What is the theme of Daughter of the Pirate King?

It should not be this difficult to stay prisoner on a pirate ship. This is the second time I’ve had to stage my own capture. Ridiculous.

Daughter of the Pirate King has a rather self-explanatory title. Alosa is the daughter of Kalligan, who rules over and terrorizes the seas. But Alosa herself is a tough, no-nonsense pirate captain who can more than hold her own. When her father sends her on a mission to find part of a map that will lead to a secret isle, Alosa must fake her own capture and pretend to be a prisoner as she hunts down the map piece on board a ship led by a ruthless young captain.

The tone is often light and humourous - even sometimes reminding me of the hilarious My Lady Jane - but this doesn't stop Alosa from being a brutal badass. I like it when supposedly cruel pirates (assassins, sorcerers, etc.) are not sugar-coated to make the audience like them more - Alosa has no problem slitting a few throats and getting her hands dirty, but I liked her just fine.

I think the author gets the balance just right with Alosa. She's really tough and takes shit from nobody, but it's totally okay because she's also really funny. I laughed out loud several times because she's almost TOO good; she has to make it seem like she's a reluctant prisoner by attempting to escape, but she is so good at escaping that she must also stage her own capture again. Also, how many times have I thought this during sappy romance scenes:

“I’m going to show you something more magical than the stars.”
Oh yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. I can’t do this. I can’t stand to hear him talk anymore.

Firstly, the supernatural elements seemed to manifest from nowhere and felt out of place. I got no sense for the first half of the book that anything fantastical was going to happen, and the sudden introduction of it without warning was really jarring. To be fair, I did like that the author considered (view spoiler)[what being a siren would mean for non-het people. Sirens historically are women who affect all men, but Alosa's charms do not work on gay men. (hide spoiler)]

And second, I didn't love the romance. Which is actually a shame because I did like both characters. The problem was the lack of build and tension. It wasn't quite instalove, but Alosa singles out the love interest immediately by acknowledging how hot and different from the rest of her captors he is. I could have liked their relationship a lot more if Alosa had stayed focused on her task and the attraction had occurred gradually and naturally through banter and sexual tension.

But, oh well, these are small complaints. Daughter of the Pirate King is an enjoyable start to this intriguing series.

Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Youtube

-------------

I have a nemesis now.

I’ve long wondered whether the natural next step in my evil-genius career is to find a nemesis. I have the excess time and aimless fury to direct to it. I have no problem holding years-long grudges for things such as “he should have picked up on my entirely unexpressed infatuation with him during those two weeks in middle school” and “that time she started talking about how the curator at the Met is really amazing’ as if that were somehow a valuable insight, seriously no one is surprised that the f*cking curator at the f*cking Metropolitan Museum of Art is talented Elizabeth.”

Either of those two examples would be prime candidates for nemesis status. But still I held out. I think a girl always wants her first time to be with someone special.

For me, that person is Alosa, the protagonist of this book.

If Alosa, the titular Daughter of the Pirate King, were a real person, she would be easily the worst person alive. Because of this, I think it is my sacred duty to declare that I will hate her like I hate no one else for the rest of time.

Maybe not. A lot of my time is sucked up with completely detesting such classic characters as Severus Snape and Lila Bard. But I think I can free up at least 45 minutes on Tuesdays for pure, unadulterated rage.

Let’s talk about Alosa, yeah?

The thing about me and every human living person on this planet with a heart and/or a semi-operational brain is that I (plus the gang) f*cking love pirates.

Everyone loves pirates!! They are so cool! They do the funnest stuff, including, but not limited to: swashbuckling, gallivanting, swaggering, swordfighting, roughhousing, drinking, bantering, and nefarious plotting.

A book that even included as few as THREE of these would have been a blast and a half.

Unfortunately, we did not have a pirate at the helm (hehehe). We had Alosa. And therefore our roster of activities looked a lot more like this: complimenting self, gazing lustily, telling not showing, thinking about the abstract concept of coming up with a plan but deciding not to, cutting scenes right when they get interesting, complimenting self more, and more, and more.

I.

Hate.

Alosa.

She single-handedly took what could have been a fun romp across the seven seas (except not seven seas, because this is a fantasy world supposedly, although we have nO WORLD BUILDING TO SHOW FOR IT) and made it into what it is. Which is romance. Just one hundred percent pure unadulterated romance.

I could have unhappily dealt with that if there were any chemistry between the two characters. Even if the characters had a single redeeming factor!!! But no. Because not only do we have Alosa, who is to busy telling-not-showing her amazing powers and genius intellect and next-level swordfighting abilities……..we also have Riden.

