The Left-Handed Fate

Nagspeake Books #3

by Kate Milford, Eliza Wheeler (Illustrator)

Lucy Bluecrowne and Maxwell Ault are on a mission: find the three pieces of a strange and arcane engine. They're not exactly sure what this machine does, but they have it on good authority that it will stop the war that's raging between their home country of England and Napoleon Bonaparte's France. Despite being followed by mysterious men dressed all in black, they're well on their way to finding everything they need when their ship, the famous Left-Handed Fate, is taken by the Americans.

And not just any Americans. The Fate (and with it, Lucy and Max) are put under the command of Oliver Dexter, who's only just turned twelve.

But Lucy and Max aren't the only ones trying to put the engine together, and if the pieces fall into the wrong hands, it could prove disastrous. Oliver is faced with a choice: help Lucy and Max and become a traitor to his country? Or follow orders and risk endangering that same country and many others at the same time--not to mention his friends?

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, Mystery, Fiction, Historical

375 pages, Hardcover

First published August 23, 2016

About the author

Kate is the author of THE THIEF KNOT, GREENGLASS HOUSE, GHOSTS OF GREENGLASS HOUSE, BLUECROWNE, THE LEFT-HANDED FATE, THE BONESHAKER, THE BROKEN LANDS, THE KAIROS MECHANISM, and the forthcoming THE RACONTEUR'S COMMONPLACE BOOK (February 2021).

Originally from Annapolis, MD, Kate now lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband Nathan and son Griffin and their dogs, Ed and Sprocket. She has written for stage and screen and is a frequent travel columnist for the Nagspeake Board of Tourism and Culture (www.nagspeake.com).

Reviews

[Brandy Painter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

Kate Milford is an auto-buy author for me. I love all of her books. The Left-Handed Fate, which I was lucky enough to read an ARC of, is no exception. It has been a long time since I was so thoroughly enraptured with a book and in that mode where I never want to stop reading or leave this world and its characters.

Max Ault is attempting to complete his late father's mission to put together the pieces of an ancient puzzle that lead to the building of a magnificent machine-a machine that will have the power to end all wars.

Lucy Bluecrowne is a privateer determined to help Max complete his mission and continue her family's legacy of honor and commitment.

Oliver Dexter wants to live up to the legacy of his famous ship captain father and not embarrass himself as a midshipman turned captain of a prize vessel.

Liao Bluecrowne just wants everyone to stop fighting and let him make fireworks in peace.

Together these four headstrong determined characters have to dodge the most undiplomatic of French diplomats, outrun mysterious pursuers dressed in all black whose ship seems to appear out of nowhere, navigate the mysterious unexplainable port of Nagspeake, and deal with betrayals, plots, and politics. Most importantly they have to learn to trust each other and work together before they all lose everything they are working hardest to hold on to.

As always with Milford's work, the characters shine brightest in The Left-Handed Fate. I can not even begin to tell you how much I love these people. My brain is a jumble of incoherent ramblings and heart eye emojis. Lucy is brave, smart, strategical, and a masterful leader. Max is determined, loyal, intelligent, and capable of backing down when necessary. And can the boy ever think outside the box. Oliver is vulnerable yet stalwart, honorable, and smart enough to know when he is in over his head and ask for help. Liao is wise beyond his years, energetic, and artistic. The way Milford weaves their relationships to bring out their characteristics is nothing short of phenomenal writer's craft. Through it we see the people they are in how they behave with each other. And different interactions and groupings bring out different characteristics and shades of who they are. It. Is. Brilliant. Oliver is a foil for both Lucy and Max. He has certain qualities in common with Lucy and others with Max. This shows how much Lucy and Max really have in common despite seeming to be complete opposites. In addition to that, Oliver is very much his own character. Liao is so completely self-possessed and runs circles around the older characters and it is vastly entertaining. I loved all of Liao's scenes. The developing relationships and how each is carefully circling around the others for a variety of different reasons makes for fascinating reading too. I adored each of these characters individually and every permutation of them together. I loved how they needed each other to be their best possible selves too. (My favorite is Lucy/Max though because I'm a hopeless romantic and I shipped that hard from the first chapter, which, if you read this blog often enough, will tell you everything you need to know about Lucy and Max.)

The plot is fast paced. There is really no peace at all to be had while reading this book. The end of each chapter just left me wanting to know more, desperate to see what happens next. I've made no secret of how little I tend to enjoy books that take place on boats. I had no trouble with this here. There was exactly enough about ships for me to be firmly set in the world without making me want to go set fire to an entire fleet out of sheer frustration if I got one more detail about how ships work. This is a fine balance no other author writing about boats has managed for me. Milford does a fabulous job of showing life on ship and also the bringing to life the town of Nagspeake, which is changeable and hard to pin down. I was fully immersed in the world she created from beginning to end.

