A Million to One
Adiba Jaigirdar
HarperCollins
Published December 13, 2022
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About A Million to One
Adiba Jaigirdar, author of one of Time‘s Best YA books of all time, gives Titanic an Ocean’s 8 makeover in a heist for a treasure aboard the infamous ship that sank in the Atlantic many years ago.
A thief. An artist. A acrobat. An actress. While Josefa, Emilie, Hinnah, and Violet seemingly don’t have anything in common, they’re united in one goal: stealing the Rubaiyat, a jewel-encrusted book aboard the RMS Titanic that just might be the golden ticket to solving their problems.
But careless mistakes, old grudges, and new romance threaten to jeopardize everything they’ve worked for and put them in incredible danger when tragedy strikes. While the odds of pulling off the heist are slim, the odds of survival are even slimmer . . .
Perfect for fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper and Girl in the Blue Coat, this high-seas heist from the author of The Henna Wars is an immersive story that makes readers forget one important detail— the ship sinks.
My Review
I think my two favorite things about this book are that it’s an all-female heist and that it’s a diverse cast. The heist is carried out by four women, each with a special talent. Emilie, the forger, is Haitian and French and has romantic feelings for another woman. Hinnah is Indian and an immigrant to Ireland. She’s also an acrobat. Violet has an uncanny ability to charm her way into anything she wants. Josefa, the strategist, is hoping to help her younger brother escape an orphanage in Croatia through this job’s success.
Though at times I felt like the historical details were slim, I often lost myself in the descriptions of the Titanic. I loved the way the author described the opulence of the vessel juxtaposed against the unfolding disaster as the ship began to sink.
I also really enjoyed each of the main characters’ points of view. Each one felt specific and unique. It seemed like the chapters just flew past as I was reading, too. I read almost this whole book in a single day, which isn’t usual for me these days.
On the whole, I super enjoyed the intersection of all the elements in A MILLION TO ONE. I would love to see more historical stories like this.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 12 up.
Representation
Josefa is Croatian and likes women romantically. Hinnah is Indian and estranged from her family. Emilie is Haitian and French and interested in women romantically.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used very infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between two women.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Situations of peril. A man pulls a knife on the girls. He holds one at knifepoint. A man with a knife pursues Josefa and the others. The ship sinks. Vague references to people drowning or having drowned.
Drug Content
Passengers drink alcohol with dinner. One character gets a bit tipsy.
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