The most boring, flat, uncharismatic cold piece of toast ever to have the goddamn wherewithal to call himself a pirate.

Riden and Alosa were so busy whispering sweet nothings into one another’s ears (probably murmuring things like "oh my god, I can’t believe I found someone as entirely unlikable as me, we’re meant to be together") that they ACTIVELY DIDN’T DO FUN STUFF. Alosa actively didn’t kill people, didn’t plot, and didn’t use her special powers she was so busy telling us about because of Riden!!!! Riden instantly grew a set of morals (although not a backbone) to protect Alosa, a prisoner and an enemy that he decided instantly to fall in love with because she’s f*ckable and has sick red hair!

This was also full of plot holes so big you could sail a ship through them. (At this point I don’t like the fact that I gave this review a light nautical theme, but it’s too late to turn back now. Too late...to...sail back now? I don’t have the background knowledge for this.)

And it was stupid. None of Alosa’s plots were good, even though she spent what I estimate to be a cumulative three hundred pages telling us about them. (What? This book is 308 pages long? Yes, my estimate seems about right.)

Here is a plan I came up with while reading the last bit of the book that is better than Alosa’s, except Alosa didn’t even come up with one for all her bragging, Riden did, ha ha ha: (view spoiler)[When Alosa is trapped in the desert island cage (which, can we talk about how that didn’t make sense at all? She suddenly just JUMPED there. No setup! I hate this book) the mean spy guy asks Alosa if she needs water to use her aura-seeing powers. She says no, tearfully or whatever because she’s all scared White Bread Personality Loverboy is going to get hurt. If she had just said yes, they would have given her water that she wouldn’t have needed, and she could have sang her lil heart out and had Riden and whoever else’s ears weren’t plugged get ready for the smackdown of the century. (hide spoiler)]

I am seriously about to write myself a book about pirates. I am so devastated that this one was an emotional, telling-instead-of-showing, egotistical mess captained by the most straight white cast of all time. (And there I go again with the “captained” sh*t. I think I’m broken. This book finally broke me.)

Bottom line: I am Completely Mystified as to how this has a four star average. This is one of the worst fantasy books I’ve read in a looooong time.

-------------
PRE-REVIEW

what i wanted from this book:

what i got:

you could do more in depth literary analysis on the gifs i chose for this pre-review than on The Daughter of the Pirate King.

i'll

************2017***********

I loved this book. The pirate captain, Princess Alosa, was bad to the bone and I loved it!

Alosa was taken by another pirate and his crew. Captain Draxen and his brother Riden thought they got lucky by capturing the pirate king's daughter. Ha, little did they know.

******SOME SPOILERS******

Alosa was sent to this ship by her own father, to be taken as a prisoner. She is on a quest to find some maps. She has to pretend she's not as bad @ssed as she is. I mean she does put the beat down on some of the men and but she holds back all that she can do.

I loved the banter between Alosa and Riden. He's yummy, nothing like a yummy pirate. His brother, Draxen was a jerk though.

There is not a whole lot going on while on the ship so I can see why some people wouldn't like it, but I myself, thought it was great. Yeah, some stuff had me saying, "Lets get on with it." But, I digress.

They get into it with some other jerks and we find out revelations! Everything is about REVELATIONS! I loved the revelation! One more time, REVELATION =)

At any rate, I enjoyed the book and I will continue on with the series/duology/trilogy?

Fin . . .

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

The book starts off with our protagonist disguised as a man and her ship is currently being attacked. She surrenders and is captured by the attackers, but little do they know that they were supposed to capture her as it's all a part of her plan, which happens to be  assigned to her by the pirate king. Alosa has more than a few tricks up her sleeve, after all she has been trained by the pirate king personally .

Even though we got to see very little of Alosa's crew I really like them. A group of the mostly female badass pirates, how can you not love them!
When we start the book we know little apart from the fact that she is the daughter of the pirate king and getting to know more about her past, however little, was very interesting.

I look forward to learning more about these characters and how they move forward in this story of pirates and intrigue. I can't wait to start the next book.

Oh boy. Daughter of the Pirate King fulfils all promises and more. This is definitely one of my best reads in 2017.

"I value brilliant minds, honest souls, and those with long endurance. I forge relationships based on trust and mutual respect, not fear and control."

Update: 27.10.17

I will admit I love a sassy character, and Alosa could definitely give Celaena Sardothien a run for her money when it comes to wits and brutality.

I won't say she's exactly like Captain Jack Sparrows (because who is?), but she's smart, funny and a strong main character.

