Summary:
Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise, though, she's turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese people aren't allowed into America.
But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother, Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is on board, as is an influential circus owner. Thankfully, there's not much a trained acrobat like Val can't overcome when she puts her mind to it.
As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, audition for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America.
Then one night, the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val's dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.
"There are moments to be strong, but there are also moment to be weak. And in those moments of rest, we find strength anew and challenge ourselves to grow bigger than we ever thought possible.”
My rating: 4.5 stars (rounded up)
So I just finished this book and I should probably give myself some space before writing the review but then again, will I ever be ready? cue some sad but dreamy music as I stare out the window and contemplate this question.
Ok well, I decided I'll review it now instead of later but
can I just have a moment please
AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
ok now I'm done, but just a warning this review is going to have a lot of exclamation points!! And also some capital letters cause I just felt the need to have them.
The Characters
Oh the characters...I just loved them all! (except for Skeleton!!)
Valora is fierce and determined and I loved how she was brave enough to go after her brother and pretend to be Mrs.Sloane and do so many other difficult and scary things! During the last chapters, she was brave to the very end...{okay enough about the ending, or I may cry.} She's AMAZING at acrobatics and her dialogue was soo good!
I liked Jamie too, but I especially liked the two of them together. There were so clearly twins, from the way they argued to their banter to their connected memories. Just from a few scenes, I could see how they were so comfortable with each other and also know each other really well.
ahhhhhhhhh
and the thing with them blowing on air as if there's dandelion there!!! Just sooo....beautiful!!
Yeah, I reread this and sounds kinda crazy but it makes a lot more sense if you read it.
I also really liked how they were like a dragon(Valora) and a phoenix(Jamie) that I searched up and I found really beautiful art
The crew was great too and I liked how each of the characters had their own personality and just how well they fit together. Speaking for the crew, I also like the chemistry between Valora and Bo, mostly because it didn't take up much of the plot and it wasn't overly dramatic!! yayyy!
Olly and Wink were soo cuteee and I just wanted to be safe. They were eager to help in any way they could and at times I could see they were children, while at other times they seemed to more grown-up.
April and Charlotte were great side characters and I liked both of them for their own reasons, but I don't want to spoil anything so I'll leave it at that.
The Plot
The plot was more suspenseful than I thought it would be, not because of what I knew would happen at the end, but because I was worried that Valora would get caught! I also really wanted to know what would happen with her acrobatic dreams and how she would convince her brother, and all the other stuff going on.
What I thought was surprising about this book is how it had the ability to make me COMPLETELY forget what was going to happen in the end. It was so fun and entertaining that I forget about how I'm reading about the TITANIC and the ending isn't going to be a happily ever after for everyone.
The Writing
The writing is sooo beautiful!! It's definitely one of the things(other than the characters!) that I loved most. The descriptions were so well-done that I almost felt like was actually on the Titanic with them. The memories from the character's past were woven in perfectly and there so many good quotes throughout!
My Final Thoughts
The Titanic is so widely known, and yet I've somehow never heard about the Chinese passengers on board and what they went through. There were many instances throughout the book like with the burnt bread heels and how the passengers were separated, that showed just how differently they were treated. During the last few scenes, the rich people were boarded onto lifeboats first, because they were considered more worthy and it just made me so mad!! Even when there was space on the lifeboats, they didn't let the Chinese passengers in. This book was not only a good book, but it also told an important story that should be heard.
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