If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert 432 pages

When Kensington Books asked me to write a blurb for Rachel Rueckert’s debut novel, I jumped at the opportunity. Although I don’t read many romance novels, I do enjoy stories that take place
in or near the water. The feel of the salty breeze and the mist stinging your face---that sort of thing. Set during the waning days of the Golden Age of Pirates (1689-1718; who knew there was
such a thing?), If the Tide Turns is the “captivating true story of real-life pirate Samuel Bellamy, combining high seas adventure, star-crossed longing, surprisingly timely questions about social
justice and freedom, and the emotionally satisfying tale of one strong-willed young woman determined to choose her own path.”

This is the blurb I wrote: “Two lovers, separated by their stations in life, fight their way back to each other’s arms. On land and on the sea, Sam and Maria overcome the hardships of the mid-1700s. Rueckert’s new novel is a tale of daring, courage, aching loneliness and two people willing to face any obstacles to be together.”

It’s 1715 in Eastham, Massachusetts. Maria Brown is the beautiful, hard-headed daughter of a wealthy family who has arranged a marriage for her. She doesn’t want any part of the much older
(shall we just say old?), also wealthy and abusive John Hallett.

Maria has her heart set on a young, orphaned sailor, Sam Bellamy. They met as Sam had been laid-off (yes, laid-off from his previous ship when it docked and no longer needed his services) and searched for another ship. The two are drawn together. Sam to Maria for her beauty and her self-determination. Maria to Sam for his idealistic opinions. The two are smitten with each other. Sam wants to marry her, but her father forbids it, in fact banishing him from their home. Maria, characteristically, vows to wait for him, to wait until he can make his fortune and offer everything her father deems, she should have.

Eager for success, Sam becomes involved with a pirate ship. But Sam isn’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill pirate. He is only interested in taking other ships’ bounties, not lives nor ships. His reputation as a “nice” pirate precedes him. Maria leaves home, bent on following him from port to port. It’s a dangerous path she has chosen--- a woman traveling alone.

If the Tide Turns has all the aspects of a swashbuckling delightful read as Sam and Maria fight for their love. If the Tide Turns gets 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

If the Tide Turns

If the Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert 384 pages  

When Kensington Books asked me to write a blurb for Rachel Rueckert’s debut novel, I jumped at the opportunity. Although I don’t read many romance novels, I do enjoy stories that take place in or near the water. The feel of the salty breeze and the mist stinging your face---that sort of thing. Set during the waning days of the Golden Age of Pirates (1689-1718; who knew there was such a thing?), If the Tide Turns is the “captivating true story of real-life pirate Samuel Bellamy, combining high seas adventure, star-crossed longing, surprisingly timely questions about social justice and freedom, and the emotionally satisfying tale of one strong-willed young woman determined to choose her own path.”

This is the blurb I wrote: “Two lovers, separated by their stations in life, fight their way back to each other’s arms. On land and on the sea, Sam and Maria overcome the hardships of the mid-1700s. Rueckert’s new novel is a tale of daring, courage, aching loneliness and two people willing to face any obstacles to be together.”

 

It’s 1715 in Eastham, Massachusetts. Maria Brown is the beautiful, hard-headed daughter of a wealthy family who has arranged a marriage for her. She doesn’t want any part of the much older (shall we just say old?), also wealthy and abusive John Hallett.

 

Maria has her heart set on a young, orphaned sailor, Sam Bellamy. They met as Sam had been laid-off (yes, laid-off from his previous ship when it docked and no longer needed his services) and searched for another ship. The two are drawn together. Sam to Maria for her beauty and her self-determination. Maria to Sam for his idealistic opinions. The two are smitten with each other. Sam wants to marry her, but her father forbids it, in fact banishing him from their home. Maria, characteristically, vows to wait for him, to wait until he can make his fortune and offer everything her father deems, she should have.

