SuitabookClash of Steel
C. B. Lee
- Reading
- If storms or family loss feel important to your reader, check in after the opening chapters. Afterwards, talk about how the crew’s relationships and Xiang and Anh’s trust develop without requiring agreement about the romance.
- Themes
- Finding belonging beyond approval: Xiang begins sheltered and eager to prove her worth to her mother, then joins Anh’s crew and develops through relationships and life at sea. The story appears to value belonging, personal growth and acceptance beyond a single family member’s approval.
- Romance and trust at sea: Xiang and Anh meet through a stolen pendant and cooperate over a treasure map; their relationship is described as attraction complicated by uncertainty and trust issues. The romance is presented as tender, gradual and meaningful, while allowing room for tension and uncertainty between the girls.
- Piracy, danger and historical legacy: The treasure hunt is set in 1826, after the Dragon Fleet’s decline, with its feared female leader remembered through stories and legend. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Be ready for perilous sea travel, storms, piracy-related danger, violence, mentions of war and murder, absent or deceased parents, alcohol, and romance involving trust difficulties and queer yearning.