Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "fantasy"

Magic of Blood and Sea by Cassandra Rose Clarke

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Don’t get married. Don’t trust beautiful people. Choices have consequences.

Getting married isn’t Ananna of the Tanarau’s idea. Her parents thought this one up. All she wants is to captain her own ship. But the Confederation doesn’t allow female captains. But there’s always a way to circumvent rules, especially when you’re a pirate.

Anyway, the second is her hard and fast rule. Tarrin of the Hariri is beautiful. His family wants to elevate the clan, marriage being one way to do so. (Murder and mutiny are the other two.) Since her family ranks higher, this wedding is a business arrangement between parents. Even worse, his clan is the only one that spends more time on land than on water. Born and raised on the sea, she wants to stay there, not sail in the monstrosities they use to navigate on land.

Which brings her back to the first rule. Her only other option is to run, which she does. Even though it means isolating herself from her family. But why dwell on the past? Besides, she can sell her wedding dress for coins to buy what she needs at the market before hightailing it as far from the Hariri as possible.

But choices do have consequences, and reneging on this alliance turns out to be life-changing. More than miffed at this insult, the Hariri hire an assassin to kill her. Luckily, she comes across a shopkeeper who sells her magic vials guaranteed to thwart the assassin. Only they don’t work when she comes face-to-face with Naji of the Jadorr’a. Turns out the shopkeeper hails from the Mists, an Otherworld member who’s been chasing after the assassin for years.

Just as Naji is about to deliver the killing blow, Ananna slays a snake that was about to kill him. Darn! Now instead of executing her, he must protect her. Honor demands it. Ananna only saved him because she HATES snakes. She goes along with his protection, but at the first opportunity she’ll escape. Even though with his scarred face and many tattoos, he is intriguing.

To shield her from danger when he’s not with her, Naji uses blood magic to create a charm she can wear around her neck. It will protect her from the Mists, who will entice her to betray him with empty promises, and anyone else the Hariri hire to kill her. But the moment Ananna tries to run away, she discovers the whole truth about the consequence of saving Naji’s life. Any danger she faces and any distance she travels from him cause him agonizing pain . . . pain that could kill him.

Their lives intertwined by magic, they set off across the desert together only to run into a hornet’s nest of monstrous land ships and Tarrin. He gives her one last chance to marry him, but she refuses. So the two fight, with the rest of the Hariri ships and Naji soon joining in. Another choice with haunting consequences: Ananna wins, but Naji is severely wounded. He knows a river witch who can help heal him, and together they begin the arduous journey to reach the witch in time.

She’s beautiful, so Ananna doesn’t trust her and is even a bit jealous of her, since Naji seems moonstruck over the witch. But Ananna learns one important piece of information that complicates their situation – Naji is cursed. And it’s an impossible curse, which means it can’t be removed. The only one who may be able to help is Wizard Eirnin, who lives on the Isles of the Sky – a cold, often sunless, and magical place fraught with danger. Getting there will be a problem, because no sane sailor would dare set foot there. Then there’s the question as to whether the wizard will deign to help them if they can find him. Even if there is a cure, it’s probably just as impossible as the curse itself.

Comprised of two stories – The Assassin’s Curse and The Pirate’s Wish – Magic of Blood and Sea combines magic, romance, and nautical adventure in such a way that you never want Ananna’s and Naji’s story to end. Clarke spins a captivating tale of trust, love, friendship, and sacrifice. Her characters seem more than just figments of imagination, and Ananna springs from the pages almost from the first sentence to whisk you away with her. Once Naji joins her, they transport you to their world and yours is forgotten. Together they show that life and love can blossom from the impossible.




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Hook's Tale: Being the Account of an Unjustly Villainized Pirate Written by Himself by John Leonard Pielmeier

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Everything you think you know about me is a lie. (2)

Perhaps not everything, but the Scottish playwright doesn’t seem to have gotten a lot right, so sharing his own story finally sets the record aright. We know him as Captain Hook – a name he does use – but he is dubbed James Cook upon his birth in the Year of our Lord 1860. (’Tis the year his father is lost at sea.) Gifted with a love of reading, James discovers a true treasure amongst the many books in his father’s library: A History of the Voyages of Captain James Cook. (The illustrious one better known to history, of whom James’s father was a direct descendant.)