The story takes place during the War of 1812 shortly after America's declaration of war. The Left-Handed Fate is a British privateer vessel. Oliver is a midshipman in the US Navy. Max is doing what he is doing to help Britain stop the advance of Napoleon. I appreciated how well Milford added historical details including how complicated the politics of all this were at the time. Max has a line about how inconsequential the American war is in comparison to Britain's problem with Napoleon. (True.) She also manages to include how awful and unfair impressment and the British seizing of America's ships was. (Also true.) She does this deftly, not turning her plot into a history lesson. It is simply part of the world and who these characters are. These issues color how the characters see each other, how they choose their words, and what actions they take. At the fear of repeating myself too much, it is BRILLIANT.

I am labeling this as Middle Grade because that's how it is being marketed, but truly it is one of those books that defies age category. (Okay, that's also a trademark of Kate Milford's books. She is in the same category in my head with Diana Wynne Jones, Elizabeth Marie Pope, and Megan Whalen Turner that way.) Child. Teen. Adult. Who cares? Enjoy a good adventure with politics and characters who will feel like family? Then this book is for you.

I read an ARC made available by the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., via Edelweiss. The Left-Handed Fate is on sale August 23rd.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look: this is, objectively speaking, a decent book. Even a good one. But it's somehow both clinically good and a confusing jumble. The plot is messy, but it's covered in a veneer of competent storytelling.

I don't want competence, though. I want an immersive experience. I want a story greater than the sum of its parts. I want something that reaches for the heights of Greenglass House, something ambitious and exciting and urgent.

Instead, I get a treasure hunt (that's a theme Milford plays with in a few books) and fireworks (same) - only here I'm supposed to believe the treasure hunt is more than a treasure hunt and the fireworks are more than fireworks. And I don't.

Also, I'm left wondering why people treat these characters as adults when all I'm shown from their points of view, over and over, is just how young they feel and consequently behave. This isn't a flaw in and of itself, but it is a contradiction when people don't notice their less-than-adult perspectives and act instead as if nothing is amiss.

The main problem I have, though, resembles the problem I had with The Broken Lands: too many big ideas are dumped into the narrative and given short shrift. Between the orphans, the treasure-hunt-that-can-end-everything, the convenient independent principality with its growing metal and wandering streets and frustratingly unsurprising madhouse, and the very real war, neither the fantastic aspects nor the horror of the war of 1812 are properly developed. The characters, who are supposedly propelled by these elements, suffer as a result.

There are also ahistorical details, mostly about the treatment of women at the time, that border on preachy and are awkwardly linked to the treatment of children at the time; I ignored them.

The writing doesn't strike me as particularly clever, either, but there is one great line:

"When you call things 'fairy tales,' you mean stories for children, in which fantastic things stand in for real ones and some sort of truth hides behind a wondrous fiction, yes?"

If only this book lived up to the promise implied in those words.

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow. What a journey w/Kate Milford this has been. She has, in a short time, become a favorite author of all time. I am blown away at her writing..the way she can tell a story..her descriptions, her characters, plots..the details! Right down to blending historical facts into her fiction, & all the research & work she puts into, not only making the story as great as possible, but as accurate as possible for the factual parts. Also, this world. How they can all be so connected to each other, but each feel like completely different books from the others. It isn’t a storyline that is just the same plot dragging on. Even if they were, I still would want more lol I hope we get a ton more from the characters in each storyline. I love them all so much. In this one we are back w/Lucy & Liao. We 1st met them in BlueCrowne. It’s a few years later. They’re on their ship the Left-Handed Fate on a new mission their Papa has taken on. It’s dangerous, suspenseful, & full of adventure. We have some old favs, & definitely some new ones too. This broke my heart, & then put it back together better than before. The ending was so beautiful & perfect I got teary. The love I have for all the characters is strong. Lucy is a strong girl, a natural leader, & only happy at sea. Just like her papa. Liao still has my heart. He couldn’t hurt a fly, even though his talent could bring enemies to their knees begging for mercy. Such a pure, gentle heart. This shows how awful war is, & the evil it can bring out in people..but also the good. People could build a machine that has the power to do anything you wish. Depending on who has that machine determines the beauty or the horror to be made. Good & evil. Good & bad. Love all of these books so much. CANNOT WAIT for the next book that comes out next month!! Beautiful cover w/absolutely BEAUTIFUL illustrations all through the book by Eliza Wheeler as well. Loved that. Highly recommend!💜

