This was such a fresh take on Treasure Island! I've never read the original, so I can't compare the two side by side, but I know the basics and I really enjoyed the way this story twisted the classic.

Because my attention span is almost nonexistent a lot of the time these days, getting into a book can take a while. With A Clash of Steel, I didn’t struggle nearly as much as usual, however. Even without a deadline setting a fire under me, I was still sucked into the story from early on.

At the core, A Clash of Steel is a story about yearning, in various senses of the word. Xiang yearns for many things: her mother’s approval, a more exciting life and future outside of the bounds her mother has set for, and control over her own destiny. When she meets Anh, the yearning for a special someone to be by her side forever blooms as well.

A Clash of Steel is very much a classic quest narrative, with a treasure trove waiting at the end and many obstacles, including a cryptic poem, standing in the way. Thematically, the story’s external conflicts reflect Xiang’s internal conflicts as she is forced to make decisions about what she values most. Moving from a sheltered life inland to braving the boundless ocean, worlds of possibility open up before her. Watching Xiang take her first steps into becoming herself free of her mother was satisfying, and thanks to the gorgeous and detailed prose, I found myself also immersed in the rhythms of life in a busy port city and on a ship weathering wind and rain.

Central to Xiang’s growth is Anh, who takes a chance on her, teaches her new things, and provides a different perspective as someone who has lived the unstable life of a seafaring laborer. The sapphic romance between Xiang and Anh made my heart ache. For a while, Xiang tries her best to suppress her feelings for Anh, believing that there is no place in the world for two women to love and find happiness together. There’s so much tension built up over the book that when Xiang finally acts on her feelings, it feels like a deluge.

One of the refreshing aspects of A Clash of Steel is the unapologetic diversity. The South China Sea was historically (and still is) a host to people from all different places. When Xiang joins the crew of the boat captained by Anh’s mother, Huyền Vũ, she becomes a part of a found family from various backgrounds—Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, and Nepali. Furthermore, since the seafaring folk don’t adhere strictly to the laws of the landbound political institutions, there is greater freedom for queer people to be themselves. Two of the men on board the boat, Châu and Arthrit, are married and everyone is fine with it. It shouldn’t be a surprise, given that same-gender relationships are a part the real history of maritime life, but unfortunately this history is often erased in fiction, along with the racial and ethnic diversity of pirates and sailors.

Anyway, if you’re looking for a high-stakes adventure, aching romance, and heartfelt coming-of-age story, read A Clash of Steel!

In many ways, this book has all the things I'm looking for in a really good pirate story. It has adventures to mysterious lands, pirates with quirky personalities, a little bit of romance, and a whole lot of coming-to-age and understanding that your parents aren't always the superheroes. It has everything and even buried treasure to be found with an encrypted map that only a handful of people could actually understand. It had the potential to be a phenomenal story, but I think I came away from this book really wanting more.

Much of the story felt like a historical YA story rather than a historical pirate story. The focus was more on Xiang, her life, her upbringing, the people around her, and her mysterious father. She wears a pendant she was told was a token from her father before he passed, but that's pretty much all she knew about him. The beginning shares her sheltered life. She lives in a super small village with her caretakers and her mentor. The only exploration she knows is what she's traveled through town and in the books she reads.

Then one day, she asks her mother to take her to Canton to see what the rest of the world looks like. While she's there, she meets Anh who steals her pendant and reveals to her that the pendant actually had something hidden inside of it; a treasure map to one of the most famous pirate's buried riches.

In a desperate attempt to make Xiang's mother proud of her (and avoid the marriage proposals her mother keeps pushing on her), Xiang leaves with Anh and her family's ship to set sail for a world of exploration, daring adventures, and finding out more about the treasure map she found.

From that point on, the story has so many twists and turns. The drama in Xiang's life is so unreal and with each new surprise, I was drawn to finding out more. I wish I can talk about them here, but I might give too much away. But be prepared to find how much Xiang's family has been keeping from her.