"Submissiveness. I try not to cringe as the word enters my mind. Horrid word, that one."

It felt like I was flying through the pages because of the fast paced storyline, the simple wording, and because there were lots of humor in the book.
Tricia Levenseller does a good job at hiding bits of information and then revealing them along the way. She also lets her main character make mistakes that are not too obvious, which I absolutely love!
There were even some twists I didn't see coming, and it's been a while since last time I was surprised by a book (I blame Sarah J Maas for her excellent foreshadowing that I sadly miss more often than I'd like to admit- so now I always try to pick up every detail).

The only reasons I'm not giving this 5 stars is because I missed some world building (which I guess is due to most of the story taking place on a ship), because I felt like some parts of the end were a little rushed and also because their age bothered me a lot in the beginning. I get that it's young adult, but two of the most feared ships are not only captained by young people, but the whole crew consists of people under the age of 20? Their age also made some of the content a little cringe-worthy.

All in all a fun and easy read that I'll definitely recommend to young-adult fantasy readers.

while this story is a slow burn (which i understand will turn off some readers), i quite enjoyed the slow placing and time taken to get to know the characters. this story also doesnt take itself seriously - its a little dramatic and over-the-top at times, but i enjoyed the light quality to it.

and while the promise of pirates and treasure hunts is what lured me in, by the end i felt more drawn to the part about the sirens. i have a feeling they will play a bigger part in the sequel, so i am definitely excited to continue to series!

↠ 3.5 stars

Have you re-watched The Pirates of the Caribbean so many times you know every scene by heart?
Have you ever wished you could wield a sword and battle sea-beasts, explore bright blue oceans and listen to the song of sirens?
Are you fascinated by hidden treasures and pirate rivalries?
And, most importantly, do you like your books uplifting, of the put-a-huge-grin-on-your-face variety?

If you answered yes at least once, then lo and behold! You just found your new obsession!

“Oh, the ridiculous things one has to do when one is a pirate.”

“Lass, you've the face of an angel but the tongue of a snake.”

“I am me because I choose to be me. I am what I want. Some people say you have to find yourself. Not I. I believe we create ourselves to be what we want.”

If you want to experience this kind of euphoria, all you have to do is grab a copy of Daughter of the Pirate King, a bottle of rum and sing along Jack Sparrow

Review also posted on BookNest!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I can't handle this disappointment right now, so I'm just gonna sleep. REVIEW TO COME TOMORROW.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
This is gonna be my first time reading a book about pirates! I AM SO EXCITED.

This may seem like an odd tactic, but Alosa knows once she is aboard the enemy ship she will have ample opportunity to search for the map.

Her enemies, too busy congratulating themselves for capturing the Pirate King's daughter, won't even notice when she begins her search.

It appears her assumptions are correct, as Alosa starts searching without too much opposition. Her biggest challenge, the handsome and intelligent First Mate, Riden.

Admittedly, he's more of a distraction than she would like.

This is definitely a cute story. I enjoyed Alosa's character. She was confident and stubborn, not to mention a real badass.

There's something about a Lady Pirate that I can definitely get behind. The setting was fun and Riden was a swoon-worthy love interest.

However, this being said, it took me a LONG time to get through this. It wasn't really drawing me in. I didn't find anything super compelling about it.

Perhaps if I had read it when it was first released, I could have joined the hype and been more jazzed for it. Overall, for me, it was a good story but there was nothing really groundbreaking about it.

I will probably continue on with the duology, mostly because I want to visit the home of the sirens. I think a young Meg would have enjoyed this a bit more.

Alas, if you are looking for a fun pirate adventure with a bit of romance, it is definitely worth picking up.

I hated this book so much. I don't think there was a moment while reading this when I didn't feel like complaining about something. I really wanted to like it since the premise sounded so interesting and it also had one of my all time favourite troupes, but in the end this was a big letdown for me.

Daughter of the Pirate King follows seventeen year old pirate captain, Alosa who was sent on a mission to retreive an ancient hidden map. In order to accomplish that she lets herself be deleberately caught by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. Although there's no need to worry since Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, the only thing staying between her and the map, is her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden.

From the sypnopsis it actually sounds like an amazing book

If I don't like the characters there are very low chances that I would like the book itself. Alosa is described as this badass, extremely clever, pirate captain, but I don't see that at all. She was just this brat that expects everything to fall in place perfectly just because she is the daughter of the pirate king. Girl, that is not how real world works. Her character was very cartoonish and not realist at all. We were told all her qualities

Every few lines Alosa seemed to be saying 'Oh, I can't do that it will give me away. I can't do that either, I can't be caught.'. Yeah yeah I understand she a better fighter and pirate that everyone. *unimpressed*
Excuse me, but I don't need a reminder every so often, my memory isn't that bad.