[Skip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Bluecrowne and Maxwell Ault are on a mission: find and combine the three pieces of a strange and arcane engine that will have the power to end all wars. The book takes place after the more recently published book Bluecrowne, at the outset of the war of 1812, with America battling England while England is worried about France and Napoleon. Others are after the machine, including the French and some mysterious men in black. The privateer, Left-Handed Fate, is captured by the Americans and put under the command of young Oliver Dexter, who is only twelve and is promoted to acting Lieutenant. Oliver and Lucy are both forced into positions of leadership, making difficult decisions affecting the lives of their crews, leading them to the independent town of Nagspeake, where they are able to learn what the loom cards mean and find the second piece in a wonderfully illustrated, weird bizarre. Liao Bluecrowne's fascination with fireworks plays an important role. Milford weaves another interesting tale, with steampunk elements.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unlikely pairing of a pirate’s daughter, a philosopher’s son, and a 12 year-old naval captain might be just the right combination of brains, heart, and bravery to decipher the cryptic clues whispering of an ancient machine that could wipe all war from the planet. Such a powerful tool… in the wrong hands… The adventure begins on the high seas before Max, Lucy, and Oliver find themselves on the other side of the wardrobe as their quest delivers them to the otherworldly, Sovereign City of Nagspeake where places and people aren’t always as they appear. It’s a story that unfolds on the edge of imagination and reality. Left-Handed Fate’s subtle rumination on weapons may very well help the sophisticated readers of today shape a violence-free tomorrow.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Lucy Bluecrowne is the daughter of Captain Bluecrowne of the Left-Handed Fate and privateer. Lucy and her little brother Liao love their life at sea. It's all Lucy has ever known though Liao remembers living in China with his mother. The ship and crew are sailing the Atlantic in search of French ships and also searching for a mysterious machine part. Max Ault is determined to finish the job his father, a natural philosopher, started and bring about an end to the war between Britain and France. Max has one part of the machine and the next is hidden in Baltimore. Unfortunately for the ship's crew, America has just declared war on Britain so it won't be easy navigating Baltimore as British subjects. If Max wants to succeed he has to talk his way past a nervous shopkeeper, seek help from a young American acting Lieutenant (U.S. Navy), rely on Lucy and Liao to help rescue him from his own clumsiness and avoid some mysterious sailors in all black who only appear after seeing mysterious purple lights. Can a quartet of children figure out the solution to the mysterious machine that will end war forever?

This story is a light fantasy novel for older middle grade readers/young adults set during the War of 1812. It's a time period not many people know about from the American perspective outside of key areas like Baltimore. I was really intrigued to see how the war would affect the characters. The plot was interesting but I felt it wasn't as unputdownable as I had expected. It felt a little too slow moving in the beginning. I dropped my rating because of an excessive battle scene involving a lot of carnage. That was a bit too much for a middle-grade book. It was confusing after that to figure out who was on which ship and who was an ally of Lucy's and who was not. That becomes much more ambiguous as the story goes on. Once they get to Nagspeake the story becomes a lot more interesting. I just loved the description of Nagspeake. It's so fantastical and amazing. I loved the living iron "philosophical iron" and the bazaar. The author did an amazing job world building. I dropped my rating a bit more because the moral was hammered home.

I also really liked the strong female characters in this novel. Lucy has spent her entire life at sea and she can be a bit tough but she also has a heart. She is capable of feelings and emotions that all teen girls experience. She has a lot to deal with in this novel and I really liked her. Lucy is a bit bossy at times but she is a natural leader and gets things done in her own way. Nell Levinflash is the other strong female character. She's a leader like Lucy but unlike Lucy, she doesn't seem to have emotions. She does what she has to do to protect her home and while I found her ethics a bit dubious, I did appreciate her character. Another strong female character is The Mad Spinster. She's a minor character but crucial to the plot. I loved learning about the history of weaving. I don't believe she is truly mad but perhaps elderly and a bit too consumed by her work.

The male characters here are all very different but quite as endearing as the females. Max is a gawky, awkward teenage boy who wants to do the right thing but is unsure of what to do. I loved his clumsiness and how he figures out what to do at the end. Liao is adorable. He is so sweet and loving. He reminded me of my niece "E". They're the same age. Liao embodies the sweet innocence of young children. His pyromania made me a bit nervous but I liked how he only used it for fun and for helping a friend in need. Oliver Dexter, age 12, is an eager young lad, determined to go to sea and follow in the footsteps of his hero. (Is he named after Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the War of 1812?) When he finds himself in over his head he behaves as any other young teen boy would. I really liked his character development and how Lucy points out his positive traits. Britain had better look out!

