Anxious Adventures in The Nobleman’s Guide to Scandal and Shipwrecks | Review

【 THE NOBLEMAN’S GUIDE TO SCANDAL AND SHIPWRECKS 】

We will never get enough of the Montague siblings.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Author: Mackenzi Lee
Published: November 2021
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Pages: 580 (hardback)

Content warning (click to see)

generalised anxiety – OCD – amputations – serious injuries

This was such a bonus to have a third (and final, *sob*) book about the Montague siblings. Because I have a memory like a sieve sometimes, I was thoroughly delighted and shocked to ‘discover’ that there was a third sibling (it’s been a really long time since I read book one, okay). So I spent at least the first 13% of the book trying to figure out what the heck was going on and who was this Adrian fellow.

First thing first is to say strongly that this is not the book to read if you’re suffering a bout of anxiety. This book is stressful to read, and particularly so if you’re doing the audiobook. However, it’s quite clear from the premise of the book, the author’s note and the way Adrian’s anxiety and OCD presents, that the purpose of this book is to show how mental illness could be portrayed in a historical context. Lee herself notes at the end that she wanted to show that mental battles are not a thing just of current day, but are ever present and normal part of the human experience.

So whilst it’s hard to read at times (and I think certainly worse in the first 30%), I really enjoyed seeing how Adrian received and sought support from the people around. So as we’ve come to expect from these books, there’s a rollicking good adventure within these pages. I love that pirates always feature in these books up front and centre. If you’re craving some awkard-yet-mushy moments between siblings that will make you wish you had siblings to go a-pirating with, this is the book for you.

I also love how we get to revisit Monty and Felicity when they’re a bit older to see how life has treated them. But I won’t talk too much about that other than I absolutely freaking loved it, but that’s a wonderful story for you to read about. The other delicious element to this book is Adrian’s imminent ascension to the House of Lords, where he really wants to challenge some of his father’s policies (v. nerve-wracking) and enact some changes for good. AND. There’s Lou, who is just a darling and of whom I wish we saw more, she was amazing.

There’s plenty of queer rep in this (ofc) and Percy is a sweetheart, as expected. This really felt like a story of self-discovery. This is also a very similar story to Enola Holmes, which is a very popular movie, with near-identical plot premises happening. So if you liked that, you’ll love this.

If you haven’t yet discovered the wonder of this little trilogy, then I highly, highly recommend that you do because it is so much fun.