they?
Incredibly believable. The biggest "reveal" is pretty predictable, but still I liked the way the author revealed it.

Added to TBR: August 2023 
Removed from TBR: December 2023
Finished 12/02/2023

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