Life first goes awry when he’s sent by his grandsire to Eton College, where his father’s reputation proves insurmountable. Everything James attempts ends in failure, and his mates ridicule and taunt him to no end. Do they not have the gall to frame him for a prank in which he had no part? Rather than face being kicked out, James quits the school in the dark of night, intending to meet his father’s family once and for all. Alas, at fourteen, James isn’t privy to the ways of the world and the evil that lurks in the shadows, which is how he comes to find himself impressed into the Royal Navy and at sea the next morn.

But James makes the best of his situation – a good thing since he’s in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean – and learns the art of sailing and fighting, as well as other tasks deemed fit for a cabin boy. An injury festers, which lands him in sick bay, and during his recuperation, he discovers a map hidden in his favorite book. (Of course the map shows an island and an “X”! What pirate tale would not?) Afore long the man who shanghaied him learns of this treasure map and demands James hand it over. Not knowing what else to do, James heeds the “request,” only to soon discover that the man and his mates have mutinied and James is now a pirate.

During the voyage to find the treasure island, a storm overtakes them and when the sky clears, can you guess what they find? Aye, matey, islands in a world where no one ever ages, latitude and longitude never change, the sun rises in the west, and no matter which direction they sail don’t they always end up where they started. The first island explored offers skeletons and eggs – the former they avoid, but the latter they have for breakfast. All except one, which James pockets. Now, you can be guessing what type of egg, and you’d be right. When it hatches, James names the wee crocodile “Daisy” and raises her as if she were his own child.

Being a young lad, James takes to exploring the island in hopes of finding the treasure. Instead, he meets Arthur Raleigh, a mate of his father who’s been living alone in a cave for fourteen years. Late one night, the need to know more about his dad lures James from his post as lookout. A fatal mistake to be sure since another ship’s crew sneaks aboard and a fight ensues. The pirates surely do win, but forsaking one’s duty has dire consequences for James. Or so he expects, but a boy who can fly saves the day and, during many adventures, they become friends. But there’s a dark side lurking inside Peter, which James glimpses when Peter steals his shadow, and despite their promises to always be fast friends, ’tis a pledge that is horribly shattered.

Like a sprinkling of fairy dust, this imaginative and riveting tale whisks readers back and forth between England and Never-Isle during the Victorian Era. All the elements readers expect to find because of J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan are seamlessly woven together into a vivid tapestry that is sometimes joyous, other times chilling, and nearly always unexpected. While some scenes involve children, this story is meant for adults. Addiction, greed, bullying, love, science, and fear play key roles in this story, but perhaps the most dire theme concerns payback. As James writes, “Revenge, dear reader, can be so focused it blinds one to consequences.” (254) A lesson James, and you dear reader, well learn in this imaginative tale of love, betrayal, and growing up.




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The Dark of the Moon by E.S. Bell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When 300 Zak’reth warships converge on Isle Calinda, Selena Koren is the only one who can save the people. This Aluren Paladin is gifted with the ability to summon the sea, but she’s young and still learning to use her power. She calls forth a wall of water, which destroys the 12,000 enemy warriors. The destruction ends the war, but the Two-faced God is angered that Selena’s wave also takes the lives of 400 innocent men, women, and children – the people she was trying to save. To punish her, the god wounds her with a black crescent-shaped hole over her heart.

Thus begins the first book in the Chronicles of Lunos series, and ten years have passed since that fateful day. Selena is known as the Tainted One, and ever since the god left the hole, she has never felt warmth. She prays daily for forgiveness and removal of the wound, but while the god answers her prayers to heal the sick, her pleas for self-healing go unanswered. Until she is summoned to the Moon Temple to meet with her superiors.