I also really loved the characters in this book. The entire crew on Captain Hoa's ship were all interesting characters that I wish had more time to learn about them. I wanted to know so much about each of the characters and how they make up this beautiful found family. Xiang and Anh's relationship also deepens as they get to know each other. Xiang learns to fight, the importance of working hard, and discovers a lot about her past that's been kept hidden from her. Honestly, I was so surprised with all the reveals that kept rolling in.

The pacing in this story felt a little out of sorts. At first, it was slow-paced, which I liked. I felt like I was getting into a seriously big story with tons of adventure and action, but then the second half of the book seemed to rush focusing less on the treasure and more on the drama. I think if I had set my expectations a little differently when I started the book then I would have enjoyed it more than I did.

Overall, it was a fun adventure story filled with a lot of learnings, surprises, and pirate-y action. While it wasn't my favorite, I know many folks out there will really love this one.

An exquistely written book. The detail work and descriptiveness really called back to the Treasure Island movie and made me super nostalgic. I loved the cast of characters, the atmosphere, the adventure, and the intrigue of it all. LOVEE

A Clash of Steel was a fun, fast paced book which is a queer retelling of The Treasure Island. It follows Xiang and Ahn, our protagonists as they try to find the legendary treasure which has been lost for a very long time.

What I Liked:
- The romance. It was slow burn and there was so much pining from Xiang's side and I loved that!
- The plot itself. I loved how the fabled pirate queen, Cheng Shih was put front and centre and we got to see her story! I loved how there were a lot of turn and twists in the story which although a little predictable according to me, were still fun to read
- The setting! I loved exploring historical China, both on sea and land through this book and the descriptions were so so good and I wish I could visit the world this book created!
- On the same note, the writing was also very beautiful and I absolutely loved it!

What I Didn't Like:
- Character Development: Except the main characters, I didn't really understand the motivations or feelings of any other character and they felt quite one dimensional.
- The pacing was a little slow, especially in the beginning and I only got invested into the story around 50% which is quite late according to me

Sword fights and sapphics. Be still my heart.

A Clash of Steel is as titled: a Treasure Island remix. It follows Xiang, a teen living in 1826 China, who is sick of living a sheltered life. She wants to help her mother at the family's tea shop in the city and she wants to explore. A pendant is the only thing she has to know of her father who was lost at sea. When another girl, Anh, steals her pendant in the city and explains its true nature, it's time to set sails for piracy.

I loved the romance between Xiang and Anh and thought that it was developed wonderfully. It unfurled slowly and believably, the two of them matching each other and having to open up (at times) reluctantly. I was rooting for them from their first interaction.

There is also a strong found family in this which warmed me. Xiang goes through a lot of family drama, feeling passed around from person to person and not like she truly belongs. When she finally has that sense of home? Beautiful.

Where the book lost me a bit was with its pacing. Almost the first half is setup for getting out onto the water for piracy and treasure hunting. I wanted to be out on those waves so much earlier. There were more than a few moments where I found myself checking the progress on the book because surely the ship must be soon.

That aside, I do recommend this book. I wanted to learn so much more about these pirates of China. In fact, I think I will.

4 stars.

My expectations weren’t high before starting A Clash of Steel by C.B Lee because I thought I'd struggle with reading fantasy, since I haven't read this genre in a long time. But I'm glad to say not only I loved this book but also it reminded me of how much fun fantasy can be. The writing is descriptive and immersive, making me see the beautiful landscapes and busy markets and streets and wish I was able to travel there to experience everything. I also loved Xiang and Anh characters, watching them grow, and their slow burn romance with lots of tension and questioning. I liked the side characters and their funny moments, but I wish there was more development to their stories. I want to know who they are, why they became pirates and what are their ambitions. I also enjoyed learning more about Cheng Shih and reading the meaning behind writing this book through the author notes.

Read this book if you like:
- pirates
- adventures
- found family
- sapphics slow burn romance.
You don't need to be familiar with Treasure Island to enjoy this book.