 

Eager for success, Sam becomes involved with a pirate ship. But Sam isn’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill pirate. He is only interested in taking other ships’ bounties, not lives nor ships. His reputation as a “nice” pirate precedes him.

 

Maria leaves home, bent on following him from port to port. It’s a dangerous path she has chosen--- a woman traveling alone.

 

If the Tide Turns has all the aspects of a swashbuckling delightful read as Sam and Maria fight for their love. If the Tide Turns gets 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Caldera

The Caldera by John Flanagan, 414 pages

“The Herons take to the high seas to fend off pirates and rescue the heir to an empire in the newest adventure from John Flanagan, author of the worldwide bestselling Ranger's Apprentice! Includes BONUS content--a brand-new Ranger's Apprentice short story featuring fan-favorites Will and Maddie! In Hallasholm, Stig is contesting the annual Maktig competition to decide Skandia's greatest warrior. But a late-night knock on the door brings someone Stig never expected to see again, along with a request the Herons are hard-pressed to refuse: a rescue mission of epic proportions. Across the ocean, the southern city-state of Byzantos is plagued by a crew of pirates who've kidnapped the son of Empress Justina. Slipping out of Hallasholm under the cover of darkness, the brotherband sets sail to recover the boy from his kidnappers, heading south to the island of Santorillos where a near-impenetrable fortress stands atop a cliff, surrounded by a lagoon--a caldera--formed by the crater of a volcano. In this explosive seventh book in the action-packed Brotherband Chronicles, the Herons battle pirates amid stormy seas as the fate of an empire rests on their shoulders.”  This story is fantastic, as usual.  Anyone who likes adventure stories needs to read these.  Really anyone, especially teens, should read these anyway.  Everything that Flanagan writes is amazing.

Ghostfaces

Ghostfaces by John Flanagan, 383 pages

“From John Flanagan, author of the worldwide bestselling Ranger's Apprentice, comes a brand-new chapter in the adventures of young Skandians who form a different kind of family—a brotherband. When the Brotherband crew are caught in a massive storm at sea, they're blown far off course and wash up on the shores of a land so far west that Hal can't recognize it from any of his maps. Eerily, the locals are nowhere in sight, yet the Herons have a creeping feeling they are being watched. Suddenly the silence is broken when a massive, marauding bear appears, advancing on two children. The crew springs into action and rescues the children from the bear's clutches, which earns them the gratitude and friendship of the local Mawagansett tribe, who finally reveal themselves. But the peace is short-lived. The Ghostfaces, a ruthless, warlike tribe who shave their heads and paint their faces white, are on the warpath once more. It's been ten years since they raided the Mawagansett village, but they're coming back to pillage and reap destruction. As the enemy approaches, the Herons gear up to help their new friends repel an invasion. In this sixth book in the action-packed Brotherband Chronicles, the Herons find themselves in unfamiliar lands and prepare for battle with a ruthless, unknown enemy.” Flanagan can’t write enough books to satisfy me.  He’s an incredible storyteller and a great writer.  His books are great for boys but girls will love them too.  This is part of the second series he’s written.  The books are better read in series order.

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol III

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol III, Jeremy Whitley, 128 pages

A member of Raven’s crew has been gravely injured in the struggle against her brothers, and the crew flees to find a healer. Crewmembers tell stories of romance to keep each other company, and Raven attempts to persuade the healer to help a pirate.

What a great series. Romance begins to develop, and more awesome women join the cast. I really liked the part where Raven stops beating up a guard to help her with an asthma attack. A worthy follow-up to the earlier books.

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol II

Princeless: Raven, thePirate Princess vol II, Jeremy Whitley, 128 pages

Bent on justice, Raven finally has a crew for her ship, but now she needs a heading! They set sail for the Island of Free Women in hopes of finding where her evil brothers have hidden themselves, but there’s trouble brewing no one could expect. And worst of all, the crew has to deal with each other!

This is a great continuation of the first volume. There’s action, adventure, hints of romance, and plenty of nasty men getting gloriously beaten up. Definitely a solid read.