When Selena appears before the High Council, she learns of whispers of a new war with a new enemy. The Bazira follow the Shadow face of the god and have been slowly gathering adherents by preying on people’s fears and lack of hope. Two Bazira priests have gained much power and influence; to thwart this threat Accora and Bacchus must die, and the only one who might succeed in this endeavor is Selena. But cold-blooded murder goes against all that she believes. Her refusal to assassinate the priests results in a stern ultimatum – heed the order or be exiled and demoted in rank. Only one enticement convinces her to obey: forgiveness and the healing of her wound.

That promise entices Selena to accept the mission. Her sole companion these past ten years has been Ilior oth’Makir, a Vai’Ensai. Often called “dragonman,” he cannot return home because the Zak’reth ripped off one of his wings. Selena saved his life that day, and he has stood by her as both friend and guardian since before the attack on Calinda. The captain of the vessel hired to transport them to Accora’s island has no desire to enter those treacherous waters; instead, he abandons them on Isle Uago where pirates find safe haven.

Sebastian Vaas goes by many names, including Bloody Bastian – the moniker mothers sing in a ditty to warn their children to behave. He’s an assassin for hire, although he earned his bloodthirsty reputation in the Zak’reth war after they raped his sister and killed his family. Tired of killing, he now earns his living doing odd jobs and ferrying cargo from one island to another. The money isn’t nearly as lucrative, which has left his ship in need of repairs and his crew unpaid. (Not that they complain. None can speak, having had their tongues cut out or been born mute.) The promise of gold doubloons, however, has drawn him out of retirement for one last job. Zolin, the High Vicar of the Bazira, wants to hire Sebastian’s special talents. He cares nothing of his target, until he discovers he is to kill the one person who killed so many Zak’reth – Selena Koren. But gold is money, and Sebastian accepts the assignment.

The characters, plot, and subplots are intertwined in layers of complexity and just when you expect the problem to resolve, another twist sends you tumbling into another adventure more heart-stopping than the last. A dead ship, a lone survivor, rotting and corrupted merkind, a bounty hunter, sea scorpions, a blind nun, fortunetelling, witches, a blood dragon shapeshifter, and magic are just some of the intriguing episodes in this book. My favorite involved the whaling community on an island of ice, where frozen dragons, dragon carvings, and an underground library are so vividly described that I felt as if I was actually among the characters during their stay.

Since this is the first book in the series, Bell introduces some characters and plots that are only peripherally involved with this particular story. Here, these subplots serve as background, as well as providing brief interludes to allow readers to catch their breath and be introduced before future titles provide fuller accountings of their stories. Bell also includes a map and a glossary to help orient the reader to the world of Lunos.

The Dark of the Moon is a riveting fantasy, whether the genre appeals to you or not. Selena and Sebastian are both haunted by the past and those they have killed, but how they deal with those memories provides stunning portrayals of how people cope. Reading this story is like wending your way through a cornfield maze or a haunted house. You never know what happens next, but something unexpected is always sure to happen. I eagerly await Shadow Moon Rising, the next book in the series, which is slated to be released in 2018. If you’re brave enough to risk the journey, I think you and your inner pirate will enjoy this voyage as much as I.




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Black and Mist by Thomas J. Radford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


While the Tantamount is in Port Border for repairs and to recruit new crew members, Kitsune Violet explores the city that lies between the High Lanes and lawless Free Lanes. Many merchant ships seem more like those of the Alliance, which is only supposed to have a minimal presence here, and they’re offloading more Draugrs than she can count. What’s more perplexing is that the robot-like creatures are loaded into wagons and carted off, but where? Curiosity drives Violet to discover the answer, but when she does, she can’t believe what she finds and fears for her life, as well as all those aboard Tantamount. She must warn the skipper and the captain, but who’s going to believe her?

Much to her dismay, she finds Navigator Loveland Quill in charge. She’s certain the Kelpie’s one goal in life is to make her life miserable. It doesn’t help that’s he’s already in a huff because the skipper is off searching for another navigator. They’ve done well with one so far, why does Tantamount require another?