Then, we also have our other character, Riden. I'll be straightforward and just say that he had no personality. At all. If you would ask me now what he was like, I wouldn't be able to answer that question. Half the time he was either boring or saying something very cringy.

The romance was so forced, I hated it even more that I hated the characters. Alosa somehow barely knows Riden, but from the moment she met him she was already in love *done with everything*

Also the moments that were supposed to be romantic and bring some angst were so cringy that I had to put the book down and take a break so I wouldn't start screaming in frustration.

”Riden sighs and looks heavenward. “Stop doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“You're a woman. Act like it. You shouldn't be saying such foul-”
“I'll say whatever I please. I'm not a lady, I'm a pirate!”
“Well, you shouldn't be!”
“And why's that? I'm plenty good at it.”
“Because pirated aren't supposed to look like you look and talk like you talk and do what you do. You're confusing, and it's messing with my head.”

To quote one Nina Zenik:
"It's not natural for someone to be as stupid as he is tall, and yet there you stand.”

What the hell was with that passage? Was it supposed to be romantic because it wasn't. The only thing that it managed to do was make me mad.

Also this line

"the thrill of going through my underthings.”

Excuse my french but what the fuck? Why should that be thrilling? Actually, wait no, since when is that thrilling?

The plot was boring for the most part. The main character found herself in so many stupid situations, I was laughing because of how badly the whole plotline was executed. Make. It. More. Realistic. Thank. You. There's no way anyone, not even someone in a YA fantasy book, could have found themselves doing the things Alosa did because that just not something a normal person does.

I don't even remember what exactly happened in the end. I just remember that I hated that ending a lot. That shows how much I actually cared about this whole story.

The only thing I can say I liked about this book is the audiobook. The audiobook is actually excellent. This book doesn't deserve such an amazing audiobook, but yet it has one. If I weren't listening to the audiobook I doubt I would have actually ended up finishing this. It was hard as it was to actually follow through and listen to the audiobook. Reading this book physically would have been pure hell.

After everything I said, if you couldn't tell, I have really strong feelings of hatred towards this book. As much as I hated this, it isn't nearly the worst book I have read this year, but still this wasn't a good read and I do not plan to pick up the sequel. As miserable as my experience with this was, I do plan to read this author's other book in the future The Shadows Between Us, but my expectations have been considerably lowered. We shall see if I actually pick it up or not though as this book has made me very hesitant about picking her other works.

Seventeen-year-old Alosa, daughter of the pirate king, is our sassy, powerhouse of a female protagonist and also the to-be queen. The fact that she gives a lot of thought before she acts keeps the readers on the edge of their seat. She is as humourous and witty as she is belligerent and well-trained. She definitely knows what she's doing and will stop at nothing to prove her worth. To put it simply, she is everything a typical pirate is expected to be, if not better.

She has everything figured out. But does she? What she doesn't see coming is someone who can see through her nefarious plans and that's where our big, too-hot-for-a-pirate and super charming first mate, Riden comes in.

The writing style is engrossing, it makes readers want to read their eyes out. The same kind of effect that took toll on me. I liked reading the growth that occurred in her characterisation throughout the story. The characters are not perfect, they make mistakes and foolish choices throughout the course of the story, which makes the story all the more natural and enjoyable.

The only reason I'm rating this less than The Shadows Between Us is because it got slightly predictable and cliched.
Other than that, it has a solid plot that will reward you with a quick unfolding of events, alluring writing and delicious and swoon-worthy romance. I rate this book 4.5 ⭐

✅ ALOSA WAS A GREAT female lead. She was everything that a badass pirate should have been but still had a strong feminine feel. The author did a good job showing not telling how strong and cut-throat Alosa was but I also loved how she was kind of vain and obsessed with her clothes

✅ THE ROMANCE was very standard YA but I still really enjoyed it! Alosa and Riden had nonstop banter, which was really entertaining to read and I could definitely feel the chemistry between them. The romance so far has been pretty PG13 but I was still really invested in it

✅ THE PLOT WAS FAST-PACED and I am a plot person so I definitely appreciated that. I felt like there was always something exciting happening and the slow release of information around the missing map and Alosa's background made it have a mysterious edge to it too

🆗 I'M KIND OF UPSET with how it ended because I wanted there to be a better resolution between Alosa and Riden, but it feels like now there's drama again and ughh. I just get really frustrated when characters sabotage their own relationship

Overall, I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did but it ended up surprising me. I can't wait to read the sequel! I recommend this if you're looking for a fast-paced YA pirate romance with kick-ass female representation

"The sea watches over me. She protects her own."

