I received a free e-book copy of this book in exchange for an honest review; however I was not obliged to review positively. |
| Can we all just take a moment to look at this cover?? Look how PRETTY! |
The pirate crew of the Lady Luck lives by many rules, but chief among them is this: they do not allow men on board.
That’s a rule that first mate and quartermaster Grace Porter is willing to break when a shipwrecked young nobleman offers her information of an omniscient treasure map, stolen from his warship by an enemy vessel. Until now, the map was only the stuff of legend… but with its help, Grace may finally be able to hunt down the Mordgris, the sea monsters who stole her mother away from her.
Unfortunately, some members of her crew have other plans...
To find the magic map and face the Mordgris, Grace will have to confront her past, put the Luck between warring nations, and uncover treachery aboard the ship. And ultimately, her revenge and the destruction of the Mordgris will come at a hefty price: the betrayal of her crew.
Grace promised them they wouldn’t regret this.
She just isn’t sure that she won’t.
The pages practically turn themselves in this adventure on the high seas perfect for "Daughter of the Pirate King" fans.
If there's one thing I love, it's books. If there's another thing I love, it's awesome pirates. So if there's one thing I REALLY love, it's books about awesome pirates. Especially awesome female pirates. So when I spotted the author of this book looking for reviews in a group I'm part of, I jumped at the chance to read and review it.
Like Grace Porter, the main character, I stand by my decisions. But believe me when I tell you, I did not regret the decision to read this book for a single moment. Every time I picked it up, I would read for as long as I possibly could until I was forced to return to reality. The world of this book sucked me in immediately, and I loved the characters and the premise from the get-go.
So, before we continue, I want to say that this review may contain some mild spoilers. I'll try not to let them get too bad.
Right off the bat, we see Grace is someone who has strong values; she may be a pirate, but she doesn't compromise what she believes, even when it violates the rules of her ship, the Lady Luck. She rescues two boys from the wreckage of a ship she was meant to scavenge for treasure; they are the sons of a nobleman, and they have some interesting knowledge: Where to find the "Map of Omna", a magical map that can show the holder where to find anything they desire. For a pirate, holding this map would mean unbelievable riches; no treasure trove would be beyond reach.
This map generates the main tension in the novel; between the Wesson boys, specifically the elder, Leo, and the crew of the Lady Luck; between Grace and her mother-figure, Captain Ilene, and later between Grace and the rest of the crew. Grace wants to use the map to find the lair of the Mordgris, which are terrifying sea-dwelling creatures with shape-shifting abilities and an incredible bloodlust; like sharks, these Mordgris gather around the sites of battles and devour anyone unfortunate enough to fall into the water, dead or alive. The Mordgris are rumoured to have untold treasures on their island, but what Grace really wants is her mother, who was taken by the Mordgris and is assumed dead by everyone but Grace herself.
The characters in this book were great; there were some I wish had gotten more screen-time, so to speak, but the vast majority are very engaging characters. The one complaint I had in terms of characterization is that one of the antagonists, Celia, seemed rather one-dimensional to me; she didn't seem to have much in the way of personality beyond conniving and generally being mean, and she didn't seem to have much motivation for her actions - Grace speculates that it may be because the crew voted her quartermaster over Celia, but I don't know if this justifies everything Celia does. However, it's very possible that we see such a narrow picture of Celia because that's what Grace sees, and the book is filtered through her voice. I also think it's likely that more of her motivations will come to light in the rest of the series.
I also loved the banter between Grace and the other characters; it had a lot of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" flair that many people expect from a pirate story, but without sounding forced, like it was inserted only for that comparison. The dialogue in this book flowed well and suited the characters speaking, and I didn't find much in the way of "info-dumping", either in dialogue or in Grace's narration. The author weaves in just enough details of the world she creates to make sure readers aren't lost, but without boring them into skimming through pages to get back to the action.
The relationship between Grace and Leo was another highlight of the book for me. It's clear from early on that there is a budding romance between the two, but what I really appreciated was that the author didn't rush into establishing this romance. There are definite hints of it, but it isn't fulfilled too soon and leaves you wondering how their relationship will evolve in later books.
And finally, the ending. The. Ending. I don't know if I love or hate the author for this ending. Don't get me wrong, it isn't that I hated the ending or found it too unsatisfying to want to continue reading; quite the contrary. I NEED the next book in this series. The revelations that Grace uncovers in the final few chapters were quite the twist, and there was a definite cliffhanger that left me wondering what the fates of the main characters would be, and how exactly they're going to get out of the situation they found themselves in.
Overall, I'd recommend this book for fans of "Pirates of the Caribbean" or anyone who loves a good adventure story in an interesting world populated by a fascinating cast of characters, and I look forward to seeing how the story and the characters develop in later books.
4/5 stars!
If you're interested in this book, here's the link to buy it on Amazon.
