bookmaddie's reviews
1104 reviews

The third installment in Mosse’s The Burning Chambers series, THE GHOST SHIP is billed as an adventure on the high seas. But there wasn’t nearly enough seafaring for me 🫣

Each book in the series follows a generation of the Joubert family, Huguenots living in France, where they were often persecuted. I enjoyed dipping back into their story and learning about a new family member, Louise. Louise is headstrong, independent and inquisitive, pushing against the boundaries of the time. I loved her personality and strength of character!

Louise has always loved the sea, and so has Giles, her love interest. Their love of exploration and freedom draws them together, and their love story was so tender and sweet. And queer! Love some queer representation in historical fiction. It was beautiful to see Giles living as he desired, with Louise and her family’s support.

However, I do think this book could’ve been a tad shorter. There is a lot of set-up and background that takes up a majority of the book, so only a quarter of it is really spent on the high seas. It was a delight to see a woman captain her own ship, and I loved all the pirate bits. I just wanted more!

I’m curious if Mosse will continue with the series. There was a bit of a hint towards another book at the end, but we shall see. In the meantime, I’d love to dip into her backlist. Her writing is so lush and comforting to me, and I’d love to explore another time with her as my guide. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced digital copy.

Content Warnings

The Sweetest Revenge by Lizzy Dent

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes

3.0

Sad that this is fade to black. I enjoyed the first 2/3 but then the last 1/3 got SO annoying—the miscommunication and main character being so dumb/frustrating rlly drove me nuts. Fun premise but not sure I’d recommend.

Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo

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adventurous challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

The Disenchantment by Celia Bell

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced