Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings Book 2)

Reviewed in Australia on 20 January 2019

This book is inspiring and infuriating, it links current women to their history mixed with fiction. The characters are relatable and feel more real than many female characters currently on offer. They are reasonably bold, mistaken, meek and all the things we can be. I loved this book

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Carolyn

Even better than the first

Reviewed in Australia on 2 December 2018

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Gotta love an awkward cream puff proposal!

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Jess Gofton

A fun, girl-powered romp around Europe

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 January 2019

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Since reading The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue, I’ve been looking forward to this companion novel focusing on Monty’s aro/ace sister who wants to be a doctor but is denied the kind of education she needs because she’s a woman.

Following the events of their turbulent trip across Europe in The Gentleman’s Guide, Felicity has been working in a bakery in Edinburgh, a city renowned for its progress and education in medicine, and trying to convince various hospital boards to allow her to study. When the baker she’s working with proposes to her, Felicity decides to visit Monty and Percy in London to get away from a future of popping out babies.

In London she once again tries to convince a hospital board to take her on, and again she is patronised and laughed at. One of the doctors takes pity on her and advises her to seek out Dr Alexander Platt, Felicity’s idol, who has travelled to Stuttgart to get married to an old childhood friend of Felicity’s. Though Monty tries to stop her, Felicity strikes a deal with a pirate, Sim, who agrees to take her to Stuttgart because there’s something there that she wants herself.

What ensues is another romp, with a distinctly feminist feel and a science girl gang.

Felicity is a very different protagonist to Monty, and while she doesn’t quite have his sense of humour she’s still wonderfully sarcastic and I laughed out loud several times while reading this book. Part of the joy of reading this book is having Felicity grow on you as a heroine. She’s not particularly likeable straight away.

Felicity goes on several journeys throughout this book; her literal journey to Stuttgart and her journey towards the career she wants, but my favourite thing about this book was how Lee completely trampled on the ‘not like other girls’ trope. Felicity does initially think she’s better than other girls who like traditionally feminine things, because the misogynistic 18th century world she’s been raised in has taught her that femininity means weakness and not being taken seriously.

Her friendship with Sim and Johanna, Sim who she has only just met and Johanna who she was best friends with when they were children, helps pull Felicity out of her internalised misogyny. Her friendship with Johanna, in particular, was so well written.

So many of us have that one friendship in childhood that was almost an obsession, spending long summers together where you can’t imagine not being together, and then adulthood comes along and forces change and not all friendships survive it. Felicity’s discovery that Johanna liking pretty dresses and wearing makeup doesn’t mean she can’t also still like animals and the outdoors and botany was such wonderful character growth, and it was lovely to see these two friends rediscover each other.

It was so satisfying to see Felicity’s asexuality discussed and acknowledged, too. The word ‘asexuality’ itself wasn’t used, and as far as I know that word wasn’t used in terms of human sexuality in the 18th century, but she is very clear romance is something she’s simply not interested in. Even better, when another girl shows an interest in her she doesn’t try to force some kind of relationship on her and instead is quite happy to remain her friend and nothing more.

We do get glimpses of Monty and Percy in this book, who are sickeningly in love and it’s adorable, but while it was lovely to see them they didn’t overtake the plot and it remained very much Felicity’s book. In fact, I think I enjoyed this book even more than I enjoyed The Gentleman’s Guide – it was so refreshing to read a YA novel where the focus was on friendship, and friendship between girls at that, more than anything else.

I can’t wait to read whatever Lee releases next, her writing style is so easy to gobble up, and I hope, one day, we might see more of the Montagues – even if it’s just the odd short story.

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Siobhan Dunlop

Charming and powerful sequel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 October 2018

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The follow up to The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue—a romp across eighteenth-century Europe as Henry Montague's Grand Tour goes awry and he finds himself getting into scapes and adventures alongside his sister and the guy he's secretly in love with—finds Felicity Montague, Monty's sister, on a quest to get a formal education in medicine. However, chances for women to study medicine in the eighteenth-century aren't forthcoming, and Felicity ends up on a scheme to meet and work with one of her heroes who is about to marry Felicity's estranged childhood friend. To pull this off, she must work with a mysterious woman with an agenda of her own who wants to travel to the wedding as Felicity's maid, but as with the previous book in the series, this is only the start of a journey that crosses countries and the sea.

Again, Mackenzi Lee shows how historical YA fiction should be done. Felicity is a powerful main character, deeply flawed like her brother, desperate to achieve her dreams. She even is forced to confront her own internalised misogyny and to realise that there are things outside her experience that she needs to learn about and consider. Johanna and Sim are both varied and interesting characters who contribute towards Felicity's personal reflection as well as the exciting narrative, and in general Lee endeavours to show female characters finding different ways to fight back.

The playful approach to history found in Gentleman's Guide is continued here, with some details changed for plot reasons as highlighted in an author's note after the text, but this one feels more cuttingly historical in some ways, possibly due to greater reflection on oppression and continuing themes picked up in the earlier book. Have no fear though, there's plenty of pirates and schemes and sea dragons to keep the adventure going too.

Fans of the first book will probably love this one For anyone else, this is a book for people who love female figures in history and would like a fun, exciting novel about fictional ones, particularly women involved in science, nature, and piracy. Aimed at young adult readers but great for anyone looking for a light, exhilarating read, it is charming but also manages to provide reflection on the situation and treatment of different people, then and now. Felicity will be a hero for many people.

Greg Dunn

Rollicking action adventure imbued with thoughtful social commentary

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2019

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While there was nothing in particular to dislike about The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, this follow-up is even better, perhaps because it allows author Mackenzi Lee to address issues closer to her heart and experience. It helps that the lead character is one you root for more from the off, although Felicity Montague is still flawed, like her brother Monty, and realising and addressing this forms a major part of the story. Which itself is another ripping yarn that spans continents, although this time with a distinctive element of fantasy thrown in to offset the more quotidian (but no less riveting) drama. Overall it's a deceptively easy, very enjoyable read that has a lot to say about friendship, loyalty and ambition that's worth listening to. Whilst revelling in the outlandish fiction of it all.

Indii

Last part of book is excellent, but...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 December 2018

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~maybe more of a 3.5~
The final quarter of the book really saved it for me! It was so good, action packed and exciting - however it took a bit of work to get there. It probably didn't help that I read this while in an intense university period however it just took me so long to read. It didn't feel like very much was happening and I just wasn't connecting with felicity (until the latter half of the book). However I was chuffed with how explicitly LGBT+ themes are presented, that it focused on women and one of them was Muslim! real nice
There were a few grammatical errors I picked up on but they didn't really hinder my enjoyment tbh

Katie

Full of adventure!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2019

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This is the follow up book to another of Mackenzi Lee’s books, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue. I loved that book to pieces, as I did this one!! This book focuses on Felicity Montague, a bright young woman who’s biggest dream is to become a doctor in a time when women were only really allowed to become a wife and mother.
This book follows her adventures chasing this dream, and all the shenanigans she gets into along the way!
I recommend this book is you love pirates, strong women, historical fiction or all of he above!!!

Slavic Reader✨

Just as good as the first book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2018

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I bought this for my sister as a Christmas gift. Arrived in great condition and on time. She hasn't read it, but has looked through the chapters a bit - maybe read the first chapter? - but says it seems just as funny and good as the first book.

The Faint Girl

Fabulous riot of a sequel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2019

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A fabulous sequel. Riot from. Start to finish

Karl

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 July 2020

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Bought as gift

5 star		71%
4 star		20%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy (Montague Siblings Book 2)

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