Aside from replacing lost crew, Skipper Nel Vaughn has her own demons to face. Rather than do so, she drowns them with drink. Further complicating her life is news that someone has been asking for her. Then she recognizes someone from her past – a past she wishes to forget and someone she hopes never to meet again. It’s time to leave Port Border, but Tantamount still needs supplies and a paying cargo to haul.

Captain Horatio Phelps’s mind may be foggy at times, but he’s still capable of commanding the ship and he’s not as oblivious as some think. He implements steps to help Nel straighten up. He’s ecstatic when Violet finds a job that allows him to pay their many refit bills. The new replacements seem okay, but it’s always dicey having strangers aboard, and their assignment necessitates that they all work together to successfully deliver the cargoes to their different delivery points.

But trouble erupts even before they leave Port Border, and then several accidents befall Violet and it looks like they may have happened on purpose. A flash of light where one shouldn’t be suggests someone is following them, and then a signal light with Alliance colorings is found on board. Who is the turncoat? And why is another ship hunting them if the cargo they carry isn’t that valuable?

Black & Mist is the second title in the Free Lane series and continues the travels and adventures of the Tantamount and her misfit crew. It’s not quite as seamlessly woven as the first book, but Radford definitely keeps us guessing as more is learned about the past lives of some characters and glimpses of the enemy reveal more about the Alliance. The worlds he creates are wonderfully transcribed into stunning word images that bring the Free Lanes to life. The jaw-dropping climax is edge-of-your-seat adventure that leaves us gasping for breath and wondering who survives and what happens next. Secrets abound in this spine-tingling speculative fiction and, as one character says, “It’s secrets that are what kills us.” (206)




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Pirates & Privateers by Jane Glatt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


After a decade of training, Dagrun Lund returns from her first assignment only to learn from spymaster Joosep Sepp that her twin sister has gone missing. Dag’s value as an Intelligencer is her Unseen Trait, and she quickly figures out that her boss is involved in Inger’s disappearance in some way. Dag has always looked out for her sister, whose trait of always being noticed makes her accepting of all others without comprehending their motives. For her to run away means that someone upset her and, from what Dag uncovers, that person is none other than Tarmo Holt, the Grand Freeholder of the Fair Seas Treaty Alliance who only has three months left before he must relinquish that title and its authority to another. He wishes to mate with Inger so she might bear children with other Traits – ones he might use for his own purposes even though it’s against the law to have personal spies. When Inger refuses, he threatens Dag with future assignments of great danger, but Inger’s Trait prevents her from understanding that these are idle threats. To save both herself and Dag, she runs away and now Dag must find her.

Joosep Sepp regrets discussing his Intelligencers with Tarmo Holt, but never before has a Grand Freeholder attempted to usurp his authority as spymaster. Dag’s return provides no useful information about the next man who will become his boss, other than to confirm his identity. Past transitions of the office have gone smoothly, but Holt’s questions and Inger’s disappearance arouse Joosep’s suspicions. Then another of his Intelligencers learns that Holt may have dealings with pirates. Somehow all these separate issues are connected, but how? He requires Dag’s Trait to discover the truth, but she’s off looking for her sister and he has no idea where. What he needs is a trusted agent with luck to find her and Inger and bring them back.

Calder Rahmson’s Lucky Trait has kept him alive for many years, first during his childhood, then as a privateer, and for the past decade as an Intelligencer. His return from his last mission coincides with Sepp’s need to find Dag, but there’s no telling how long his search will take. He learned long ago not to force his Luck; it leads him to places where he will learn something he needs to know when he needs to know it. His first success comes when he overhears a conversation that tells him that someone is looking for children with Traits, especially twins, whose Traits are stronger than those in individual children. Although this doesn’t seem relevant to his mission of finding Dag and Inger, it must have importance else his Trait would not have revealed it. Next, he comes across a woman on the docks who has knowledge of two women boarding a privateer ship heading for Strongrock Island at two different times. He dons a disguise, signs aboard an outbound ship, and follows. But not everyone aboard the vessel is pleased with his presence and the captain seems more concerned with speed than the safety of his ship and her crew. Aside from those dangers, there’s also the risk of pirates, for a number of ships – some with crew members whom Calder considers friends – have gone missing.

