I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers on 5/4/21
Genres: Historical, Young Adult
Pages: 384
Format: Ebook
Source: Reviewer Purchase
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Valora Luck has two things: a ticket for the biggest and most luxurious ocean liner in the world, and a dream of leaving England behind and making a life for herself as a circus performer in New York. Much to her surprise though, she's turned away at the gangway; apparently, Chinese aren't allowed into America.
But Val has to get on that ship. Her twin brother Jamie, who has spent two long years at sea, is there, as is an influential circus owner, whom Val hopes to audition for. Thankfully, there's not much a trained acrobat like Val can't overcome when she puts her mind to it.
As a stowaway, Val should keep her head down and stay out of sight. But the clock is ticking and she has just seven days as the ship makes its way across the Atlantic to find Jamie, perform for the circus owner, and convince him to help get them both into America.
Then one night the unthinkable happens, and suddenly Val's dreams of a new life are crushed under the weight of the only thing that matters: survival.
Short and Sweet Review
The year is 1912 and Valora Luck has quit her job and is planning on smuggling her way onto the Titanic to find her brother and make a better life for them in America. A part owner of the Ringling Brothers Circus is on board and Valora wants to convince him to allow her and Jamie to become acrobats in the circus. Valora can only keep her ruse so long and she’s not even sure if Jamie wants the life she’s proposing. One night the unsinkable ship is dealt a fatal blow.
Luck of the Titanic starts off with us meeting Valora. She’s determined to get on the ship and reunite with her brother, they only have each other now that both of their parents are dead. Valora doesn’t really have a way on the ship since it was her employer who was the one who had the ticket. So now Valora smuggles her way on the ship, and is pretending to be her dead employer Mrs. Sloane and makes her way to first class. Valora finds her brother in third class with other Chinese laborers. While Valora thinks that her and Jamie should move to America and become acrobats in the circus Jamie is more reluctant and clearly shows he doesn’t like the idea.
This book was okay but not much happened. Valora goes between first and third class and tries not to get caught by the staff. Valora also spends a lot of time trying to convince Jamie to join the circus. There’s a subplot where an aspiring fashion designer, April Hart, wants Valora to wear her designs around the titanic. Anyway that’s all that happened in the book there was a romance, kind of, nothing really happened. I like how Valora was determined at first I felt sorry for her but then she became annoying. It’s like she couldn’t imagine that Jamie might not want the same thing she does. She would not leave Jamie alone even though he’s fine with the life he has now and the new friends he made, it’s almost like she couldn’t wrap her head around that and it was her way or the highway.
Everyone knows what happened on the Titanic and we also see that in the book but the ending was… it was something and I don’t have the right word for it. When the book ended I was relieved, the pacing was slow and when nothing’s happening it just makes for a boring time.
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