The Seafarer's Kiss

The Seafarer’s Kiss, Julia Ember, 214 pages

Ersel has long wanted to explore, to see what lies beyond the ice shelf in which she and her fellow mermaids live. However, her childhood best friend, who she’d planned to run away with, has joined the king’s guard and increasingly buys in to the patriarchal mores of their society. When Ersel finds Ragna, a shipwrecked human woman, she is again presented with a choice: to flee and start a new life, or to stand up against the king’s tyranny. Either way, she’ll need to deal with Loki, the god of mischief, and Loki’s deals can never be trusted.

I went into this book with high expectations, which were pretty much immediately dashed, but then by the end of the book I was enjoying myself again. So this has been kind of a roller coaster. The writing is clumsy at times – Ember seems to forget that mermaids live underwater and structures parts of their society inconsistently with that (for instance, their dining hall). And although I expected a retelling of The Little Mermaid, I did not expect the references to the Disney version, which took me out of the fiction and reminded me strongly of the TV show Once Upon a Time. That being said, I think the book gets better as it goes, and I really liked the ending.

Sound

Sound, Alexandra Duncan, 489 pages

Miyole has finally achieved her dream of taking to the stars, working as a research assistant on a deep space mission, and even if things aren’t perfect, how can she complain? But when her ship intervenes in a pirate attack on a rover ship, rescuing most of the beleaguered crew, her world is thrown upside down. A rover girl, Cassia, convinces Miyole to help her on a dangerous rescue mission. Will Miyole throw her lifelong dream away for this girl she’s only just met? What dangers await them in the vast emptiness of space?

This is a very good young adult sci-fi book. Miyole is dealing with some repressed trauma, which informs many of her major decisions. She felt real and complicated, although some of the supporting characters, Cassia in particular, were less fleshed out. That being said, Miyole is a solid enough protagonist that the book doesn’t suffer for it. This is the companion novel to Salvage, which I have not read, but I heard they could stand independently, and I never felt I was missing out on some crucial piece of information.

Race To The Bottom Of The Sea

Race To The Bottom Of TheSea by Lindsay Eagar, 423 pages

“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 book was pretty amazing.  I would give this to kids that like adventure, historical fiction, or strong female characters.

Princeless: Raven, the Pirate Princess vol I

Princeless: Raven, thePirate Princess vol I, Jeremy Whitley, 96 pages

This is a spinoff series from Princeless, in which Raven (the Pirate Princess) embarks upon a quest to revenge herself against her father and brothers for locking her in a tower and stealing her throne. But first, she needs a crew!

I liked this book quite a bit. Her crew is diverse and dynamic, with their own personalities and motives for joining. The art is good, though at first I found the coloring style a bit flat (I quickly got used to it and stopped feeling that way). I’m always nervous with these serially-published graphic novels that the art style will change suddenly, so I hope the next volume has the same artists.

Knife's Edge

Knife’s Edge, Hope Larson, 224 pages

Twins Alex and Cleo Dodge have found their father at last! After rescuing him from the dread pirate Worley, they recover on the Almira, and discover the compass and knife they were given as children are a map leading to buried treasure. Captain Tarboro and the Almira set sail, but secrets from their past are catching up with them.

I’m writing this review a couple weeks after I finished the book, so my opinions have muddied a bit. I don’t think I liked this as much as the previous volume, Compass South. There’s more moral grey areas and protagonists making bad decisions and saying hurtful things to each other, which can be fine in certain contexts but wasn’t really what I wanted going in. I loved the art, though. Rebecca Mock’s illustrations really shine when showing the broad tan decks and white sails of the Almira, with the blue sky behind, though part of that is probably my own biases showing as a sailor and ship-lover.

Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories

Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories by Kelly Barnhill     288 pages

When Mrs. Sorensen's husband dies, she rekindles a long-dormant love with an unsuitable mate in "Mrs. Sorensen and the Sasquatch." In "Open the Door and the Light Pours Through," a young man wrestles with grief and his sexuality in an exchange of letters with his faraway beloved. "Dreadful Young Ladies" demonstrates the strength and power--known and unknown--of the imagination. "The Insect and the Astronomer" upends expectations about good and bad, knowledge and ignorance, love and longing. The World Fantasy Award-winning novella The Unlicensed Magician introduces the secret, magical life of an invisible girl once left for dead . 

Having only read one book by Barnhill previously (and a middle-grade book, at that), I can say I wasn't nearly prepared for the strangeness of her fiction. Each story is full of bizarre creatures that are not quite fully formed - you only get a hint of what it is you're actually reading. I guess that's just part of the whimsical/psychotic style she prefers, and by that I mean as you read each story, you feel the narrator is somehow a bit cracked, not to be trusted, but even more so, they seem like they're experiencing some sort of psychotic break with reality. Some of the stories are pure fantasy, others are more magical realism (more magical than real, though), and the point of each story is a bit hard to define, though with some stories it's more clear than others. I can't say I had a favorite amongst these stories, but I can say I had a least favorite. Most of the stories are pretty forgettable - their weird, creepy, or off in some way, but most don't really stick because they don't seem to have a particular point to them. I can see strong ties between "The Unlicensed Magician" and her book that I had read, "The Girl Who Drank the Moon." She seems to have a very particular vision of what magic is and how it manifests itself. In the end, though, I end each story wondering "What have I just read?" I don't regret reading this collection of short stories, but I don't think I'd recommend it very freely. I think this book is best reserved for those who really enjoy short stories, but particularly of the kind that are ethereal or of the bizarre. Barnhill does have a knack for descriptive prose and some of the visions she creates are quite lovely, but I will definitely proceed with caution the next time I consider reading one of her books.

Compass South

Compass South, Hope Larson, 224 pages


Orphaned twins Cleo and Alex are on the lam after a botched burglary leaves them in danger both from their former gang and from the authorities. After spotting a classified ad by a rich man in San Francisco looking for his lost children – red-headed twin boys – Cleo cuts her hair and they embark on a thrilling journey across the sea. But their past is catching up with them: the twins were given a clasp knife and pocket watch by their father (long since lost at sea), and the dreaded pirate Lucky Worley is searching for them and the secret they contain.

I’m always a sucker for swashbuckling sea stories, and Compass South ticks all the boxes – mysterious treasure, derring-do, honorable thieves (and dishonorable ones too, of course), girls disguised as boys, and beautiful pictures of sailing ships. Cleo and Alex are compelling protagonists, and the supporting cast is richly painted (though the villains are fairly one-dimensional). All in all, Larson pens an enjoyable coming-of-age story, full of nautical adventures. The sequel, Knife’s Edge, is also in our collection, and I will read it next!

The Abyss Surrounds Us

The Abyss Surrounds Us, Emily Skrutskie, 273 pages

Cas Leung was raised as a Reckoner trainer – responsible for the care of a massive, genetically engineered monster bred solely for defending against pirate attacks in the NeoPacific. But on her first solo mission, something goes terribly wrong. Her Reckoner sickens and dies, and she’s captured by Santa Elena, an ambitious pirate captain, to raise a pirate Reckoner. As her Reckoner grows, now named Bao after the steamed buns, Cas becomes closer to one of Santa Elena’s protégés, a young woman named Swift. Will Cas lose her head – or her heart – to the pirates, or will she remember her duty to her parents and her country?