Pirates & Privateers is the fast-paced, gripping first entry in Glatt’s Intelligencers fantasy series. Dag and Calder are intriguing characters and their back stories are intricately interwoven into a maze of twisted, but seemingly unconnected, threads. Reminders of who has what Trait and how these work, as well as frequent repetition of questions needing answers may annoy some readers, yet these elements also keep the complicated plot and main characters front and center throughout the story. While a resolution is reached and Dag, Inger, and Calder evolve by story’s end, remaining questions and a budding romance keep readers hooked for the sequel, Traits and Traitors, slated for release in 2019.




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Katherine of Carrick - The Way of the Warrior by Annie Holmes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Katherine is a worrier . . . about her new home, a new morning, spiders, snakes, strangers, and more. And it’s hard for adults – except her mother – to understand that someone her size and age can have so many problems. If only she could be a warrior!

Seven-year-old Katherine loves big words and she’s quite inquisitive. She loves learning new information, but sometimes doing so riles the buffaloes in her tummy. Like now, as she awakens in her new home in a new city, Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland. With her two favorite pals, Bienkie her GO-TO Bear and Boongie Rabbit, and the constant repeating of her mantra (“There is nothing to fear but fear itself!”), she ventures from her bed to the window and is excited to see the lough, a rundown garden, the beach, and a castle!

Her first expedition must be to the garden, and the creatures there are thrilled, yet cautious. The fairies have said that Katherine of Carrick will save them, but she’s just a little girl and how can she protect them from Sammy the Bull and the Terribles? One of the garden’s occupants is Methuselah, who is very old and knowledgeable. He doesn’t want her to know who he is right now, so he waits quietly and watches. Once Katherine discovers him, she will also want to know his secrets, and he’s not certain he’s willing or ready to share them, even though so much time has passed.

While exploring the garden, Katherine learns that the house has a secret. She loves mysteries and immediately sets out to unravel the creatures’ riddle to find the secret. Once she does, she also discovers an old leather bag with a coat of arms on it, which becomes her grab bag. All is peaceful and calm until Sir Faithful Fortescue squawks an alarm: The garden is under attack!

The Terribles have arrived, claiming ownership of her garden, but Katherine isn’t about to let these big, brash boys continue their destructive ways. She confronts the terrible children, who warn her that Sammy the Bull will not allow her to get away with this. The garden belongs to them, not her. Knowing they will return, she comes up with a plan and with the rest of the League of the Little People (Bienkie, Boongie, and the garden creatures) organizes for the next invasion. But Katherine also worries. Being brave once often means that she must continue being brave; she’s just not certain she can.

Then Sammy the Bull arrives and he’s not even sure Katherine is a girl. After all, she doesn’t dress like a girl and she defies him. As far as Katherine is concerned, it’s obvious that Sammy hasn’t a clue about girls. After all, she rides her bike and loves adventure, and history is filled with heroines who do not play with dolls or hide in the house. The arguing eventually turns to pirates and Sammy dares Katherine to say how many girl pirates there were. She doesn’t know, but she’s certain there were some. Thinking he is smarter, Sammy dares her to name a real girl pirate, or the garden belongs to him and the Terribles. It’s a challenge she can’t refuse, even if it means that she must be braver than ever.

Morwenna Banks brings Katherine and all her friends (and enemies) to life in a way that allows the listener to be right beside Katherine from the moment the adventure starts all the way to the end. Her inflection is spot on in all the right places and she is truly gifted in giving each character a unique voice. The book is written for children ages seven and up, but even adults will enjoy listening. (I also had access to the e-book, which includes color pictures, but Banks does such a fabulous job that I ended up using the book to write my notes for this review.) I particularly love the way she emphasizes “girl” pirates and says Katherine’s favorite words, “Supermurgatroid” and “Humongous!” I wanted to cry when Katherine’s world falls apart when Sammy injures Bienkie, and I laughed a lot at Katherine’s dilemma about how to go to the bathroom in Kveldulf, a Viking longboat. The Twisted Sisters reminded me of the three witches in MacBeth. I particularly enjoyed meeting Harry Gold and his Pieces of 8, an assortment of men from the past who assist Katherine in her quest for girl pirates. As she journeys through history, we meet Simon Danseker, Eustace the Black Monk, John Paul Jones, Woodes Rogers, Nathaniel Mist, Daniel Defoe, and a woman pirate (although I won’t say which one).

