This is not a book to read unless you have already read the three previous installments, not because there's not enough information to understand volume four, but because you would be really really missing out on the intricate reveals if you didn't read them in strict order. This seems like it's the last book in the series, though I hope it is not. It's set in 1912, and the sinking of the Titanic looms over everything like, well, a titan, both physically and thematically. Reflecting the first book in the series, The Vanished Child, the mysteries all have to do with family secrets, this time mostly Perdita's, but also fallout from Alexander Reisden's.

I have been waiting for this book for literally years, and my waiting has been repaid. It's brilliant and complex and even if you figure out some of the mysteries, as I did, there are more beneath those, and still more beneath those, all the way to the end. Alexander and Perdita have to figure out what to do with all these revelations, and their desperate desires to do the right thing were painful and beautiful and utterly satisfying.

this was a really unique read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the conflict of everything. I'd be happy to read another book from Ms. Smith

I found this book to be very confusing and discovered after I had started reading it, that it was book four in a series. The author assumed the reader new what was going on and who the characters were. There was something about the way she wrote that I didn’t enjoy either. All in all, it was a real struggle for me to finish the book, but I did.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarah Smith, and Make Light Work, LLC for the opportunity to read and review this ⭐️⭐️ book.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

The Titanic is the ship of dreams but the irony is if it had never sunk most would not even know the name. And certainly only been a footnote as being the biggest ship of it’s time a century later. But because the ship did sink the world still stays entranced by it.

So here is the thing. Do not take this as fact of events on the Titanic. This is a story of the time that just happens to be set on the Titanic. A story of racism and family drama.

Reading other reviews it seems that Sarah Smith has written other books with these characters but nothing is missed by not having read the other books. You do not need to be a fan of the Titanic’s story but it helps.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I could not get through the first chapter. I felt confused with each sentence I read. Then I found out that this is book four in a series, which explained some of my confusion. However, I don’t think that reading the earlier books would capture my attention either.

I think I would have liked this more if I had read the previous books in the series first. I found it a little confusing. Some interesting themes at work here, questionable ancestry and a titanic voyage.

This was a very interesting book. The cover made me believe it would be a story about the Titanic but it wasn't. It dug deep into the persecution of Africans in the early 20th Century and explored the vast array of characters who boarded the Titanic back in 1912. There were quite a lot of characters though and at times I must admit that I found it little confusing. I found the exploration of the mistreatment of black citizens in the USA to have been done excellently which really raised that rating of this book in my opinion. I give this book 3 and a half stars.

We all know about the Titanic; how could we not? So another book based on the doomed liner wasn't of much interest to me...until I started reading. I was quickly captivated by the main character, Perdita, a well-connected concert pianist with American roots who takes the ship to give a Carnegie Hall concert. More importantly to her, she must connect with another passenger, a man who may be her father...or may be a former slave from a Virginia plantation. In the America of the early 20th century, where the KKK is active and visible and post-Civil War emotions still run high, a single drop of African blood can doom a person to a life of danger, despair and violent death. The savagery that stalked the American South as the glittering, privileged wealthy boarded Titanic is hard to believe. But the author made me believe it and as the tale unwinds and the other plot threads twine around the primary one - is Perdita black? must she "pass" or is she really white? - is answered in ways she never expected, and with a stunning violence. At times I found the plot lines overly-complicated, but the evocation of a time in American history that isn't well understood was superb.
This is book #4 in the Reisen and Perdita series.

I went into this book thinking it was something completely different, but it still captivated me despite that!

Intriguing characters, a wild plot, and pretty good dialogue. Though I thought the whole story would take place on the Titanic, I was pleasantly surprised with how Smith only had it be a small part of the overall story. Even though this wasn’t a story I would normally read, I still liked it!

Thank you to NetGalley & Make Light Work LLC for the e-ARC.

Pretty good stuff. This kept me engaged, and included interesting characters, good dialog, and a decent sized cast. The author created a good amount of suspense and used a fun story telling style with this one.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

FYI- THIS IS NOT ABOUT THE TITANIC!!!t

However there are many fascinating characters with many stories of their own travelling on the Titanic and what happens to each. I like how the book opens with a Titanic party and each guest takes a name and throughout the evening each has to follow along with what happens to the name they picked. Do they survive? Do they die onboard? I liked the beginning of the story immensely because you learn about each character or family, however this book does jump around a lot and it was a little tasking keeping up with everything. Each character has their own side story about why traveling on Titanic and what they are leaving and goals for their lives after Titanic docks in New York.

Overall, this was a good story but more a historical fiction than an actual historical account. Writing was good and if you could keep track of the characters, it was enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Everything Titanic fascinates me and this book definitely had bit that made me keep readying, but it wasn't easy. There is a lot going on, a lot of characters and at some points was a bit hard to follow. I think if I read it a second time that it might be a bit easier and I will have a different opinion, but still great historical accounts of the stories of those doomed passengers.

I really liked the idea of this novel. The Titantic and Black rights are two parts of history I enjoy. I found this narrative very hard to understand. It moved around frequently and confused me. The characters were not easy to identify and their actions were confusing. I often didn't understand what was happening, what was a flashback .

I have always been fascinated by the story of the Titanic. This is another great book about this historical maiden voyage. This one is a.little harder to read than some others I have read because there are several different characters and they all seem to have a lot going on. I had a little difficulty keeping up with who was related to whom. I really liked Perdita and Alexander and hope to see more from them later on. All in all this is a great story and O very much enjoyed it.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this incredible book for my honest opinion.
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The sinking of the Titanic will always be sadly fascinating, and the subject of race was very cleverly combined with the tragedy. The book was fascinating, but I have to say it wasn’t an easy read. Not because of the difficult subject matter, but due to the large number of characters and their very complicated relationships to each other. This book is one I could possibly rate higher after another reading.

I was expecting a book about the Titanic. What Sarah has given us is, even better, a (hopefully not final!) chapter in the tale of Perdita and Alexander, that happens to happen partially on the Titanic. It is full of all the intrigue and suspense that one expects from a Sarah Smith book, as well as intriguing facts about a point in history.

I read it one sitting, it was *that* enthralling.

I was expecting a book about the Titanic. What Sarah has given us is, even better, a (hopefully not final!) chapter in the tale of Perdita and Alexander, that happens to happen partially on the Titanic. It is full of all the intrigue and suspense that one expects from a Sarah Smith book, as well as intriguing facts about a point in history.

I read it one sitting, it was *that* enthralling.