I received an eARC of the book in exchange for an honest review

I really loved this book! Lee crafted such a wonderful book with lovable characters, complex stories about family and desire, and such an overall amazing historical book about pirates! I especially loved the Chinese and Vietnamese influences here and how they played such a big part of the book (as a Vietnamese blogger).

4.5/5 stars

What a book! I absolutely adored this remix of Treasure Island by C.B. Lee. It's queer, it's Asian (characters come from and explore places all over Asia but the MCs are from China and Vietnam), it's adventurous and it's so fun. I was hooked on this story and the mystery of who Xiang's father is and where the treasure is buried. I read with bated breath nearly the whole time, waiting to see what would happen.

C.B. Lee is an incredible descriptive writer — the passages set in the cities the crew explores jumped to life off the pages and I could hear the chatter, smell the food, taste its vibrancy bursting on my tongue. It was incredible.

I really loved this book that does double duty by telling an awesome story of adventure and swash-buckling pirates and treasure, and also introduced me to a world and history I didn't learn in school. I also loved the author's note at the end.

Overal — highly recommend!

This was a good book. I enjoyed the plot, the main characters were mostly likeable, and I liked the whole slow burn romance it had going on. My main issue with this book is just that everything happened so easily and perfectly. The characters were mostly predictable, each event happened in perfect succession, the dialog felt forced, and the characters felt like they didn't have any depth. I hate saying all of this because there was nothing explicitly awful about this book. I loved that the main characters were lesbians, I loved the pirate theme, I loved the mystery aspect, but I just felt like there should have been more.

hadn't heard of this series, pairing authors with classics for a "remix" but if the rest are like this one, sign me up.

My heart sank when I saw that it was written in present tense, but that seems to be the fashion in YA these days. It was far less awkward here than in many books I've read of late; after the initial jolt it became invisible, I was so immersed in the vivid depiction of southeast Asia in the early decades of the 1800s, the era of Zhen Yi Sao, the most successful pirates who ever lived--who happened to be a woman.

This is supposed to be a retelling of Treasure Island; Lee's take was so fresh that I forgot completely about the origin story as we get to know Xiang, who is eager to break away from the stifling village where she was sequestered, and test her abilities by running the tea house her mother owns.

Xiang misses the obvious clues that her mother is far more than she seems, she is so determined to prove herself--in spite of her mother's insistence she stay at home with her books and studies. One day she takes off to wander Canton, and meets a girl her own age, who turns out to be a thief. Xiang is hurt doubly, not just to find her father's precious pendant gone from around her neck, but that the first friend she had ever made turned out not to be one.

However, she meets Ahn again, and discovers that Ahn's mother runs a small fishing boat, but she is after a famous (infamous) treasure. Xiang runs away with them, and so the adventure begins

Lee has a sure hand with the details of the time. I was totally immersed in the wild life of the southeast sea coast at a volatile period of history. The characters were vivid, the pacing swift, and I loved the tentative, sometimes spiky friendship between Xiang and Ahn that gradually developed into something closer.

The climax is a real roller coaster of action and emotional highs and lows. I loved Xiang's arc--and Ahn's. I think Lee did a terrific job making these queer Asian heroines girls very much of their time, but accessible to the modern teen reader.

Xiang is a girl with a big dream who lives in a quiet village. She always wanted to see the world but her mother, a known businesswoman, never gave her a chance to prove herself. One day, trouble happened in Canton which made Xiang’s mother has to leave her side again. Taking the only chance, Xiang convinced her mother to take her along.

There she met Anh, a lively and beautiful spirit that caught Xiang’s attention right away. They spent a day exploring Canton and enjoying each other’s company. When Xiang went back, she overheard her mother is going to arrange a marriage for her. Terrified that her dream is never going to come true, she took a risky chance that’s going change her life forever: looking for Zheng Yi Sao’s lost treasure.

Written through Xiang’s POV, A Clash of Steel drew me in from the prologue with its promise of adventure. It felt a little boring in the first few chapters because there were long descriptions for the world-building. But as it went on, the pace picked up and new characters popped in. I think the change of location helped as well, I got to roam the sea with Xiang and the crew of Hûyen Vū.