If I have any reservation about this audiobook, it’s the cover art. It’s not appealing to the eye and gives the wrong impression about what the book is about. This was not the case with either the cover art for the hardback or paperback versions – both of which come closer to hinting at what the book is about. The audio version is more reminiscent of virtual reality or steampunk, neither of which has anything to do with the story.

Each evening, when I sat to listen to the story while doing jigsaw puzzles, I found myself eager to discover where Katherine’s journey would lead her and who she would meet next. I wanted the tale to go on and on, but alas it does come to an end . . . but Annie Holmes assures listeners that Katherine will return in Katherine of Carrick: The Secret History of the Mongols. I heartily recommend this audiobook to readers and I am amazed at how ingeniously Annie Holmes wove a wide array of history into a children’s tale filled with magic and detecting. Best of all? It’s a story about Girls and Girl Pirates!




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Traits & Traitors by Jane Glatt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Having escaped the pirates once, Dagrun Lund and Calder Rahmson flee their safe haven just before the Ghost Ship attacks a nearby port. They must get to Tarklee and warn the Fair Seas Treaty Alliance (FSTA) of the destruction of waterfront warehouses, docks, and shipyards, but to accomplish this they must first learn to trust each. Their superior, Spymaster Joosep Sepp, has never permitted Intelligencers to work together or to know each other’s Traits. Through trial and error Dag and Calder use their Traits – hers, Unseen, and his, Luck – to piece together the puzzle. It began with the stealing of ships and amassing weaponry. Now, Joosep is held prisoner by Tarmo Holt, the current Grand Freeholder of the FSTA and a man who is in league with the pirates. The destruction of the shipyards means no lumber to build more ships and the burnt warehouses warn of insufficient stores to feed people in the future. But how are these various threads woven together and why? Dag and Calder may be the only two Intelligencers who can thwart this wicked alliance.

Gustav Gunnarson is a novice Intelligencer, but he survived his first mission to spy on Holt. With Joosep and his assistant missing, Gustav is uncertain what to do and who to trust. It’s definitely not Vilis, another trainee, who Gustav spies with a sheaf of papers taken from Joosep’s office. Gustav doesn’t believe Vilis, and wishing he knew who to trust, he becomes an itinerant peddler walking the streets of Tarklee to garner snippets of information. If he can discover what Holt is up to – quite likely since his Trait is Charisma and people happily converse with him – he might find Joosep. While in disguise, he happens upon the pirate captain and Dag’s twin sister meeting with Holt. Gunnar doesn’t understand everything discussed, but realizes there is discord between the cohorts and that Holt pays the pirates to track down Calder’s family. They can do what they like with the captives, as long as their kidnapping brings Calder to Holt.

Traits & Traitors is the sequel to Pirates & Privateers and is storytelling at its best. Glatt drops us into the midst of the action and holds us captive until the end of the tale. Just when you catch your breath, another twist pulls you right back into the streets of Tarklee where you scurry beside Dag, Calder, and Gunnar to unearth more clues that will aid in Holt’s downfall. The characters are compelling and the story unfolds like an intricately woven tapestry in a distant land. The primary adventure is satisfactorily resolved, sometimes with gutwrenching surprises, but tantalizing subplots will entice readers back for the next installment of The Intelligencers.




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Getting into trouble is second nature for Lintang. It’s not her intent; it just happens. The cause this time is Pelita the troublesome pixie. If not for her interference, Lintang would never have started the fire. If not for the fire, her mother would have the necessary ingredients to prepare the dish for the banquet. But when asked, Lintang blames the fire on a pirate. She doesn’t mean for the lie to slip out, but really, who’s going to believe a pixie did it?

