Cat O'Nine Tails [Hardcover]

Fantastic! Super! Amazing! Is there any words better then that to describe this book & the rest of the Cat Royal Series? I mean Cat Royal is probably, in my opinion, the strongest female heroine I have encounter so far in YA/MG fiction. She is smart, and isn't afraid to be herself, even with the time period. She is a great role model, and I look up to her in many ways. Julia Golding has this special talent about her to create books that are addictive and attractive to everyone who reads them, Cat Royal Adventures are no exception. If I had to rate all the Cat Royal books I would give each one a four stars, except maybe the third boo: Den Of Thieves. I haven't reviewed any of Julia Golding books on my site, but if you ever hear me talk about my favorite authors then you'll know that shes one of them. I can read any of her books, more then once. They're addicting.
In this book Cat, Pedro, Syd and Frank get kidnapped and put on the ship, called the Courageous. Cat has to once again, dress up as a boy and pretend she is one. She goes all over the world from Bath, all the way to America. She even becomes a part of Creek Indian Family. When you read a Cat Royal book you learn a lot about the past, but also about different culture customs & racism.
Why do I like this book, or any of the other books? I have no idea. Maybe because they're entertaining, not boring, or maybe it has something to do with Cat. You never get bored with Cat or get annoyed with her. You just simply adore her. I also love all the possible relationships she could have with guys (There's Frank, Syd, Billy, and maybe even Pedro). Though I root for Cat and Billy, I do have a soft spot for Syd :)
But what I didn't like about this book is a) I thought some scenes could of been cut out, they were not really necessary. B) I thought that the person who betrayed Cat & her friends could have been better hinted at. C) I thought that the words, old words, that should have been in the glossary, weren't.
My favorite scene? Is the ending when one of Cat's friend has a baby, and she has to watch. I love what she says afterwords,
"Yes, she's fine now, though it was worse than a storm at sea giving life to that armful of trouble. Syd and Pedro looked at Lizzie in awe. 'Put me off having children, I can tell you," I added. (Page. 378)
I cracked up when I heard her say that. Whenever you read a Cat Royal novel, you're in for: adventure, new knowledge, and a bunch of laughter. In all the fourth book in the series live up to the expectations of what I have for The Cat Royal Series.

Catherine Royal, a plucky and courageous teenaged orphan known to all as "Cat," has wound up at the estate of the Duke of Avon. A series of adventures brought her from the streets of London to the theater life of Drury Lane and now to the lap of luxury at the home of her good friend Frank, the Duke's son and heir to his wealth. Feeling extremely out of place and inordinately bored, Cat longs to be released from the confines of reading and sewing quietly inside.

Little does she realize that her world will soon turn upside down when news of a missing friend leads to a fact-finding mission and her abduction into forced work on a British Navy vessel bound for the West Indies. It takes all the strength and wit Cat can muster to survive the cruel treatment that she suffers at the hands of her captor, the ship's purser. Along the way Cat uncovers a malicious plot to trick the Duke into transferring Frank's rightful inheritance to someone else.

This fourth book in the series will certainly meet the high standards that readers have come to expect from a Cat Royal adventure. Woven into the excitement are a series of economic themes, including the drudgery of forced servitude and slavery, the contrasts between wealth and poverty, and the discriminatory treatment of Native Americans during the colonial era. A fiery and independent heroine adds a potent punch to this appealing work of historical fiction.

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars