As a fan of pirates, treasure hunts, and exciting historical fiction, I knew I'd be picking this book up whether or not I received it as an arc. This book is full of adventure, a superb diverse cast, and fans of A Treasure Island will pick up on some notable homages. Overall, this was such an enjoyable read. The first 75% of the book was amazing and I couldn't put it down. The final 25% felt a bit rushed to me, and I had some plot questions that didn't seem to have an answer. However, the setting and the characters really sailed this ship home for me, and I am so happy to have read it. A big thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review! A full review will be posted on August 30th, 2021 on armedwithabook.com.

4.5 Stars

I have to admit that I’ve never read Treasure Island, though I am somewhat familiar with the major plot points. Because of that, I had nothing to compare A Clash of Steel with. I have to admit that it was a fun way to approach this book, as I wasn’t expecting anything.

At the center of A Clash of Steel is Xiang. Xiang is a strong protagonist. As tends to be a theme in a lot of books — and real life — Xiang wants more than a good marriage. She doesn’t want to become a wife and mother. She sees value in her own abilities and interests. And she’s not afraid to cross her mother to prove herself.

Second to Xiang is Anh. Anh is the opposite of Xiang. She’s lived her entire life beyond society’s boundaries, and she likes it that way. But any path you follow has rules and limitations. Anh must also look beyond what she knows if she wants to secure the treasure.

Author C.B. Lee has created a lush world for readers to escape into. Whether on land or sea, the experience is immersive. Lee’s prose is smooth and her pacing spot on. There are a few predictable elements, and Lee occasionally gets too lost in the details, but it’s not enough to be bothersome. Though inspired by classic literature, A Clash of Steel is fresh and exciting. The book publishes on Sept. 7.

A Clash of Steel is brilliant book with pirate sapphics (👀) which is a reimagining of Treasure Island and is inspired by the Chinese pirate queen Cheng Shih.

It follows Xiang who finds that her dead father's only memory, a pendant, might contain clues to a treasure only when it gets stolen by Ahn, who returns it to Xiang soon after in exchange for help decoding a tiny map hidden inside. Both of them go on an adventure to find the treasure and maybe, just maybe fall in love.

-As I fore mentioned, A Clash of Steel was heavily inspired by the legend of the Chinese pirate queen Cheng Shih. It is set during the Qing Dynasty and challenges our imperialist views of the time period whilst also shinning a light on China’s rich maritime history.
-Though the pacing was a bit slow for my liking, this book was seriously a page-turner because I just couldn't wait to find out what happens next.
-The romance!! It was a perfect slow burn romance with just the right amount of tension between Xiang and Ahn to make you yearn.
-Overall, this was one of the best retellings I've ever read and I cannot wait to read more of C.B Lee's books!

Content Warnings: Death of loved one, physical violence (sword and fist fight scenes), alcohol consumption.

I received an arc from Macmillan via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not impact my review or thoughts in any way.

A Clash of Steel is such a fun remix of the classic tale Treasure Island. Think Treasure Island set in China with female pirates and lgbtq+ representation. The writing is phenomenal with clever reboots to the story. Highly recommended whether you've read the original or not.

This book has an amazing prose and is so lyrical! I found it to be really interesting, but couldn't find myself to finish it. I'm putting it on pause for now, but don't let this change your mind on my opinion about it. I think it was a little slow at the beginning and that's maybe why I'm having a hard time with it? I still absolutely recommend this book!

It's impossible to convey how excited I was for A Clash of Steel. C.B. Lee plus queer Asian pirates? And this has to be my favorite pirate story period. It's not only because of the sapphic storyline, or because I've never seen Asian pirates before, it's because Xiang and Anh are so detailed, nuanced, and endearing. The ways that Xiang just wants to be her mother, not marry some wealthy man, or live in a teahouse. All the times when she realizes that her life, dreams, and vision of the world was so small.

Only to have an experience, or a person - *cough* Anh *cough* - help show her more to the world? Be still my beating my heart. Xiang's character evolution was fantastic as she blooms in front of our eyes. Lee unfolds the beginning of the book slowly not only to create a sizzling and descriptive world, but also to show us who Xiang thinks she is. The world she thinks she sees. And don't even get me started on how I fell in love with Anh when I first met her.

I think my favorite parts of the book are when Xiang goes to the city and describes the street food in great detail, i loved that.

There was plot twists that made me think it was going to get even more twisted but i was overall pleased with the plot. Though the majority of the plot was pushed to the 70% of the book, which is too bad but overall it was entertaining. I wish there had been less crew members or more crew member one on one writing because it was hard to keep track of their back stories/names.

The need to live up to your parent's expectations and live your life to the fullest is a great plot to try to write.

3.5 stars

I went into A Clash of Steel with very little knowledge of Treasure Island, and I’m so glad I did. Set in 1826, A Clash of Steel follows sixteen-year-old Xiang, who has been sheltered her entire life. Raised in a tiny village by Lan Nai Nai, Lan Zhai, and Master Feng, while her mother is mostly away on business, managing The Pearl House teahouse, Xiang has always longed for adventure, and her mother’s approval. Having grown up with tales about the world renowned pirate, Dragon Queen, all her life, Xiang dreams of a world greater than the one she’s known. When she finally convinces her mom to take her to Canton, so she can learn the trades and hopefully one day take over, she ends up caught in something unexpected. After a mysterious and captivating girl, Ahn, steals Xiang’s pendant — the only thing she has left of her father — and a tiny map is revealed that may be location of the Dragon Queen’s hidden treasure, the two of them make a deal: Ahn will return the pendant, but in exchange, Xiang must go along and help decipher it.

I knew very little about Treasure Island going in, and so I didn’t really know what to expect from A Clash of Steel. All I knew was this was a remix of Treasure Island, and that there were pirates. What I got was so much better — I got sapphic pirates, found family, and a fascinating and immersive story rooted in Chinese history.

In a time where we’ve been quarantined for the last year and a half, A Clash of Steel, and all its adventures was a breath of fresh air. Lee employs wonderfully descriptive imagery that made it incredibly easy to picture that I was along for the ride. One of my favorite non-spoilery moments in A Clash of Steel was when Xiang goes to Canton for the first time — all the descriptions of food made me so hungry, and reminded me of home.

As our brave adventurer, it was a joy following Xiang and watching her break out of her shell. Xiang’s determination, heart, and perseverance made her a fun protagonist to follow. I especially enjoyed watching how different her relationships were with each person. One of my least favorite tropes is insta-love, which A Clash of Steel does feel like, but I overlooked it for Ahn. After all, who wouldn’t fall in love with a pirate? Ahn and Xiang had a very tender relationship that was filled with its trials and tribulations. As much as I loved Ahn and Xiang, the true relationships that had me soft were Xiang’s relationship with her tutor, Master Feng, and Xiang’s relationship with the crew. The side characters were all so fascinating, and I would definitely read spin-offs or sequels about them all. It’s simply about the found family. Something else I really appreciated about A Clash of Steel was how openly accepting the characters were of everyone’s sexualities!

Admittedly, it took me a while to get invested in A Clash of Steel, but I feel like that was more due to the fact that I was coming out of a reading slump. Once I was invested in Xiang and her story, I was really interested, and couldn’t put the book down. Personally, I felt like the pacing was a little off, and I would’ve liked to read more about Xiang’s adventures at sea — in general, I think A Clash of Steel would have benefited from being longer.

A Clash of Steel can really be summed up by this question: What would you be willing to do for treasure, for love, for happiness, and for power? Overall, I loved the message it sent, and I’d highly recommend A Clash of Steel to anyone who loves twists, pirates, or just wants a good time!

Despite knowing little about the original Treasure Island, I absolutely flew through this sapphic remix by C.B. Lee. Since I’m a character-driven reader, Xiang and Anh’s relationship was the driving force of this book. They had so much chemistry, plus I just love dynamics where at least one of them’s a thief.

The plot and the writing were both compelling, and this is probably my favorite “pirate” book I’ve read (not usually a fan). If you like historical fiction, or are a fan of books like Fable by Adrienne Young, you’ll likely love this book. Clash of Steel works great as a stand-alone, but I selfishly want to read more of their story! Would 100% recommend!

A revisit of TREASURE ISLAND set in China with female adventurers. When Xiang discovers a treasure map hidden in the only thing she has of her father she knows what she must do. Teaming up and falling for Anha means that she has an ally in finding the treasure and she can prove to her mother that she is worth more than a marriage contract and more than capable of running the family business. A mighty female pirate, the stuff of legends, may also be looking for the same treasure and more. This book has it all - adventure on the China Seas, pirates, treasure, clues, family secrets and first love. The author's note and historical background is as fascinating as the story and should not be missed. This will appeal to older middle grade and young adult readers looking for updated classics from a different point of view. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I liked this a lot! I know almost nothing about the original Treasure Island, but I am positive I would not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the female-led, queer retelling that also taught me about a female Chinese pirate I'd never heard of before!

wow, what a fun book!

this had so many things i love: pirates, found family, one bed trope, and adventure! i loved all of the characters and also the sapphic relationship! the writing style was also very enjoyable.

i wanted to give this a higher rating, but i did find myself becoming a bit bored at times. i also felt it took quite a while for the actual journey to begin.

despite that minor issue, i still thoroughly enjoyed a clash of steel! i would definitely recommend this!!

