By: Angie Bayne
Felicity Montague wants to be a doctor. She has been studying medicine her whole life and knows she will be a great doctor, but she can't get any of the medical schools in Scotland to admit her. So she gives up on Scotland and heads back to London to try and convince her idol, Dr. Platte, to give her a shot.
Felicity's quest to find Dr. Platte leads her to an old friend, Johanna, who just happens to be marrying Dr. Platte. Felicity and Johanna had a falling out, but that is not going to stop her from finding her idol. Felicity is assisted on this quest by Sim, a Muslim pirate she met in London. Their quest leads them to the pirate coast where Felicity, Johanna and Sim have to stop Dr. Platte from destroying a precious natural resource and a way of life.
This is a book about strong women and I adored it. Felicity, Johanna and Sim are all wildly different individuals, but they all have a core of steel and a resolve to make their own way in the world. Felicity is determined and won't let anything like male chauvinism stand in her way. She will be a great doctor one day no matter what the stuffy old men at the medical schools say. Johanna is unabashedly a girly girl. She likes pretty dresses and parties and doesn't apologize for it. That doesn't make her weak or helpless. She is just as determined to do what is right as the others. Sim is the daughter of a pirate captain and believes that she deserves to rule the fleet one day. She is stubborn and ruthless and a true leader.
The other thing I loved about this book was that it did not have a romantic storyline. The girls do not get caught up in romantic feelings for boys or for each other. They do not have time for that kind of nonsense when they are trying to save themselves and the world. In fact, there is a wonderful passage where Felicity and Sim talk about love and romance that truly speaks to strong, independent women.
More than anything this is a story about strong women who become amazing friends and who make a difference in the world. Their accomplishments are not diminished or overshadowed by male companions. They triumph on their own because of who they are. They do not stay in their predetermined positions nor do they have to rely on a man to make it in the world. They are groundbreakers who set the pace for those who will follow.