And her punishment is super severe. She may not attend the banquet. She may not meet Captain Shafira of Allay. Her idol! The woman who can take her away from this boring island. The pirate who can take Lintang on adventure. It’s a chance she just can’t miss, which leads Lintang deeper into trouble. If she can replace the ingredient her mother needs, then her mother will allow her to attend the banquet, and she’ll finally meet Captain Shafira.

To assist her in this quest, she enlists the help of her best (and only) friend, Bayani. They are both twelve, but that’s where the similarities end. He’s responsible, but since being ill, he’s also secretive. He loves mythies, names them, even talks to them as if they are people. And that pesky Pelita is always hanging around him. Bayani will initially say no to her plan, but Lintang always gets him to do her bidding.

Of course, things don’t quite go as planned. A flowery scent and a clacking noise warn of danger . . . very bad danger. Somehow, she figures out how to get them out of this dilemma, but the malam rasha or night terror isn’t about to allow its prey to escape. She and Bayani have to warn the villagers. But who will believe them? After all, she is a gifted storyteller like her grandfather. Instead of helping the villagers, she angers them and her mother threatens her with dire consequences. Until a beautiful woman backs up Lintang’s story and promises to rid them of the malam rasha for a price.

Lintang is awestruck that she not only meets her idol, but that Captain Shafira also believes her. Now, if only she can convince the pirate captain to take her aboard the pirate ship when she leaves. Wishes, however, often come true, but not in the way one expects.

This the first entry in a new fantasy series for young readers. It includes an eclectic group of female pirates, including one who prefers to dress as a boy, and a host of mythical creatures, such as mermaids, a dragon, a sea serpent, and the harvester or Goddess of Death. To assist readers in understanding these beasties, Moss scatters pages from The Mythie Guidebook throughout the story that explain what they eat, where they live, how they behave, and just how dangerous they are. Although this adventure takes place in a fantasy world, it has Asian elements woven into the narrative. Captain Sharif is a larger-than-life pirate who may remind readers of Zheng Yi Sao, and Lintang is an amazing young girl with whom readers will readily identify. Lintang and the Pirate Queen is a tale of friendship, trust, and obedience that is spiced with danger, infection, and wondrous ships and places. It is an adventure that pirates young and old will enjoy, and when it ends, they will eagerly await the next journey of Lintang, the Pirate Queen, and their friends.

Sailors & Spies by Jane Glatt

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The machinations of the former Grand Freeholder of the Fair Seas Treaty Alliance (FSTA) have left their world in chaos. All but two ships have been destroyed and, with winter soon upon them, there isn’t enough food to sustain everyone. Worse, the evidence suggests that someone else was behind Tarmo Holt’s failed attempt and the danger remains.

Dagrun Lund and Calder Rahmson, both Intelligencers, are sent to find much-needed supplies before the seas freeze. That is their primary mission, but Dag has a second. She pursues Holt in hopes of reuniting with her twin, Inger, whom Holt manipulated into doing things that have labeled her just as much a traitor to the FSTA as he is.

Nadez Norup is forced to become the new Master Intelligencer. It’s impossible to know who to trust, since Dag and Calder are away, and clues suggest that someone has been acquiring some of the Intelligencers to work against the FSTA. Some do so freely, but at least two – Janni and Jarri Breck, who should never have been trained as spies in the first place – are held against their will and compelled to use their Traits to do unspeakable things.

The last thing Lauma Strauskas wanted was to become the Grand Freeholder, but Calder’s mother has accepted the interim position. Somehow, she must lead the FSTA out of the mess left behind, but not everyone agrees that she is the best person for the job. The more she and Nadez work together, the greater the danger – a fact that is soon reinforced when assassins try to kill her. Both women, however, are determined to unearth the mastermind and help everyone survive the coming winter. If necessary, Lauma will dissolve the treaty, a dire step that might be the only available option, but doing so will also disband the Intelligencers.