Alosa is the daughter of the long feared pirate King, ruler of the seas. When she is kidnapped by one of her father's competitors, she must use all of her cunning and skills in order to escape.

Alosa is everything you would want in a heroine: a no nonsense, cut throat when necessary, take no prisoners, sneaky, sarky and sassy pirate.
I actually really enjoyed the will they/won't they relationship between Alosa and Riden, which is odd for me, so it was definitely done well.

I loved finding out more about Alosa's childhood and upbringing under her father, the plot was fast paced with a few surprises thrown in.

Light hearted entertainment, and I will be ordering book 2 straight away.

***********

Ordered this from the library in February. FEBRUARY!! It’s finally on its way - and can I remember anything about it?
Absolutely not. Am I still gonna read it?
Hell yes!

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
Book One of the Daughter of the Pirate King series
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: February 28, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

A 17-year-old pirate captain intentionally allows herself to get captured by enemy pirates in this thrilling YA adventure.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

Debut author Tricia Levenseller blends action, adventure, romance, and a little bit of magic into a thrilling YA pirate tale.

What I Liked:

This was a really fun and entertaining read - exactly what I would hope for, from a story with pirates. Anytime you drop the word "pirate" in the title or synopsis, I'm going to except swashbuckling adventure, clever scheming, and a good dose of sneak thievery. I was not disappointed by this book!

Alosa is the daughter of the pirate king Kalligan. She's his only child (the only one he's claimed), which makes her very valuable. What people don't know is that she isn't a spoiled and pampered pirate princess - she is a cunning and dangerous pirate. When her father sends her on a mission to retrieve a part of a map, Alosa's plan is get captured willingly by a young pirate lord and search their ship for the piece of the map that the former pirate lord of that ship had. The captain, Draxen, is every bit as cruel and ruthless as his father was. But Alosa doesn't expect to be distracted by the captain's first mate and younger brother, Riden. Finding the piece of the map isn't going to be the difficult part of the task - getting around Riden will be.

From the start, this book set the tone of adventure and humor. Getting captured (willingly) might seem like gloom and doom, but Alosa is so entertaining. She is taken prisoner and her crew is freed. From the start, Alosa proves to be a handful. She is brazen and smart-mouthed, and she is feisty. She's spirited and unafraid to keep trying. She has a plan and she doesn't let obstacles get in her way of finding the map.

Much of the first half of the book is about Alosa's search for the map without getting caught. She is placed in the brig, but she cleverly lets herself out of the prison at night to search the ship. But she is caught several times by Riden, the first mate. He is very suspicious of her, but he finds her entertaining and hot-tempered. Between him and the captain, he is more merciful, but he makes it very difficult for her to search the ship at will.

I adored Alosa! She is so spirited and she is a fighter. She has been hardened by her father's tutelage, and she proves herself to be a capable and clever pirate, over and over. She's a fierce and wonderful heroine, and she relies on no one to save her but herself. This book has a light and fun current to it, but it's also incredibly empowering and feminist in a subtle way.

I also really liked Riden. We can see that Draxen, his older brother and captain of the ship that, is greedy and ruthless pirate. But Riden is much more merciful and wicked, with a conscious and a clever brain. He is very observant and learns a lot about Alosa by watching her and observing her. I like how he understands and reads her so well, even after only weeks of knowing her.

Initially I thought the romance would be weird, because how on earth would Alosa fall for a pirate that took part of her capture. But Alosa and Riden sort of become friends. Almost every time she let herself out of the brig, he catches her, which leads to some sort of hilarious back-and-forth banter. He visits her in the brig and talks to her - the purpose being to extract information about the pirate king from her - but they each learn a lot about each other. And there is a lot of banter and bicker, especially on Alosa's part. As the story goes on, it's clear that at least in terms of their relationship, it's less of prisoner-captor, and something else. Riden begins to help Alosa, both directly and indirectly.

It was adorable, watching them fall for each other. The chemistry between them is suuuuuuper swoony, fan-yourself-worthy, and tangible. Every time the scene included the two of them, I started to expect two things: banter, and serious tension. I was almost never disappointed, especially as the story went on. Whew!

But I liked that the author didn't develop the romance too quickly. Neither character is at the "I-love-you" stage. Both have pretty strong feelings for each other, and there are a few makeout scenes, but their relationship doesn't progress too quickly and it doesn't get too heavy. Yet? There is another book to follow this one.

