When her parents, the great marine scientists Dr. and Dr. Quail, are killed in a tragic accident, eleven year old Fidelia Quail is racked by grief. But she is forced out of her mourning when she's kidnapped by Merrick the Monstrous, a pirate. Her task? Use her marine know-how to retrieve his treasure, lost on the ocean floor. As Fidelia and the pirates close in on the prize, with the navy hot on their heels, she realizes that Merrick doesn't expect to live long enough to enjoy his loot. Could something other than black-hearted greed be driving him?
This was a solid second book by Lindsay Eagar. Hour of the Bees was a hit for her, and rightly so because it was an amazing story with amazing characters. I was so excited to see her next book was going to be about pirates, one of my favorite subject matters. When I saw this book, I fell in love with the cover and with the idea of what it promised - a high-stakes pirate adventure, featuring a strong, scientifically-minded female protagonist. It checked so many of my boxes. And I have to say, it did not disappoint!
Eagar is a fantastic world-builder. The world is very like a 17oos world, but with some modern elements, like submarines, ocean-scanners, etc. Fidelia, in addition to following her parents' footsteps with her interest in studying marine biology, she also has a knack for inventing scientific equipment to aid her parents in their studies. She built the submarine that her parents use. So there is a tiny element of sci-fi.
I'd highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good pirate story. This would be a great book for girls or boys who love action/adventure stories and pirates. It's got a lot of STEAM elements in it, which makes it a great book for kids who like science, too.
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