The adult males are not as well-rounded as the children because obviously this book is intended for children. Like the Series of Unfortunate Events, the children are smarter than the adults. Lucy's father seems indulgent of her and a loving father. He's a tough Captain but fair. The crew members aren't fleshed out much. Mr. Cascon is Oliver's trusted friend and father-figure. I didn't trust him at first but his story is tragic and horrific. Of Lucy's friends, only Harrick really becomes part of the story and he basically exists in the background to move the children from point A to point B. The crew of the LHF are like Lucy's family so I'm sure I would like them. They're certainly loyal. Then there's the villains from France who also want the same machine Max is after. Cloutier and Voclain are a bit stereotypical. They're single-minded in pursuit of stopping the British without thought to consequences. The author refrains from making them cartoonish at least. The mysterious men in black are a bit scary. They surprised me a lot.

I enjoyed this novel enough to want a sequel! I'd like to know how things turned out for Oliver and what Lucy gets up to next.

This book is for those who like
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels
L.A. Meyer's Jacky Faber series
Horatio Hornblower 1 - 11.
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)
steampunk

Content:
Graphic battle sequence
honest, brutal account of the French Revolution
occasional language

[Fran]

I lived in Fell's Point, where The Left-Handed Fate begins, and still consider it home. To find it captured in time between these pages, and well in the grip of plots and contorted mechanisms was a complete joy.

More soon, once I wrest the book back from a young friend.

[A.R. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first found this book in the library, I was incredibly excited. A Kate Milford book I haven't read yet? I asked myself. And what's more, one about Lucy, a Bluecrowne and a founder of Greenglass House, my introduction to Kate Milford? Obviously, I grabbed it and held it close to my chest until it was safely home and in my bookshelf.

Lucy Bluecrowne and her stepbrother Liao are back on their ship The Left-Handed Fate, this time not privateering, but hired by Maxwell Ault to assist him in the quest his father begun to end the years-long war between their country of England and France under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte by finding the pieces to and building an ancient, fabled weapon of massive power. But they're being tailed by the Marie Colette, a ship containing the Frenchman that was Max's father's main rival, and a mysterious black brig keeps appearing out of nowhere, heralded by the glowing corpusants of St. Elmo's Fire.

Oliver Dexter is an acting-midshipman of the US Navy, only there because his father, a famous naval commander, pulled strings. He expects to serve for a few years before ever being promoted, but when America enters into the War of 1812 with Britain and the ship Oliver serves on captures a beautiful British privateer vessel, he's propelled into returning as acting-lieutenant with a small prize-crew to take the ship back to an American port-- at twelve years old.

In a quintessential Kate Milford book, including oceanic battles, twisting pathways, riddles and fireworks, is contained another deep-woven tale of betrayal, magic, mysteries, wars, and friendships, all combined to create a book it would be incredibly hard not to like.

Say the words:
Of these is the world made, by these is the world contained. From the singularities is built the great engine that in turn builds the vision of the dreamer and rains down upon the others the end of dreaming.

Tolle et lege.

[cardulelia carduelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 4th Milford, and chronologically the 2nd installment in her fareaching Nagspeake book, picks up a few years after Bluecrowne ends: with Lucy back where she belongs aboard the Left-handed Fate.
In tow is her enchanting brother Liao, the formidable Captain Bluecrowne, and a chap called Max who has hired the privateers to help him find 3 pieces of an infernal device that could stop the war with Napoleon. There's also a young fella called Oliver too.

But it's a Milford so it's about far more than that.

A big theme is children stepping out of their parents shadows; in each case because their parents are and were formidable at their own particular craft. This is entirely framed as an opportunity for growth rather than resentment that has them helping each other, e.g. Lucy clarifying leadership vs issuing commands to Oliver, or by relying on their own strengths, with Lucy forging ahead despite other's assumptions about her gender and age.
However, the book doesn't dally too long on the character's contemplation, rather it's brought up in decisions and actions they take as the plot rolls along.



The first half of LHF starts off with a bang as we join Max the 'natural philosopher', Lucy, and Liao on a covert mission in Baltimore. Surrounded by a newly hostile and increasingly volatile port, pursued by mysterious pyrophilic shadows, the trio manage to pull it off.. almost. The first half is most notable for a huge event that shakes up the plot and every character in the book. I won't spoil it but I'm not sure it got quite enough gravitas in the follow-up chapters. I get the impression that, like with the character growth, Milford didn't want to wallow in it but allow her charges to move the plot along.
The rest of this part has a lot of sea-faring politics. I found some of it a little dull.

Luckily, that all goes away when the LHF returns to Nagspeake! And a new part of the town for me: Flotilla. The cast of characters really gets to work at this point: visiting weavers, bakers, dignitaries, quartermasters, an inventor's bizarre. I had a wonderful time visiting the city again and being immersed in Milford's gorgeous descriptions. I also really appreciated Eliza Wheeler's illustrations which mesh perfectly with the story and with the other volumes in this series (Nicole Wong did BlueCrowne and Jaime Zollars did the two Greenglass House volumes).
In particular the busier scenes in Flotilla and the Inventor's Bazaar were gorgeous and really got my imagination fired up.