There are several twists and turns to the story! You think it's just about Alosa finding a map piece for her father? Nope! I can't say more because of spoilers, but we learn key things about Alosa, and another pirate lord, and Riden and Draxen, as the story progresses.

The ending is pretty good, in terms of how it wraps up. There isn't a cliffhanger, but it is clear that the story must (should) continue. I think this is a two-book series, which sounds good to me! I love the duology trend in YA publishing these days.

What I Did Not Like:

I don't have any specific dislikes, though I suppose I would have loved for this story to keep going! The end was a little bit abrupt. Hopefully book two picks up exactly where book one finishes.

Would I Recommend It:

I'd recommend this book! It's not an omg-new-favorite, but it's really enjoyable and definitely not disappointing. I wanted a fun, entertaining pirate-based story and I got exactly that (and a little more). I really liked the strong female protagonist and the clever and charming male protagonist, and the story was very entertaining. If you're looking for a captivating adventure on the sea, look no further!

Rating:

4 stars. I am looking forward to reading the second book! I'm hoping for more "pirate stuff", especially concerning Alosa's father, more swoon (kissing! more kissing!), and more sticky situations for Alosa to clever wriggle out of. Levenseller is an author whose books I will be keeping an eye out for in the future!

“I am me because I choose to be me. I am what I want. Some people say you have to find yourself. Not I. I believe we create ourselves to be what we want. Any aspect of ourselves that we do not like can be altered if we make an effort.”

✅ Pirates
✅ Strong main character
✅ Pace
✅ Plot
✅ Action
✅ Twists and betrayals
✅ "Only one bed" trope
✅🆗 Relationship / Romance
🆗 Some parts of the plot are predictable / convenient

This was such a delightful surprise! I was not expecting to enjoy this book so much! It is a quick, fun, and entertaining read. I finished it in one day only, and I just couldn't stop reading once I started. To be honest, I know it's nothing super new, or unpredictable or amazing, but I was in the mood for that type of book because I flew through it.

Alosa is a badass pirate who is also the daughter of the pirate king. She has been tasked to infiltrate a ship and steal the captain's secret map. In order to do so, she allows herself to be taken prisoner on the rival ship, and we follow her as she manipulates everyone and sneaks around. Alosa is a strong and cunning main character, but she is also ruthless and very proud. She got used to pain and hard training while growing up under her father's tutelage, but she managed to remain empathetic and kind when she needs to.

Which means if I’m to keep up appearances, I’ll have to escape the ship. Then get caught on purpose. Oh, the ridiculous things one has to do when one is a pirate.

Riden is the first mate of the ship and is in charge of Alosa's interrogation. There is obviously a relationship developing between them, but it was well done. It is more complex than insta-lust and or simple manipulation techniques. Alosa and Riden's relationship is full of tension, and it's more of a love/hate relationship, with some sexual tension. Honestly, I was not sure if I could trust Riden until the end of the book, even though he seemed really nice and I wanted to like him. His snarky and sarcastic conversations with Alosa were also really funny to read.

“I’m going to be the biggest pain in the arse Riden has ever dealt with. That’ll serve him right.”

The plot is nice and well written, even though it is standard and some parts were predictable. Still, I enjoyed the many plot twists there were in this story, and even though I knew that there would be betrayals, I couldn't figure out who would betray who. I was really engaged in this story and I just couldn't stop reading it!

“There are different kind of fathers. Those who love unconditionally, those who love on condition, and those who never love at all. Which would you say he is?”

The relationship between Alosa and her father is intriguing and seems complex. It is made clear that her father is ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Alosa clearly loves him, especially since he is the only family she has, but the Pirate King's feelings seem to be more complex than a simple love for a daughter. He needs Alosa for her abilities, and he seems to care about her to a certain extent, but I can't say if he genuinely loves her or not, and I am eager to see more of their relationship in the next book (hopefully).

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a fast-paced, entertaining and easy to read pirate story with a strong main character and a touch of banter and romance.

Follow me on Instagram 🙂

Review to come.

-----
The main character reminds me of Merida from Brave and on top of that she's a badass pirate??? My two favorite things????? Wow, I'm pumped.

OMG so good!!! I love this book <3 Honestly it is probably one of my favorite books this year! As I had mentioned before, I am no fan of the cover. So I ended up just reading getting the ePUB, but man I adore this book so much I might buy a hard copy despite my dislike for the cover.

This book is a fast-paced, fun, action-packed pirate adventure, filled with manipulation, cunning, thievery, romance, humor and a great helping of wit.