I loved this book. The romance is masterfully handled, issues of moral ambiguity are tackled head-on, the worldbuilding is detailed without being long-winded. The Abyss Surrounds Us is a book that knew exactly what it wanted to say and how to say it, and then went out and said it. I wish the side characters were slightly more fleshed out, but apart from that, I honestly can’t remember the last book I felt this unreservedly positive about. Mostly I wish it had been longer! I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Mortal Engines

Mortal Engines, Philip Reeve, 296 pages

London is hunting again, making its way across what was once Europe on a headlong dash to who-knows-where, hardly pausing to snap up smaller towns along the way, and 15-year-old Tom Natsworthy, Assistant Historian, Third Class, is delighted. Is it not natural that town should eat town, and Municipal Darwinism spread across the globe? But when he interrupts an assassination attempt on Head Historian Thaddeus Valentine and is cast out of London along with the would-be murderer, the horribly scarred Hester Shaw, he must question everything he thought he believed in.

The trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation came out a fewweeks ago, and I knew I had to re-read one of my favorite YA novels of all time. It’s a dark, but hopeful, satire of consumerism, patriotism, and warfare, set thousands of years after the old, mad American Empire bombed itself and much of the rest of the world into oblivion – the Sixty Minute War. The worldbuilding is perhaps my favorite part of the book, and it’s usually how I describe Mortal Engines when recommending it to friends: massive Traction Cities rumbling across the land, leaving churned mud in their wake; patched-together airships with crews of sky pirates trading relics of long-dead civilizations, such as idols of Mickey and Pluto, the animal-headed gods of old America; the Shield-Wall of Batmunkh Gompa sheltering the Anti-Traction League, or “Mossies” (as in, a rolling stone gathers no moss); the terrible spectre of Grike, the Resurrected Man, with his metallic screech of a voice, the last remnant of the Lazarus Brigade. Mortal Engines is a masterpiece. I highly recommend it, and I hope that the movie does it justice.

NB: Many reviews call Mortal Engines steampunk. It's not steampunk – there's no steam engines. Just like Mad Max, it's more appropriately called dieselpunk.

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, Becky Chambers, 443 pages

Rosemary has begun a new job as a clerk aboard the long-haul tunneling ship the Wayfarer, under Captain Ashby Santoso. As the ship makes a year-long voyage to the planet Hedra Ka to open up a new wormhole connecting the aforementioned small, angry planet to the rest of the Galactic Commons, Rosemary and her new crew bond through assorted adventures and misadventures.

This book is everything one could want out of a science fiction novel. Strongly grounded in rich, varied, internally consistent worldbuilding (that never wastes too much time focusing on specifics of how exactly an interplanar bore, an artigrav field, or algae-based spaceship fuel operates), The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet treats this drawn-out voyage not as a thrilling adventure full of swashbuckling action (in fact, Ashby and Rosemary, like almost all humans, are committed pacifists, which nearly ends poorly when they are boarded by space pirates), but a measured, thoughtful, kind reflection on what it means to be a family. The two mech-techs, Kizzy and Jenks, and their relationship with the ship’s AI, Lovey; the pilot Sissix and her natural Aandrisk need to express affection; even the algaeist Corbin and his distaste for the camaraderie the rest of the crew share: every member of the ensemble cast of this novel grows and learns and has their own character arc. Just like The Best of All Possible Worlds, each chapter is a semi-independent episode in the life of the crew of the Wayfarer, but Chambers absolutely nails the pacing. The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet never feels rushed or choppy, but builds slowly and steadily to a deeply satisfying conclusion.

A Gathering Of Shadows

A Gathering Of Shadows by V. E. Schwab, 512 pages

“Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London. In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games-an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries-a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port. But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall.” The sequel may have been better than the first book.  I loved it and as long as people are ok with the darkness, this fantasy novel should please a lot of people.

Monstress vol II: The Blood

01/05/2018
Monstress vol II: The Blood, Marjorie Liu, 152 pages


Maika Halfwolf continues her quest to discover the nature of the demonic force that sleeps inside her and consumed her left arm. Along with her companions, a talking cat (or “nekomancer”) and a child with a fox tail, she, and we the readers, finally begin to get some answers as she sails with some old friends (former freebooters) to a mysterious island made from the bones of a dead god. This is naturally the sequel to Monstress vol I: Awakening, and it is similarly disturbing – look out for plenty of body horror, gore, and unpleasant images. However, this volume is much more comprehensible; more scenes focus on Maika, so there are fewer other characters to keep track of, and the plot is less about the politics of the world and more about Maika’s past, and some of the confusing and mysteries of the first volume are resolved or at least explained more clearly.