Man, my classically-paced, retelling, sapphic pirate loving ass really enjoyed this. Admittedly, I have never read the source material BUT I have seen both Muppet Treasure Island and Treasure Planet several times, so I feel like I've got the requisite knowledge to make a comparison.

Action, adventure, betrayal, found family, tragedy, treasure, and love. Following Xiang as a main character was such a treat, she is the perfect protagonist, infinitely curious and bringing us along to explore new worlds with her. The development of her relationship with Anh is just cute as kittens. The found family vibes are strong here, and I'm always looking for more books with those. Now I want more stories about the whole crew going on more adventures, or their backstories, and I'm bummed that won't be happening.

I would say anyone who is really attached to the source material and is looking for a beat-for-beat, character-for-character retelling, this is not going to be that. But how boring would that be? Just read Treasure Island then.

One of the most poignant aspects of this book is how much real and personal history is infused into the story. Lee includes several notes at the end of the book, sharing how one of the woman pirates who is portrayed was a real person, and arguably the most successful pirate who ever lived. Lee also discusses her own family history, especially related to Vietnam and the atrocities there during the "war." (In the story, the family of pirates that Xiang joins is from Vietnam, similarly fleeing unrest and conflict.) I truly don't believe that books need to actively teach you something - this is a debate that perpetually pops up, especially when it comes to YA titles - but I always appreciate the opportunity to pause and consider who decides what books and stories become "classics" and which stories are lost to time. This is a feature not only of A Clash of Steel, but also of the entire remixed classics series, and I'm thankful for that.

Thanks to Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan and Netgalley for the advance access to this book. I can't wait to handsell it.

My Pirates of the Caribbean and Treasure Planet loving heart couldn’t contain the excitement when I was accepted for a early copy of Clash of Steel! I grew up loving sea faring tales and seriously would have quickly said yes to becoming a pirate as a kid so I knew I was going to enjoy this story and I truly did!

It starts off really strong taking place in a small fishing village following Xiang who dreams mostly of impressing her mother, whom she sees so little of but ends up getting a chance to go to a nearby city and hopes to prove herself to her mother. This is where she meets Anh, and one of my favorite characters from this story, who ultimately finds a piece of a treasure map hidden in something near and dear to Xiang. Now Xiang and Anh decide to hunt down this treasure and make a life for themselves, a life that they want and get to choose.

Clash of Steel really had so much to offer! Action and adventure, a FOUND family ( I know we all love that trope), a budding dare I say slow burn romance? Oh and did I forget to mention the one bed and wet clothes scene that I also know we all adore? Lol there wasn’t only action but a lot of heart felt scenes and a lot of betrayal.

This book seriously had a little bit of everything and I really smiled and genuinely enjoyed my time reading it! One thing I think I would have loved to seen expanded a bit was Xiang and her mother’s relationship. She pops up out of no where, says a few likes and then Xiang is off to prove herself to a women I don’t think deserves it, but I guess ultimately that was the point.

full rtc but this book is so entertaining, chinese sapphics, pirates, pining, adventure and great characters.

Thank you Netgalley for the free e-arc, this did not impact my review in any way, shape or form.

It’s 1826 and Xiang is desperate to prove herself to her mother. Her mother has been sailing for longer than Xiang has been alive. All Xiang wants is for her mother to be proud of her and to let her go out and live in the city. Her father is dead at sea, the only momento of him she has is a gold pendant she wears every day. But things start coming out when she meats Anh, who steals is from and only promises to give it back if Xiang will help decode the hidden map inside. But the sea, especially those who sail on it, are far more dangerous than they could ever imagine.

Okay, so I truly loved the start of this book: village life, getting to know Master Feng, Xiang, herself and the people who raised her. Everything else kind of fell flat for me, personally. I think this is more of a middle grade story, while I was expecting something along the upper YA genre, so that probably accounts for half of my disappointment. I truly wished there was more of a build up between Xiang and Anh before everything else happened. It seemed like a really rushed scenario: these two girls meet, hang out for a day and run away together the next. It seemed really unlikely.

But I did get into the story enough to learn to absolutely despise Xiang’s mother. That is terrible parenting if I’ve ever seen it. Again, I wish that there was more of a storyline between Xiang and her mother. That was a sudden moment for me as well: this girl’s mother randomly shows up and we talk to her for a few hours and then she gets punished and runs away. The storyline was not concise. I had trouble keeping up with what was happening. Although I loved the beginning, the middle lost me and as much as I hoped the ending would help, it did, but again, it was rushed.