The book has a terrific ending, which I've now come to expect from Milford, and which has left me misty eyed and muttering - huzzah! - like a loon. I'm looking forward to the next one on my list of her works: The Broken Lands.
In general if you want something cosy, a little dark, that reminds you of the passion and resilience of what it was like to be a child - then read these. They're excellent historical fantasies and they give me the warm fuzzies. Recommended.


Eliza Wheeler's renderig of the Inventor's Bazaar in Nagspeake's Flotilla

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 4 out of 5]

You might also enjoy:

✱ Bluecrowne
✱ The Kairos Mechanism
✱ Greenglass House
✱ The Apothecary series
✱ The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series
✱ The Mapmakers trilogy

[Mike Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like I'm running out of superlatives to use when describing Kate Milford's work, because wowie zowie, she just keeps throwing armfuls of greatness out the windows and into the streets, you know? THE LEFT-HANDED FATE is fabulously good. It has all of the qualities I've come to associate with the Kate Milford Literary Experience: an intricate web of historical detail; an air of tension that builds slowly but inexorably to a supernova state; deeply realized characters who are flinty, stubborn, courageous, uncertain, and altogether lovable; and a current of humor that's sly, understated, and irresistible. She just can't write books fast enough for me, is what I'm saying. DAMN IT, KATE, WRITE FASTER

[Ariel Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very, very well-written. Not a book I would ever normally pick up (maritime adventure?! No, thanks), but definitely worth the ride.

Lots of adventure, strong female characters, delightful world-building, and all-around fun. A great recommendation for those kids who are reading on a level that puts them outside the children's room, but aren't ready for a lot of the content of YA.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this was a pretty good book with nicely developed characters and an interesting plot. However, at times it was quite confusing, and to me it seemed like the story moved very, very slowly up until the end where it moved extremely quick.

[˗ˏˋ kacie ˎˊ˗ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but not as remarkable as the author's other books. I feel like this is the kind of story that would grow on me though, because it left a lot to think about.

My main issue were,
(1) a certain plot point that happened pretty early on..i wished it didn't happen because it was one of my favorite elements in the book (no spoilers :p).
(2) the romance came out of nowhere?? This is the first time the author had introduced romance element to her main characters (at least from the books by her that I've read) and I have to say, it wasn't well developed at all.
(3) the ending wrapped up too quickly. I wanted to know what're the consequences for Olive for making those decisions!! It's like for the whole book, the historical context felt real enough and with how heated the war was I didn't think it'd be that easy/appropriate for Oliver to had one-sidedly done that.

The war background was interesting and well intended, maybe it's just me but I found the ship battles a bit confusing and boring. I'm not very familiar with ship terms, so most of the time I didn't even know where the canon was aimed at lol. You may argue, well then, google it! Yea yea, you're right, but I read middle grade to relax my mind and for escapism, extra research is exhausting LOL. I vaguely knew what countries' navies were present and that a lot of people died, but didn't care all that much, so the first half was a slog for me to get through.

However, as soon as we got to Nagspeake, the pacing picked up a lot and I got really invested again. The madhouse, market, secret hideout, ahhh just classic Kate Milford; so magical and delightful, with a mysterious looming sense of danger.

[Morgan Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors!!

Another incredible story. This follows Lucy and Liao in their second adventure. Cameos from Ghosts of Greenglass House and Boneshaker pop up as well as Bluecrowne.

It took me awhile to get into it, but wow wow wow, WORTH IT. I wish there were more stories with Lucy and Liao that I could join in on their adventures.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting way to move the series forward. I can't wait to read more about what this series is actually about and who those mysterious black-on-black sailors are.

I say this a lot but I'd love to see this adapted for TV or movies.

[Letitia Moffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and exciting adventure story. Readers unfamiliar with Milford's fictional world will probably be confused at places, so this isn't the one to start with -- but worth the read once you get to it.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the things I liked about this one:

-inspired by Master and Commander
-we get to visit more of Nagspeake!
-more Lucy and Liao
-ancient mysteries and wonder
-main theme is opposition to horrors of war, while keeping it non-nightmarish for the middle grade crowd (not easy).

[Oliver Walters-Clift · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting, the characters were well fleshed out. The only problem was that the battle was extremely confusing -- too many ships, so it was impossible to keep track of the action.

[Kristen Lancia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wonderful!! I laughed, I cried, and I smiled.

