Daughter of the Siren Queen by Tricia Levenseller

Pages: 352

Publisher: Pushkin's Children's Books 

Released: 14th of November 2022 

Alosa's mission is finally complete. Not only has she recovered all three pieces of the map to a legendary hidden treasure, but the pirates who originally took her captive are now prisoners on her ship. Still unfairly attractive and unexpectedly loyal, first mate Riden is a constant distraction, but now he's under her orders. And she takes great comfort in knowing that the villainous Vordan will soon be facing her father's justice.

When Vordan exposes a secret her father has kept for years, Alosa and her crew find themselves in a deadly race with the feared Pirate King. Despite the danger, Alosa knows they will recover the treasure first . . . after all, she is the daughter of the Siren Queen.

What I Have to Say 

I've really enjoyed reading this duology. I really liked Daughter of the Pirate King because it introduced me to a character I really liked. Alosa is strong, ruthless and has the intrigue of having her Siren side as well as her pirate side. I'm pleased to say that she was just as brilliant in the second book as the first. 

I really liked Alosa's duel nature. The fact that she struggles with her siren nature while still finding it useful in certain situation. I think struggling with aspects of ourselves is something we can all relate to. I was glad to see that this was built upon in this book and that part of her story was that she faced that head on. 

One thing I would have liked to be different was that I felt like there was no build up to her disillusionment with her father. He was an abusive bastard, but she carried on being happy to follow his orders until one singular thing changed and I would have liked a build up of things instead. 

4 stars 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Pushkin's Children's Books for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

A Curse of Salt by Sarah Street

Pages: 340 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 25th of May 2023 

A heartless king trapped by a curse

A brave sister searching for answers

And a love so strong it will drown the raging sea ...

THIS FAIRYTALE IS CURSED

Prepare for stormy seas and swoony romance in this addictive retelling of Beauty and the Beast set on board a cursed ship where love blooms in the darkest of hearts ...

A heartless beast

A sister's sacrifice

And a love so strong it will drown the raging sea ...

THIS FAIRYTALE IS CURSED

In a kingdom that fears the sea, Ria Lucroy longs to be brave.

Bodies are washing ashore and everyone knows who's to blame. Legends of the Heartless King shroud the continent in fear; they call him a pirate, a monster, a god. When his mercenaries raid her father's merchant ship, Ria's family is faced with a horrifying demand. They will spare his life, in exchange for one of his daughters.

Determined to save her sisters, Ria launches herself into the world of pirates. Face-to-face with the Heartless King, she finds he is far more than the stories told. He is a man, with a human name and blood-stained hands, bound to the seas by a centuries-old curse. As their chemistry blooms into something more, Ria finds herself caught in an ancient web of secrets.

Battling creatures of the deep alongside those that reign its surface, Ria discovers how to love a heartless man and that some curses aren't so easy to break.

What I Have to Say 

What could be better than a version of beauty and the beast set on a pirate ship, I really loved this book. I have read so many retellings of beauty and the beast, but they always manage to surprise me. And this one is completely unlike any I've ever read.  The addition of pirates to this fairy tale just made it perfect for me. 

Ria is a wonderful character. I really liked her loyalty, her daring and her pluck. She was everything I love in a YA main character. Pairing her with the Heartless King and fitting her into the rest of the crew, made for just the perfect cast of characters. I loved every single one of them and it really felt like they fit together as a good crew. 

The prose in this book was beautiful, making it a joy to read as well as being just a damned good story. 

I want more adventures from this crew and this ship!! 

5 stars 

My thanks goes to Hodder and Netgalley for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Phoenix Burning by Bryony Pearce

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Pages: 416
Publisher: Stripes Publishing
Released:  10th of March 2016

Toby and Ayla have to infiltrate a sect of sun worshippers to steal the equipment their ships need. They enter a trial to be chosen as the Sun and the Moon, a position of great honour for the sect. As the trial commences, Toby and Ayla discover the true cost of failure. But there are other young couples who are equally desperate to win...Can Toby and Ayla survive days without sleep, hours sitting in the blistering sun and a deadly maze? They'll need to work together to win - their mission depends on it...

What  I Have to Say 

After setting up her new world of salt heaving seas and scavenging pirates, Bryony Pearce has followed with a fantastic continuation of the series, which I think I may have enjoyed even more than the first. 

In Phoenix Burning, we see a very different side of the world that Pearce has created. With any devastated world comes a group of religious fanatics who are desperate to find meaning in everything that has happened. The cruelty that the challenges that Ayla, Toby and the other competitors faced was suitably dark for this kind of sect, though this is certainly not the kind of book for those who are squeamish! 

The ending was filled with twists and intrigue, leaving me with the feeling I always get when I read something really good. I definitely am looking forward to seeing what's next for Toby. 

Lorali by Laura Dockrill

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

My thanks go to Hot Key Books for providing me with this review copy. 

Pages: 208

Publishers: Hot Key Books 

Released: 2nd of July 2015

Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn't exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.

Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.

But along with Lorali's arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory's bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway?

What I Have to Say 

Can I just say how adorable Lorali is? She such a special little sweetheart that needs to be protected from this world at all costs so she never loses her enthusiasm for everything. I really hope that the events of the book don't take that from her because she is a beautiful character that everyone needs in their life. 

The story was amazing. There was everything, politics, drama, betrayal, pirates, hunters and pain. I found the society of the Mers really interesting. It was well done, drawing in classic mermaid mythology as well as new and unique ideas to create a beautiful world. The idea of savaging was especially interesting. It creates so much space for mermaids with tragic backstories. 

The ending nearly killed my heart. I knew how it would be resolved, but there were loads of twists and surprises. 

It's such a beautiful book. 

Phoenix Rising by Bryony Pearce

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Stripes for providing me with this e-copy. 

Pages: 368

Publisher: Stripes

Released: 1st of June 2015

In a future world where fossil fuels have run out and democracy has collapsed, an outlawed pirate crew fight for survival on their ship, the Phoenix, kept afloat by whatever they can salvage or scavenge on the debris-filled seas. Toby has never known anything other than life onboard the Phoenix and he's desperate for adventure. But when trouble comes hunting the Phoenix down, Toby realizes that what you wish for isn't always what you want. He meets beautiful Ayla from the Banshee, a rival pirate ship and sworn enemy of the Phoenix, and his world is thrown into disorder. How can he know who to trust and what to believe? The future rests on him making an impossible choice...

What I Have To Say 

An adventure story with pirates in a future of survival and struggle? What more could anyone want!? This is very different from what Bryony Pearce has written before but her imagination has created a very interesting world, even documenting the progress towards that world with newspaper clippings at the start! I love the idea of pirates sailing around on waters that are dangerous to even touch searching for any supplies that they can salvage. 

Toby was a character who was easy to fall in love with straight away. His voice was strong and his longing for adventure was something that we can all sympathize with even if we aren't being forbidden from going on land. And he had Polly the sassy parrot for company. Who doesn't love a sassy parrot? 

And Ayla. Oh Ayla. I think I was in love just as much as Toby from the first moment he met her. A tough pirate girl for Toby to fawn over was definitely what the book needed. Especially as from the enemy ship! She really showed the contrast between the two ships and how they're run. 

I cannot wait for the next book in the series, to get back into that world. The only thing I think this book was missing is more insight into the other character's thoughts. I'd have loved to see things from Ayla or Hiro's point of views more. Or even Polly's! 

Fantastic coming of age, adventure story.