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Adventures of Arabella Ashby
3 Reviews
(3)
YA
Adventures of Arabella Ashby series.
In the conclusion to this steampunk/alternate-history trilogy, England has defeated Napoleon on Venus and now intends to conquer Mars. Heroine Arabella is of English descent but was raised on Mars, so even though her new husband is leading England's mission, she allies herself with the native Martians. Levine once again successfully injects commentary on colonialism into an action-packed science-fiction tale.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
(3)
YA
Adventures of Arabella Ashby series.
Levine's steampunk alternate history shifts the Napoleonic Wars to Venus, where French forces mistreat British POWs. Masquerading as captured Captain Singh's wife, Arabella (Arabella of Mars) launches a mission to rescue her beloved, despite the obstacles presented by a cagey chaperone and by a pirate captain's flirtations. Levine touches on the problematic aspects of colonialism even as the novel as a whole leans toward plucky adventure.
Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac
(3)
YA
Adventures of Arabella Ashby series.
In 1813, disguised as a boy, Arabella sails to Mars to save the family estate from a conniving relative. A shipboard mutiny and war between the colonists and native Martians complicate her task (and blow her cover). Steampunk mixes with a critique of colonialism as Levine simultaneously pays tribute to and updates the science fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jules Verne.
Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac
3 reviews
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