[Jen Bojkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story about the privateer ship the Left-Handed Fate and her crew- primarily Lucy Bluecrowne. Kate Milford is an amazing story teller! This one took me a little time to get into it, but once I did, I was hooked and couldn't wait to see what would happen in the end.
Great book for boys or girls who want adventure on the high seas during the War of 1812.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy provided by NetGalley

This book was a lot more than I bargained for. Honestly, it was one of the more difficult reads I've endeavored to review for NetGalley, but the experience was well worth the effort. This is a story set against the backdrop of the War of 1812, one that seemed to pick up right in the middle of the action. There's backstory that the reader will have to come to understand on their own to truly appreciate what's happening. In reality, this is the story of four different characters, all in their early teenage years, all with a unique history and unexpected connections to one another.

There is Lucy Bluecrowne, daughter of the captain of The Left-Handed Fate; Maxwell "Max" Ault, son of a scientist that hired The Left-Handed Fate to help him in a mission of worldwide importance; Liao, Lucy's pacifist brother who is obsessed with fireworks and pyrotechnics of all sorts; and Oliver Dexter, who at age twelve is starting his naval career as the son of a high ranking American naval officer while trying to live up to his father's amazing reputation.

Readers should note that this book would be much easier to understand if you have read Bluecrowne first, something that I was not aware of before reading. In fact, I'd never heard of Bluecrowne, but the nature of the story made me wonder if this was not the first adventure for some of the characters. Lucy and Liao are definitely in Bluecrowne, though I haven't read it, so I don't know if Max is. I don't think Oliver Dexter is, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, Max is on a mission to gather the pieces of what they assume is a weapon that can stop Napoleon Bonaparte from taking over the world. His father died trying to achieve that, and now Max is taking up where he left off. Lucy and her father are helping them because they agreed to do so, and they are honor bound to keep their word. Liao just seems to be along for the ride, though his mastery of pyrotechnics makes him a handy accomplice in their mission. They are in U.S. waters in the Chesapeake Bay just as the war of 1812 breaks out and they are commandeered by the ship on which Oliver Dexter is a crew member. He becomes the prize captain of The Left-Handed Fate, meaning he is put in charge of the ship because the ship he was on defeated The Left-Handed Fate in battle.

Lucy's father is killed in battle, and Lucy is the new captain of the ship by default, so she has to hand over The Left-Handed Fate to Oliver Dexter, who very quickly realizes that he is in way over his head. The French are after what Lucy and Max have on board and attempt to force Oliver to comply with their wishes, which goes against naval code since France and America are allies. This makes for a strange sort-of alliance against their new common enemy. There's also a weird ghost ship that doesn't belong to anyone's navy that has been trying to capture The Left-Handed Fate for their entire journey. It keeps showing up out of the blue and attacking.

They end up docking in Nagspeake, which Kate Milford apparently writes into a lot of her books, and the adventure just keeps getting more and more complicated. All in all, though this book is going to be marketed as a middle grade read, I don't think that many middle grade readers will be up to the task. However, that upper-echelon of middle grade readers and a sizable portion of the young adult crowd could probably follow and enjoy this. I liked it a lot. I couldn't picture more than a handful of the kids in my elementary school who would have been up to it, but maybe in their middle school years they could. This belongs to the group I call tweens, ages 10-15.

The climactic finish was outstanding, and again, as an adult reader, I was very pleased. I just don't know that I agree with the middle grade label being attached to this book. Still, it was impressive. I hope it finds the audience that truly comprehends and appreciates all of its nuance and depth.

[Blank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucy, Liao dan Max berada dalam misi penting, mereka berusaha menemukan bagian - bagian dari mesin aneh yang dipercaya sebagai senjata mematikan yang dapat menghentikan perang antara Inggris dan Prancis. Disisi lain, terdapat kapal dari Prancis dan kapal berwarna hitam yang selalu mengejar mereka kapanpun mereka berada.

Bisakah mereka berhasil menemukan keseluruhan mesin tersebut yang bahkan mereka sendiri tidak tahu bentuknya ?

Overall, ceritanya seru dengan karakter yang unik dan unforgettable dan interaksi antar karakter nya selalu menarik dan enak buat dibaca. Selain beberapa hal kecil yang mengganggu pas kubaca, buku ini sangat seru !

Sebagai buku yang khusus untuk anak - anak, gaya buku kayak gini rasanya pas. Walaupun mungkin di beberapa bagian ceritanya menjadi lumayan dark. Selain itu, bahasa Inggris dibuku ini pake bahasa Inggris ejaan lama, jadinya banyak kata - kata asing yang sekarang udah jarang dipakai. Tapi yaaa, emang sesuai dengan latarnya yang memang bertempat saat Napoleon Bonaparte sedang memimpin Prancis.