The journey to purchase supplies provides Dag and Calder with essential clues that eventually necessitate they separate to accomplish their missions. Before then, they interdict a ship in distress. Dag’s Unseen Traits warns that the pirates aboard are merely playacting and Calder knows one of them. That man is Rahm, Calder’s father Rahm. He pretends to be a pirate, but Dag figures out that he is actually a spy and a man whose secrets have secrets. He can’t be trusted, but her pursuit of Holt and Inger necessitates his help. It also brings her into the realm of the Resolutes, the most feared of all assassins. Nor is she alone in pursuing Holt. A rich, powerful, and ruthless pirate seeks him and will kill anyone who gets in his way.

While Sailors & Spies may seem anticlimactic, the sleuthing connects dots that provide invaluable clues for the two volumes yet to come. It serves as a way-stop in answering two key questions: How and Why. The many single threads in this third book in The Intelligencers series are intricately woven into an unfinished tapestry yet to be resolved. After the last chapter, readers will crave the next installment.



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Sea of Kings by Melissa Hope

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At thirteen, Prince Noa Blackburn has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and, per his father’s decree, believes magic and mythical creatures are figments of imagination. His younger brother, Dagan, is the polar opposite. He loves adventure, which is just what the two discover when they explore a forbidden beach and find a noose hanging from a tree and a pendant under a skull.

Their discoveries raise questions, but finding answers won’t be easy. They live in Aztrius, a realm comprised of six islands, each with its own king. Their father, King Titus, hates surprises and has instituted rules that he expects his sons to obey. One is that no child is permitted to leave the island. Another is that Noa and Dagan must be escorted everywhere, which is why they make up an imaginary guardian who allows them to go to places they’re not supposed to, such as the forbidden beach.

The arrival of King Edjlin from a neighboring kingdom interrupts the boys’ further investigation into the mysterious pendant. He’s come for the birthday festivities for their sister. During a conch game, Noa witnesses Edjlin meeting with a stranger rather than paying attention to the game. He also overhears a conversation between his father and Edjlin about a map and a battle involving the Death King and his venom.

Shortly before his sister’s birthday ball – a time during which the entire population will be in the castle – Noa and his father argue. Heated words are exchanged and the pendant is confiscated. Angry, Noa flees the castle to find his friend Ayla, the blacksmith’s daughter. An unfamiliar noise raises their curiosity and they find a longboat where it should not be. Then they spy two ships in the harbor, both flying the black flags of pirates! They run to the castle to alert his father, but the attack has already launched and the pirates are closing in. King Titus shoves a map into Noa’s hands and tells him to follow it. There’s no other way to save his father, his sister, and his people. But how can he leave the island and sail into the unknown? How can stop the pirates?

With little choice, Noa and Ayla hurry back to town where they meet Dagan, as well as some boys who favor gambling to hobnobbing with grownups. Together, they devise a plan to elude the pirates and escape the island. There’s just one problem: not all of the boys are Noa’s friends. Some are competitors, who take exception to Noa being in charge. For the risky and daring plan to succeed, they must work together. A slight mistiming results in one of them becoming a sacrificial lamb. Upon discovering Noa’s escape, the pirates are determined to get their hands on the magical map by whatever means necessary.

Sea of Kings is a high-action fantasy for young pirates ages 8-14. There is something for everyone: lies, betrayal, magic, blue men (a type of kelpie), electric octopuses, furry creatures, a vicious one-eyed pirate, a despicable tyrant, fearsome storms, a sea battle, a stowaway, near mutiny, a shipwreck, and an underwater, upside down castle. Humor is also woven into the story, and the stowaway’s sayings – such as “Slap me with cilantro” or “Flour my bottom and stick me in the oven” – will make readers smile. Rather than using many synonyms to refer to the pendant that Noa finds, it would have been better to just use one. This is a small quibble, though, in an otherwise well-paced, absorbing tale that melds magic and knowledge with seemingly-impossible dilemmas from which Noa and his friends must extricate themselves, including being declared pirates themselves.




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