Following Xiang’s story from her life at the village through the young woman she became at the end of the book is what enchanted me the most. She was naive and easy-to-trust then became a strong and confident person. Her time aboard the Hûyen Vū was my favorite. She learned new, exciting things that opened her eyes to more possibilities. She also found love and happiness and family. Although no action scenes happened, I’m happy Xiang had a peaceful moment before the storm.

Shifting the spotlight to a different character, Anh amazed me with her courage and determination. Unlike Xiang, she lived a hard life where she had to work hard to earn her food every day. This fact made her logical and dismissing poetry, which Xiang loved, as useless. Although she is not fond of poetry, she cared deeply for her mother, the crew of Hûyen Vū, and later, Xiang.

The romance is pretty sweet. Xiang and Anh started as strangers then they learned to trust each other. It wasn’t insta-love but they had a chemistry and a connection ever since the first meeting. As much as I wanted to give this book four stars, the writing style is not for me. Also, I wasn’t satisfied with the second half of the book. The climax was good but then it went downhill. It has a happy ending but I guessed I expected more than what I get.

Overall, A Clash of Steel was a thrilling and fresh historical fiction drawn from Treasure Island, infused with Chinese and Vietnamese culture. This book will likely intrigue you by the cover. Illustrated by Feifei Ruan and designed by Rich Deas, it captures the feel of the story perfectly: warm yet adventurous. After reading the author’s note, Xiang’s story touched the deepest part of my heart because C.B. Lee drew inspiration from her parents’ experience as refugees.

Recommended for people who are looking for a newly released gem with sapphic Asian rep, brave duo female characters, and a fairytale-like story about daring yourself to achieve your dream. A Clash of Steel is perfect for young adult and adult readers alike who yearn for adventures with a hopeful ending.

On this episode of Everything is Canon, Steve is talking to C.B. Lee all about her new book, A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix which put simply is, “Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in this YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island.”

This incredibly immersive remix puts 1826 and the South China Sea front and Centre, and just like Bethany C. Morrow’s Little Women remix, C.B. Lee grabs the story of Treasure Island and makes it her own, creating what I believe to be the definitive version now. Starting with one of best covers you’ll see this year, A Clash of Steel works just as well as a historical fiction piece as it does a sweeping romantic adventure about found family, a changing world, endless possibility, and of course, treasure.

Steve and C.B. talk about the source material of course and what was essential and non-essential, C.B.’s absolutely incredible family history, the historical nature of the book, tropes we love, A Clash of Steel of course, and much, much more.

For the full interview, click the link below...

https://www.cinelinx.com/off-beat/shows/everything-is-canon-a-clash-of-steel-a-treasure-island-remix/

A masterful retelling of an old favourite, Treasure Island, A Clash Of Steel delivers what it promises. We have sapphic teens as our main characters as well as a colourful and diverse cast of side characters. We also get long voyages and the pirate legends featuring treasure hunting (!!) were really intriguing.
I would have loved this book a lot more if it had been a little faster. The actual story starts quite late, the author could have easily skipped over several points that were not necessary.
Nevertheless, another thing I liked about it was its brilliant potrayal of strong women characters, including the dreaded captain of the largest pirate ship in the history of China.
4 stars out of 5!

This was such a refreshing take on Treasure Island! I loved it so much, the characters had me in the palm of their hand! Such sweet beans, I can't wait to read more from this author!

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

An adventure story loosely based off of Treasure Island, this follows Xiang as she seeks her mother's approval and in a last effort to appeal to her, she runs away to prove to her mother (and herself) that she can survive out on the world on her own. She teams up with pirates to discover the lost treasure of the famed Dragon Fleet and discovers more about herself and her place in the world.

A really fun adventure story with action and pirates! I liked when they were on the ship and Xiang had to be trained to deal with the everyday duties of a sailor out on sea. Her relationship with Anh was really sweet and realistic, plus you know, it's great to have more LGBTQ+ romances in general!