Dari sisi cerita, well.. endingnya yang anti klimaks rasanya bikin kurang puas, ditambah lagi, masih ada misteri yang tersisa sampai akhir cerita. Dan juga, masih ada beberapa konsep yang masih bisa diexplore lagi, seperti misalnya fakta bahwa kapal The Left-handed Fate dianggap sebagai mitos oleh orang - orang sekitar, yang sayangnya di cerita hanya dibahas sekilas saja.

Sebagai novel tentang kapal, perang, dan sekaligus bergenre action - mystery, rasanya cuma ada sedikit tembak - tembakan antar kapal seperti yang awalnya kubayangkan. Dan walaupun ada, biasanya hanya singkat dan berakhir kalo ada prize-crew yang sampai ke kapal.

Latar tempat dari cerita ini basically ada 2, yaitu kapal dan pulau bernama Nagspeake. Kebanyakan hal - hal penting dan asik terjadi di Nagspeake (dan mungkin juga kenapa kok tembak - tembakan di kapal cuma ada sedikit !).

Setiap karakter disini unik dan menarik, Liao si penyuka kembang api, Max si rasionalis, Oliver kapten kapal yang mungkin paling muda dalam sejarah, dan Lucy sebagai yang paling berani. Yang paling kusuka dengan bagaimana para MC saling berinteraksi, rasanya selalu menarik dan lucu.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this s-l-o-w-l-y because I didn't want it to end. Normally I gallop through books, but this one I stretched out, and put down time and again and forced myself to wait because I LOVE this world and these characters so, and I did not want to leave. I did not want my visit to be over. What will I do now? It is months till January and I get to go back for a new visit to the Greenglass House. I could cry. I literally have a lump in my throat. THIS is what happens, Authors! You cause us readers to fall in love with your worlds and your characters, and then when we finish a book we are denied what we love. It is painful and wrenching to fall out of that world, and return to the real world.

Taking a deep breath now *calming myself and trying to adult* ... the book did meander about what with the twisty plot lines and the ships and the MACHINE. (I write it in caps for the emphasis that was placed on it and then boom! denouement which was very deus ex machina with sudden plot resolution at the end. Hmmm.) I really wanted to know more about the lights and the disappearing ship and guys and why Lucy's aunt did such and such? But, maybe that is for another time and another book.

I wasn't entirely comfortable with Lucy and Max. Max was such a dreadful lump. And Lucy is so full of Fire and Dash and Zeal and Spirit and Zest! And Max was such a clumsy, head in his philosophy, only good for that and not much else quite honestly having to be rescued ALL THE BLOODY TIME, that he got on my nerves. (In case you couldn't tell.)

I loved having the visit to the St. Whit's and Shantytown and Quayside and the Churches and all of the ins and outs because I want to see more and know more of this world! Thank you! If only I could visit it in person and see the old iron move. Oooo.

[Mark Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

My name is Max, and I must find the second piece to a devastating weapon that could end a budding war and prevent others. I only have cryptic clues about its capabilities, but I can't let it fall into Napoleon's hands. Lucy and the crew of the Fate helped me find the first part, but locating the second one has become an adventure. The Americans and Britain are now at war, so it makes sailing the Atlantic more treacherous. A mysterious brig has been materializing along with eerie lights, and we've only barely managed to escape. Now, the Fate has been overtaken by an American ship and is being controlled by a very young lieutenant. He's helping us protect the first piece of the weapon, but we'll soon be without a ship and on our own.

This book follows Bluecrowne but didn't have the same amount of supernatural detail. Other than the secretive weapon and strange lights, the rest of the events were fairly realistic. There were a few references to the previous book, but this plot described a totally unrelated story. Lucy was still the main character, but her feisty personality was muted a bit due to circumstances aboard the Fate. She displayed compassion and honor, even with her enemies, but wasn't able to utilize all of her talents. She became more of a detective than an adventurer. My biggest issue with the story concerned the weapon. It was the focus of the conflict, but the characters weren't sure what it was or what it could do. It was hard to understand how weaving cards could have anything to do with a destructive device. How can readers understand the problem if the characters can't explain it? Overall, I enjoyed the characters, including the new lieutenant, and I liked the idea of the problem. I enjoyed the climax. However, the whole project wasn't as entertaining as Bluecrowne. More clarity and more supernatural elements would have helped.

[Misti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy Bluecrowne lives aboard her father's schooner, the Left-Handed Fate. As a British privateer, the Fate has been hired by Maxwell Ault, a teenager who has taken on the project his father was working on before his death. He's trying to assemble an ancient device which he believes is a weapon strong enough to end all wars. As Britain battles Napoleon's forces on one hand and the Americans on the other, this device could be all too timely. But finding the pieces and assembling them is no easy task, especially since they are pursued by a French vessel in search of the same device, as well as some mysterious men in black who pursue them for reasons known only to themselves. The search will take them to the independent city of Nagspeake, where strange happenings are a matter of course...