Illustrator Sana Takeda shines with her intricate and lushly colored artwork, painting a glorious art-nouveau fantasy world full of intrigue and backstabbing, where human witches cannibalize part-demon Arcanics for the magical power their flesh imparts, and the ghosts of the old gods wander ominously through the land. Liu’s writing does a good job of making the world feel real – there are common idioms in our world that are adapted slightly for this fictional one. However, she often writes conversations interjected with pieces of Maika’s internal monologue, which can be very difficult to follow.

The girl in the road

The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne (4 stars, hardback, 323 pages) science fiction, pirate, survival

 Separated by thousands of miles and more, two troubled women undertake epic flights from danger, marked by curious similarities. Meena flees an assassination attempt in India by planning to cross the Trail, a “Blue Energy” bridge that spans the Arabian Sea. In performing this illegal and dangerous act, she hopes to enter Ethiopia and find out who killed her parents. Mariama flees slavery as a child, joining a caravan bound for Ethiopia as well. She comes under the wing of a woman she calls Yemaya. Each of these women are recovering from trauma - there is something that they are not telling us. The journeys build to a compelling series of shocking revelations and conclusions.

 The setting is rich, incorporating the cultures of India and Africa in the near future. Tantalizingly attainable aspects of the future are peppered throughout; things like automated cabs, inclusive legislation, perfect birth and STI control, universal translation devices,  and the very Road that Meena walks. It inhabits and flavors the world, but does not overwhelm it. This isn’t the classic science fiction, with lasers and spaceships. It’s the more contemplative breed found in the worlds of Ursula K. LeGuin. The flexibility of the genre creates a particularly intriguing locale in which to place an essentially human journey.

Byrne has a great sense of literature. The joy in this book is in the journey, in learning new details to slowly uncover a more accurate portrait of the world’s reality. Even if you don’t like every aspect of the characters presented - and you won’t - the slowly unraveling story of the past made it well worth the investment for me.

This is one of those novels that’s hard to talk about without spoilers, and spoilers would harm the expertly crafted narrative. Meena and Mariama were exceedingly well-developed, and their story arcs were perfect, but the actions of a couple of important side-characters seemed off-the-mark. We were left with a massive disruption to the setting that, though it wasn’t without foreshadowing, felt disconnected from the action of the novel. While I applaud Byrne for using non-western characters, I do wonder how their often-unflattering depictions are perceived in the cultures of Africa and India. Despite these misgivings, the well-scripted discovery of the plot made this an excellent read.

The Nature of a Pirate

The Nature of a Pirate by A.M. Dellamonica, 368 pages

Sophie Hansa has been slowly assembling a forensic science department in the flooded, curiosity-phobic parallel world, or future Earth, or something, discovered in the first book of the Hidden Sea Tales (of which this is the third). But as ships start being sabotaged by an unknown and powerful magical force, her deductive skills and ability to cope with the baffling and alien cultures of the Fleet of Nations are strained. It’s difficult to go into more detail of the plot, as of course there are two books before this. Additionally, this book is quite complex – there are many moving pieces to the plot, and they interlock in surprising and unexpected ways.

Part mystery, part swashbuckling nautical fantasy, part geopolitical power struggle, part exploration of scientific concepts we take for granted that an alternate universe might not, The Nature of a Pirate is a masterfully constructed speculative fiction novel. It’s often frustrating to see a character thrust into a magical world who fails to consider the implications of said magic (yes, this is a bizarrely specific quibble to have, but it pops up more often than one might think), so it’s a nice change to read Sophie’s attempt to bring scientific reasoning to this world so opposed to curiosity, and deal with the issues of cultural relativism she runs into at every turn.