Side note, I never got around to reading Treasure Island but this story was still very understandable and clear cut to me so no worries about getting lost if you've never read Treasure Island because it's really its own story at this point with unique characters not from Treasure Island.

Awesome story!

For all her life, Xiang wants to make her mother proud of her. To gain her mother’s approval, nothing will stand in Xiang’s way. A wanderer by heart, Xiang had always wanted to travel away from the little village she grew up in, the safe place her father, who perished at sea, wanted for Xiang to grow up in.

The day Ahn stole Xiang’s pendant and showed her the hidden map, Xiang decided that obtaining the legendary Head of the Dragon Fleet’s last treasure will be the achievement that proves her worth to her mother. Throughout the journey, Xiang experienced belonging with the rest of the crew, the closeness between people, and the taste of freedom while making her own decisions. She realized that she didn’t want to settle for anything less.

In A Clash of Steel, Xiang recognizes that approval doesn’t have to come from her mother. She went from a village girl who yearned for more to someone who grabbed every chance she got to get what she desires. Not only does she had a resolution for that feeling, but Xiang also found herself wondering about Ahn a lot more than she anticipated. The romance just felt so tender and sweet. Xiang also learns how to trust others and who she could trust.

One thing C.B. Lee does brilliantly was drawing me in with her descriptions of different places. Set in 1826, the world along the trade route is already culturally diverse with people speaking in multiple languages. It goes the same for the crew on the ship. This retelling of Treasure Island and the story of Zheng Yi Sao, a Chinese pirate leader who dominated the South China Sea, might just be my favorite pirate/sea novel I’ve read.

First of all, I love the overall concept of this book! A Treasure Island retelling? Sign me up.

I love the representation this book offered, and I loved that the love story felt natural and not like it was pressured into the retelling. I do think the story leans more heavily on the romance and found-family than it does the treasure, but I found that I actually was okay with it.

Xiang felt like such a real and authentic character, and so much of her story is relatable for readers--minus the pirate thing. She was so uncertain of her place, but took a leap of faith to find herself. I really did love these characters, and I would have really enjoyed learning more about them!

I did see some twists coming (ones not related to it being a retelling), but there were still plenty of surprises to keep me on my toes! This was such a fun and important retelling that I think readers are going to absolutely love.

A Clash of Steel is a wonderful retelling of Treasure Island. The amount of research and history of Asian cultures that went into this book is astounding. The first few chapters may be a bit hard for younger students to get through, but once it starts to pick up they won’t be able to put it down. The amount of additional information that is located at the back of the book for readers is great for school settings. I can see many teachers using this book in their classes.

The book begins with us meeting the main character Xiang. Xiang is a young girl who struggles to make positive connections with her mother who is rarely around. After being brought to a new city, Xiang takes a chance on making her mother proud by setting out on her own adventure. Along her way she makes close friends, some enemies, and finds out family isn’t always what you think it is.

“I want the world.”
ARC provided by the publisher Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan Publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review as part of the #AClashofSteelTour organized by Colored Pages Book Tours

An outstanding sapphic Asian inspired remix of a classic pirate adventure story following Xiang and Anh as they embark to find the legendary treasure trove of the famed pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao. A queer pirate adventure that surely will make a splash in the ocean of young adult books.

First and foremost I would like to thank Colored Pages Book Tours for choosing me as one of the many amazing book bloggers for A Clash of Steel tour from September 7th to September 14th 2021. Thank you as well to the author and publisher Feiwel & Friends for providing an ARC (Advance Readers Copy) as part of this blog tour.

All my life I’ve been waiting, and now I’m doing.

During my time in lock down back in July I was scrolling through Twitter and the cover for A Clash of Steel passed by my timeline. Honestly, I am not a cover type of person and I don’t normally branch out based on the cover. I need testimonies from friends or trusted reviewers first in order to consider if I want to read the book or not but I took the chance anyway. The blurb for A Clash of Steel is already appealing, “Two intrepid girls hunt for a legendary treasure on the deadly high seas in this YA remix of the classic adventure novel Treasure Island”. I’ve never read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson before but I’ve seen the Disney’s Sci-Fi animated adaptation of the book, Treasure Planet (2002), when I was a child. The movie itself is impressive that I’ve rewatched it plenty of times. Treasure Planet and Atlantis are probably the two movies that shaped my love for Sci-Fi Fantasy exploration adventure stories.