All in all, this is a great upper middle grade, lower YA story, but not the upper YA I was looking for and the storyline just did not flow.

3/5 Stars

This is one of the first books I've read where I wanted to give it 5 stars SO badly and couldn't because of the pacing and writing style. I genuinely loved the premise of this book. Not only did we get solid Asian representation, we also got solid GAY Asian representation. I'm always down for gay, Asian badass main characters.

However, the first 1/3-1/2 of this book dragged. It took me nearly two weeks to get through 150 pages and I nearly lost interest and DNF'd it. There's also an obvious case of telling instead of showing when it comes to these character's personalities.

When I pick up a Fantasy novel, I don't want to feel like I'm reading a history textbook.

A Clash of Steel was just an "okay" book.

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Xiang follows her mother to the city to leanr more about her mother's teahouse. There, she meets young girl, Anh, who steals her pendant, the only reminder of her father who died at sea before she was born. After her mother's teahouse is burned down, Anh finds her again, showing her that there are clues leading to the renown Dragon Fleet's hidden treasure. Xiang joins Anh and a crew on a quest to find it.

So, while I did overall enjoy this, it took nearly half the book before Xiang and Anh actually leave to go on this voyage. I guess I was expecting more time at sea, so I did find that a bit disappointing. The first half of the novel and the second half kind of felt like 2 vastly different novels thrust together.

I will say the 1st person POV actually really bothered me. I thik the story owuld have benefited from a close 3rd person POV, instead. There were also quite a few errors. I know this is common for galleys, but I noticed more than usual, which could be a bit distracting from time to time.

I did like the romance between Xiang and Anh, but I was a bit disappointed we didn't get more time with the one bed trope. I just felt like we didn't get into Xiang's head very often, and I would have really enjoyed getting to know Anh more.

Overall,a decent book, but not sure I'd necessarily recommend it. The world, setting, and rep was great, though.

Read this book if you like:

↝Historical fiction and retellings
↝Pirates and learning about the “Dragon Fleet”
↝Found Family
↝Sapphic slowburn romance w/ one bed trope

This book meant the world to me. Seeing Asian (Chinese and Vietnamese) sapphics that made me feel represented get their adventure made me so happy it hurts <3

Pacing and Plot:
I took off a star since I think this book definitely struggles a bit with the pacing. The first 1/3 was just build up about Xiang’s background that I found bearable but could have used a speed booster. The second 1/3 was where the found family of the crew developed. It might’ve seemed slow but I think it was like Six of Crows type of event like (sword fighting lessons) that make you fall in love with the characters and setting. The last third was INCREDIBLE. So many events that I didn’t see coming and left me thinking “just one more chapter”. The plot overall was enjoyable and loved the historical events infused into it.

Xiang and Anh:
Omg my love for these characters is infinite. Xang was the sheltered girl with wit and quick learning. Her character flaws and growth was so much fun to see. Anh on the other hand was experienced at sea but struggled to not deflect emotions (I saw some of myself in her and was very grateful for the Vietnamese representation)They were the perfect pair. Their love felt very natural and fills your heart with warmth.

Side Characters:
I think this book had a common problem of the side characters needing more development. However, I think they played a nice part in the found family and added funny moments. A special place is in my heart for Captain Hoa because she was an incredible leader and mother.

So, I entered into this book expecting to love it - since pirate stories are my favorite. And a pirate story about Zheng Yi Sao, the most successful pirate of human history and whose name is overshadowed by the western centricism in terms of piracy we knwon? I cannot describe how hyped I was to get my hands on an arc of this book.

But after I've finished this book. All I could say is…it's an okay book.

What I liked most is the found family and the sapphic romance. Ahn and Xiang, their romance feel very natural as it progressed from begrudging allies to family. Also how Ahn's crew becomes a family that Xiang choose instead the one she's born into is very powerful to read about.

However, the pacing is way too messy and the characters of this story feels very distant. For the first 40% of the book we didn get much of a plot, we spent way too much time in Xiang's backstory instead of the actual plot. And almost all the characters feel underdeveloped, I feel like I'm TOLD of the personality characters instead of SEEING them be who they are with my own eyes. This caused me to not care even as there are major character dying.

Also, for a book that's supposed to be about Zheng Yi Sao, we didn't get that much of her. And her characterization feels very weird and forced. The real life Zheng Yi Sao died in Macao surrounded by her family because she is such a successful pirate but also a clever woman. In this book she reads more like an idiot caricature.