The story follows Alosa's adventures as she tries to find a missing piece of a map, for her father, that is said to lead to the greatest treasure ever known to man. But there are certainly many obstacles in her way. Nothing is as simple as it seems, not even Alosa herself. There plenty of fun twists to keep to guessing, and while this book does end on a high note, there is certainly more mischief and trials to be had. And I have no doubt we will get plenty of those in the next book.

Alosa is not your typical YA heroine. She is cunning, witty, ruthless, strong-willed, beautiful, manipulative young pirate who kicks ass and takes names. Daughter of the infamous Pirate King, she certainly did not have a usual upbringing. A life of endless training and punishment has toughened her up, and there are few things Alosa can't handle. It seems wherever she goes, she leaves a trail of dead bodies in her wake. Be warned if you're looking for a heroine with your typical sense of morality, look elsewhere.

Riden is a smart, witty, clever, brave, handsome, loyal young pirate with a killer shot. He serves as Alosa's interrogator, protector, and potential love interest. His growing feelings for Alosa are often in direct conflict with his fierce loyalty to Draxen, his older brother - and Alosa's captor. Unlike most pirates, Riden seems to live by some sort of code. In contrast to his brother Draxen, there are lines Riden will not cross. He is not quick to violence, instead relying on his ability to read his enemies through conversation and observation. A skill he often uses to better understand Alosa, and figure out just what it is she is hiding.

It is such an amazing start to what is bound to be a fabulous series.

To sum this up simply, hats off to the author because this book is everything I love about pirates

I literally had zero updates for this novel - BUT, that's because I read it during a 6 hour flight today. It was that enjoyable and gripping. However, even though I read it so quickly and found myself grinning nearly every chapter, I do have a few complaints.

First, can we talk about how refreshing it was to have a female character that wasn't all afraid to kill someone? I'm honestly tired of characters saying they are "assassins" even though they never kill anyone. Alosa was not like that. When she killed those men without flinching I was like DANG GIRL. I LIKE YOU. Ha-ha, now in real life please realize I would not react this way if I saw a murder taking place - but because this was a book character, I loved it.

Another huge plus in this was Riden and his ability to understand Alosa. It was entertaining to watch them bicker with one another and frankly, it was hilarious. At some points, it was borderline steamy and I wanted to scream: Kiss already, will you!?

Now, now, there are some negatives. For example, I hate how Alosa barely got beaten while she was a prisoner (don't I sound nice?). I don't know - for a bunch of "cruel pirates" they all treated her too nicely. But, that's just me. 'Cause it also really bothered me how all the pirates fell for her charm, even though they knew she was good at playing the "seductress." I almost wanted to roll my eyes when even the Captain fell for her. Like, come on. Really? Does it have to be that simple? But, it was okay. I found it all entertaining, and in the end things did become more difficult - or should I say, realistic?

Another huge negative was the ending. The book literally just stopped. You're engrossed in the story and then BOOM it's over - and you're staring at the page all confused like: That's it?
Honestly, this book probably has one of the worst endings I've ever read. Besides that, it was really entertaining and I almost want to say that I loved it because of it's wittiness and ample amounts of humor. But there were too many little things that bothered me here and there, so alas, I cannot say "I loved it!"...but I'll whisper it.

”You’re a woman. Act like it. You shouldn’t be saying such foul-“
“I’ll say whatever I please. I’m not a lady, I’m a pirate!”

This was such a fun pirate adventure!

Alosa is daughter to the Pirate King- a notorious captain who owns all of the seas and controls those within it... as well as some on land.

She is sent on a mission to retrieve part of a hidden map- the key to a legendary and grand treasure trove. Everything her father desperately wants and she is desperate and prove herself to him. As part of her plan, she allows herself to be captured by an enemy ship- presenting the perfect opportunity to search the ship and find the map.

She is unfazed by those on the pirate ship, having grown up with savage pirates she is use to it. She only has one goal in mind, however, when the first mate takes interest in her and becomes suspicious, Alosa is having to use her own tricks and secrets to complete her plan.

This book was a great book for a fierce heroine- confident, ambitious and cunning- Alosa will not let feelings get in the way when completing the task. She is not like a typical pirate and her own ship is pirated my mostly smart, ambitious and intuitive women.

This book had great adventure, hidden truths and secrets, some romance and more importantly, funny banter, plotting and sarcasm laced through out.