For A Clash of Steel I didn’t have any expectations as I don’t remember much from Treasure Planet and never read any of C. B. Lee’s previous works so I went in completely blind. The only thing I know is that A Clash of Steel is an Asian queer retelling of Treasure Island with two protagonists, one Chinese and one Vietnamese. Let me repeat that! Asian and queer retelling! This is what we need! A remixed rendition of a classic that is written by a white author turn it up side down and write it for people of color. That alone is enough to convince me to pick it up. Let’s talk about the beautiful cover for A Clash of Steel that is illustrated by Feifei Ruan, the same artist that did the cover for Joan He’s Descendant of the Crane and Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club. It is gorgeous! I love the colors and seeing Anh with Xiang looking back holding swords on the helm of the ship is just *chef’s kiss*. Designed by the talented Rich Deas.

I find new strength in the sea, in the wind in my hair, in the way sunlight glints off the ocean waves, in the dazzling sunsets over the water.

In A Clash of Steel the story follows Xiang, a girl that lives in a quiet village in the mountains dreaming of seeing the world. Xiang loves spending her time watching the ships from up the hill yearning for the sea and foreign lands. Growing up in the village Xiang is limited to her day to day task of studying, reading, and helping whenever she can at the tea house that is owned by her mother. Xiang doesn’t see her mother that is often travelling the world as a salt trader. Xiang’s mother’s visits are rare and brief resulting in Xiang being raise by her tutors and her mother’s tea house employees. The absence of Xiang’s mother has led her to be desperate in earning her approval and affection whenever she visits. The only parental figure Xiang ever known aside from her mother is her tutor, Master Feng. He had taught Xiang everything from philosophy, history, poetry, literature, and sums. But that isn’t enough for a curious child like Xiang, she wants to experience and see everything first hand. Xiang doesn’t want to live a boring life of raising a family and she wants to be like her mother.

One day during her mother’s rare visits, Xiang finds courage in herself to prove to her mother that she is capable of continuing her legacy as a trader. But her mother has other plans for Xiang as she is set to marry a man. Determined to prove her mother wrong Xiang convinces her to give Xiang a chance to go to Canton, one of the major port cities in China that is the hub for trade from all over the world. However going to Canton did not satisfy Xiang’s thirst for adventure it only intensifies it. During her outing in town Xiang meets Anh in which she quickly forms a friendship with. Losing hope in her future Xiang convinces herself that she needs to tackle the matter into her own hands. Accompanied by Anh and her crew she sets of to sea armed with the map to find the legendary treasure of the Dragon Fleet.

Perhaps my soul has lived in the wrong place this whole time, and I’ve always been meant to be at sea.

The world in which the story takes place is centered mostly in China and Vietnam, specifically the South China Sea for the most part of the story. Lee expertly weaves history into her story drawing inspiration from one of China’s most infamous and prominent figures Zheng Yi Shao. The legendary pirate Zheng Yi Sao that lead the Pirate Confederation and ruled the South China Sea back in the 1800s serves as an inspiration for the most part of the story. The only time I’ve seen a depiction of Zheng Yi Sao in western media is probably in the movie sequel for Pirates of the Caribbean. Seeing a different version of Zheng Yi Sao that is every bit of the meme gas light, gate keep, and girl boss is refreshing to see. Lee did an amazing job at remixing a classic into a more modern and inclusive story that I’m sure a lot of the younger generation will grow up to appreciate.

