Shaking it up by reading a children's/middle grade story. Aside from having the most beautiful cover I've seen in forever, this was also a very sweet story.
Each character had their own fleshed out strengths and weaknesses and I particularly enjoyed how all the threads in the story came together at the very end.
For me personally, the pacing felt off - the beginning of the story dragged on and it took Sai a long time to actually get on the boat, and then once she was there, not much was going on! The three quarters mark was full of sea storms and dramatic adventure which were fantastic, only this led to a flatter denouement with much less tension.
Soontornvat also included the important discussion of colonialism, of another country going out and 'discovering' nations for its own benefit and at this 'new' country's expense. Although the idea was represented through fictional lands and the lens of mapmakers mapping 'new' territory, I thought that the moral message was clear and handled with great care.
Overall, an interesting sea adventure, but perhaps not a favourite.