This book was not what I expected. It's pretty unusual for a book to surprise me nowadays so this was pretty refreshing to read.

Overall, yes the book is about a teenage boy who travels with his best friend and sister on a tour of the continent before he enters the realm of adulthood (*dun dun duuuun*) and adventuring ensues, including getting chased by dukes and cavorting with pirates to obtain a mythical elixir of life.

What I didn't expect was the smart social commentary that definitely was skimming under the surface during this time period. Race, sexuality, gender, it's all here which made this such a better read than I expected it to be.

Monty annoyed me to no end, though I definitely sympathized with his past, particularly with his father. I still don't think he deserves Percy though. Felicity is great and I want to give Percy a hug. I'm a bit disappointed with Felicity's reaction to her brother's bisexuality (sodomy is a sin and all that jazz), but her acceptance and love for her brother is still the right way to go about it.

The desire to throttle Monty throughout aside, I really enjoyed this book.

Trigger warnings: physical/emotional abuse