A Clash of Steel is a well written story from start to end. Lee’s writing is accessible and detailed that I could easily immerse myself into the story. The descriptions of places and the scenery is meticulously done which only made me want to travel more than ever. Besides the historical inspiration I want to gush about the food that are mentioned throughout the story. What I love more besides characters in books is descriptions of food. Lee wrote about the food with the same amount of importance as any other part of the story. In my opinion food is a window to the culture and the people of the world as it is a universal language that anyone can relate to. In A Clash of Steel it achieved that by showing how big and diverse Canton is through the food which is such a delight to read. Though I have to admit personally I had trouble with the pacing. During the first few chapters the pacing is on the slower side for me that it made crave for something interesting to happen. This something subjective and relatively a small speed bump in my reading experience. Because the plot did pick up when Anh is introduced into the story and the pacing did get better in the later chapters.

I have felt untethered all my life, drifting endlessly, and here, finally is a safe place to land, a quite harbor to protect me from the turbulence of the sea.

The back bone of A Clash of Steel is it’s cast of strong and lovable characters. Xiang the main driving force of the story determined, compassionate, and all around a joy to read. Her development throughout the story is believable and realistic. The need to prove to herself and everyone else fuels her drive to break barrier after barrier that stood in her way. Xiang stood up for herself and took it upon herself to show how determined she is to find who she is and where she fits in the story. Lee’s characterization of Xiang exceeded my expectations tremendously. The obedient and sheltered Xiang grew to be a strong woman by the end of the book carrying herself with much more confidence. Anh, the main love interest, is also well fleshed out and is a joy to see. I wish we get to see from her perspective because Anh is so much fun to read. The lingering stares and breathless brief brushes of fingers against hands between the two left me yearning to see them together. Xiang and Anh is the ship I wish to never sink because of their chemistry and vibe when they are near is crackling with tension.

I’m tired of others deciding my story for me. I’m done.

Another character that stole my attention in the story is Xiang’s mother and Captain Hoa, Anh’s mother. Two very different mother figures which parallel each other throughout the book. Xiang’s mother is mostly absent from her life and shows that she has very high standards towards the people she associates with including Xiang. The affection she shows are limited, cold, and detached like she’s putting on an act instead of genuinely expressing it. Captain Hoa on the other hand is a present mother that loves and cares for her family deeply extending to the crew of Huyền Vũ. Even to Xiang, a total stranger, she shows kindness and warmth towards her. Captain Hoa shows her appreciation and gives constant assurances to her crew with no discrimination or lack of empathy. Seeing the parallels between the two women made me think a lot about Xiang and Anh’s upbringing. If Xiang didn’t board the Huyền Vũ she wouldn’t have developed to become a much stronger character that finally realizes who she is and the real people that care about her.

“I suppose I wouldn’t rather be stuck on this island with anyone but you.”

Final thoughts, A Clash of Steel is the Sapphic nautical adventure that didn’t know I needed until I read this book. It is a story filled with self discovery and development both on ground and sea that any reader can easily get lost into during these rough times. C. B. Lee’s ability to weave Asian history into a well loved classic, all the while making it educational, inclusive, fun, and queer is truly astounding. The masterful story telling and amazing characters made the whole experience of reading A Clash of Steel all the more enjoyable. Even though it is a story about treasure hunting the message it carries strives beyond material things. The themes about family, friendship, and love that became the core of the story were conveyed beautifully through the experiences of our main protagonist Xiang and other characters. Everything from the plot, premise, and overall structure is executed beautifully by C. B. Lee that by the end of the story I felt satisfied with how things turned out. The ending is wrapped up nicely and carries a hopeful tone of endless possibilities for adventure.

Reading Lee’s authors note I understood that A Clash of Steel is also inspired by Lee’s family history. Specifically Lee’s mother’s and father’s experience escaping a war torn Vietnam on boats. Lee’s mother actually met pirates in real life and had first hand encounters with them. The story hits differently for me after knowing this piece of personal account. I hope by writing this review that I can convince people to read A Clash of Steel not only for the Sapphic yearning between Xiang and Anh but also to shed a light on the stories that is never given a chance to be told. Stories by people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities. Please do pick up A Clash of Steel I highly recommend this book for all readers who are looking to escape to the sea for an action packed sapphic treasure hunting adventure. By the time this review is up the book is already released so I strongly urge you to pick up a copy.

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.