So, I love Nagspeake and could read about it all day. Kate Milford's world-building is top-notch. I didn't love the sailing-ship bits as much, despite the fact that I normally enjoy books set at sea as well. I found the plot a little too run-around after one macguffin or another; I enjoyed the different scenes and characters that they met, but I had a hard time believing in the importance of the device itself. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book. It probably also didn't help that I was confused about series order, and read this book before reading Bluecrowne. I'll come back to that book soon, as I'm still a big fan of Milford's work, even if this one wasn't a favorite for me.

[Jordan Lynch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although The Left-Handed Fate isn't my favorite of Milford's tales, it's another strong addition to the shared universe of her books.

The story follows Lucy and Liao as their father's ship, the infamous Left-Handed Fate, is caught up in a dangerous mission to find the three parts of an ancient mechanism that could be a weapon to end all wars. Following the clues held by Max, a young philosopher who's still finding his sea legs, the crew of the Fate gets more than it bargained for as they're forced to contend with the War of 1812, a young prize-captain, and a mysterious black ship that seems to appear out of nowhere.

What I really like about this book:
• Catching up with Lucy and Liao
• Maritime battles
• Seeing more of Nagaspeake and its wonderful weirdness
• The steampunk elements
• Max's akwardness
• Liao. Liao is just all-around amazing
• Fireworks!
• The illustrations are lovely

What I didn't really like about this book:
• Slower start--lots of action, but takes a bit to really get to the meat of the story
• The constant disagreements between Lucy and Oliver
• The ending seemed a bit rushed

Overall, The Left-Handed Fate is a historical, action-packed nautical adventure with daring deeds and world-changing choices. As part of Milford's shared universe, it's a fine addition, but it's not as strong a contender as many of her other books.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor start, but worth sticking with. | I've loved what I've read of Milford's work, especially Greenglass House, so was happy to pick this up with the remains of a gift card last September. Immediately started reading it...and didn't like it. It was dull, Lucy was unnecessarily antagonistic in an unpleasing way, and it was a bit difficult to get my bearings in the story (I've not read Bluecrowne, it's possible that familiarity with the characters and the ship would have made a difference. I didn't know this was a sequel until I finished it, I thought it was just a shared world). I set the book aside for 10 months and tried again. Same problem, but this time I persevered. And about a third of the way into the book I was rewarded. I was irritated at one point that I was interrupted and had to stop reading, because I was so interested in what was happening. The book doesn't break any new ground, admittedly. It's a very straightforward story with a pretty standard message, and the characters arrive there in a manner that's fairly obvious from an early point. Most of Milford's creativity has gone, again, into Nagspeake. But I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and will finally pick up Bluecrowne at my next opportunity.

[Almira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Milford's books are truly "fantastic" journeys through history. Having read the Greenglass House "series" and Bluecrowne I just can't get enough of her characters.

Lucy Bluecrowne and Maxwell Ault are in pursuit of a puzzle piece that will bring them closer to finding the answer on how to build the machine that will end all wars, or possibly start all wars depending on who and how it is used.
Set during the War of 1812 between England and America, the two, along with the crew of The Fate, are captured by an English ship, the captain of that ship is only a 12 year midshipman, who has been put in command due to rather unusual circumstances.
The French are also in pursuit of the puzzle piece and attempt to seize the English ship and its cargo, and prisoners. Yet there is one more mysterious ship, manned by men totally in black, who appear at the most bizarre times.

Did I mention that Lucy's younger brother, Liao, who is a master fireworks maker, is also aboard?
Liao delights in making fireworks, he does not delight in what the machine might do, nor does he delight in anything war-like........

Will the machine be made? Will Lucy and Max escape? Will the Men in Black capture the English Ship and all aboard?

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Milford, Kate The Left-Handed Fate, 372 pages. Henry & Holt Company, $17. Language: PG (6 swears 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG.

Lucy Bluecrowne and her father Captain Bluecrowne own the privateer the Left-Handed Fate. Lucy has grown up on the boat with her adopted brother Liao. Max Ault and his Father hire the boat to find three pieces of an engine that could end the war of 1812 raging between France, America, and their home country Britain. Max's father passed away and it was up to him to find the parts to the engine but plans change when him and Lucy get captured by another ship with a twelve year old boy as captain. When Oliver, the captain, finds out what Lucy and Max are doing he is torn between the two sides.

I liked the character growth in this story and how the main characters had to change to accomplish their mission. There were some action scenes that moved slowly and it took a while to really get the plot going. This book was not as good as I had expected.

MS - OPTIONAL 7th Grade Student Reviewer MC
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