This is another one of my backlogged reviews. The last few weeks have been incredibly busy for me due to the holidays and some work deadlines, but I wanted to write a review for this awesome book before welcoming 2018, which will hopefully be full of adventures and positivity.
Let me first tell you what I thought after finishing this book: “That’s it?! That’s the end? I f*cking wanted more!” I mean, seriously, I enjoyed it so much that I didn’t want to let go of it right away. It felt like it ended too abruptly for my liking.
The most recent book I’ve read that resembled this one in some way—in terms of traveling through Europe and all its glory—is Josh Lanyon’s Jefferson Blythe, Esquire, which happens to be the most Young Adult-ish of all of Lanyon’s books, if you are not familiar with her works.
Henry, his sister Felicity, and his best friend Percy are on a Grand Tour of the Continent, after which Henry is expected to enter adulthood. As per the usual trope, things didn’t go as planned. The trio managed to steal a panacea (thanks to Henry), get captured by amateur pirates, and basically cause chaos wherever they went.
The story revolves around these three characters, all of whom have lead potential. They are indeed the main characters in this book, although the story is told entirely from Henry’s perspective. Each of them is distinctly different, vibrantly characterized, and full of personality.
I absolutely adore Henry. I loved his candor, and you can really see how he matures over the course of the story. Percy, on the other hand, is totally adorable! Gaaahhh, I loved their chemistry from the get-go! I was dying to get to the chapter where they finally realized they had been pining for each other for what felt like forever, and when it happened—ugh, I just can’t!
I feel like there is more to this story, and I cannot wait to read more of their adventures. I hope it’s Felicity’s turn next! I cannot recommend this book highly enough!
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
About the Author
Mackenzi Lee holds a BA in history and an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Simmons College. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the historical fantasy novels THIS MONSTROUS THING and THE GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO VICE AND VIRTUE (HarperCollins), as well as the forthcoming THE LADY’S GUIDE TO PETTICOATS AND PIRACY and SEMPER AUGUSTUS (coming in 2019 from Flatiron/Macmillan). She is also the author of BYGONE BADASS BROADS (Abrams, 2018), a collection of short biographies of amazing women from history you probably don’t know about but definitely should, based on her popular twitter series of the same name.
She currently calls Boston home, where she manages an independent bookstore, drinks too much Diet Coke, and pets every dog she meets.
PADDYLAST INC. 