I value other traits above an affinity for torture and power over those weaker than oneself. I value brilliant minds, honest souls, and those with long endurance. I forge relationships based on trust and mutual respect, not fear and control.<\i>

Shiver me timers, If you look up the word ✨fun✨ in the dictionary, Daughter of the Pirate King will be there!! This book is giving Pirates of the Caribbean but make it more girl power plus *slight spoilers?* Mako Mermaids?? lol. I loved pirates as a child (the good smelling ones ofc) and I LOVED every second of this!! ALOSA IS SUCH A QUEEN👑 like seriously these female main characters in fantasy books, I’m LIVING. Of course I was progressively crushing on Riden more and more as I kept reading🤪. I want to put him in my pocket and protect him😠. But c’mon, who wouldn’t want to read about a fun, fast paced pirate adventure with some ENEMIES TO LOVERS developing and forced proximity (thanks to the pirate ship🙏). You know they care for one another despite everything, they’ve literally saved each other and just AHH😩🤌. It’s flippin’ cute ok!! I can’t wait to read the next book and see Alosa get the rest of her revenge😏, become super rich and hopefully throw her father overboard (walk the plank you scallywag)👏. Anyways, did I mention THIS BOOK WAS FUN?!🏴‍☠️

Aye, 5 stars!!!!!

Btw this was my final straw, I ordered red hair dye today👩‍🦰❤️

For the record, I’ve always loved pirates. Back in 6th grade I was OBSESSED with pirates. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest came out that year and fueled the fire to my obsession.

So back to this book, I loved the premise. The main character, Alosa, sets up her own kidnapping so that she can steal a map. How clever and a nice twist!

Alosa is such a badass. She’s the pirate queen I never knew I needed. Not only is she smart and a great fighter, but she’s also part siren which gives her some awesome man-controlling powers.

The one thing I didn’t like was that I wanted more of her female pirate crew and her ship. We get a taste of that at the end and I really wanted more. But I’m pretty sure the sequel will focus more on her ship and crew, so that’s not a big deal.

Random side note: I loved that the endpapers were a map of the ship she was on. I always love maps in books so that was a nice touch.

Overall, this was a fast paced and exciting pirate adventure story that features a female lead who slays (both literally and figuratively). I can’t wait to read the sequel and see how the rest of the story unfolds!

WARNING: THAR BE SPOILAGE

I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two types of grown women in the world. Those who love Disney and all of its princesses and then there’s me . . . .

I don’t understand how the other half thinks and they probably feel the same about me. That being said, I requested this from the library after seeing it being equated to “a female version of Jack Sparrow” which had me immediately going . . . .

If I had known I was getting a Disney princess story I wouldn’t have wasted my time. Especially if I had known it was going to remind me of the most vapid of them all . . . .

Who doesn’t turn out to be a mermaid, but instead is . . . .

Just kidding. She ends up being part siren. Buuuuuuuuut you don’t find that out until you’re a goodly chunk into the story because we’re too busy finding out this crap is going to be a kissing book which had me all like . . . .

And also saying things like . . . .

When bitch can take a bloodied lip, but god forbid the bad guy decides to cut off her fiery red locks (because OF COURSE she has red hair). Not to mention rather than kicking ass like a real pirate, this chick relies on her feminine wiles and opts to seduce multiple male characters which left me all . . . . .

FFS – in case you didn’t get the message – TIME’S SUPPOSED TO BE UP. Why don’t you female authors get on board and stop writing stupid bimbos and instead write some stabby ones. I have been so impressed with the Young Adult genre recently. This one was like taking twelve steps back. Oh, and OF COURSE it’s a series . . . .

Aghhhh, so good -I binge read this in the course of a night! Sure, it was a bit unbelievable (heroine perfect at everything, an enemy pirateship of mostly young, attractive men, convenient timing of several events, etc) but if you can suspend your skepticism and enjoy this book for the good fun it is (think YA Pirates of the Caribbean) then you'll find yourself a great new read: snarky/feisty YA heroine (who can definitely save herself and the love interest), a steamy romance with good banter (yaaas! and props to the author for not keeping it super chaste in book 1, I mean, it wasn't over-the-top steamy but definitely a bit more fun than we usually get for the first book in a YA series), an epic adventure (that can easily unfold into a series), a potential future romance triangle (maybe not? but there was a hint of another potential suitor though can't tell what kind of person he is just yet, other than he works for her father) -and sometimes triangles are fun, admit it!, plenty of fight scenes, and a cast of characters that are sure to grow over the series (Riden's relationship with Alosa and his brother, the other evil pirate guy who escaped, Alosa's father/mother, Alosa's shipmates, etc).

Sooo glad I have this one in hardcover and just from the author's easy writing style (snarky, first-person, fast-paced), I know I'm going to love her future works and she's now on my autobuy list.