This is book one in The Daughters Jones trilogy. It’s where fantasy meets historical fiction, meets pirates and mythology. Yes that is a lot but for a short read, 239 pages it does pack in a lot .

This was a fun read in terms of a young woman, disguising herself as a man, a pirate to boot and sailing the high seas in search of a long, lost friend. She gets more than she bargained for on this journey. This book started rather slow for me, and it wasn’t until the last third where things really picked up and I pretty much read in one sitting. I won’t go into details of what transpires, but suffice to say it is an adventure stories on the high seas with a touch of supernatural, romance, and swashing buckling adventure.

Will I continue with the series, for now probably not but who knows I am a mood reader so I may pick it up at some later date.

My apologies to Black Spot Books for the lateness of my review and thank you for a digital copy.

What starts off as a fairly standard tale of a young woman looking for answers about her past quickly takes a turn for the fantastic as she starts to find answers. Merrin Smith, an orphan, disguises herself as a young man and sets sail with pirates to find out who she is and where she comes from and gets more than she bargained for as she finds out more. This book is short, and the story can feel choppy in places, leaving you wanting more, but the read was quick and it didn't interrupt the flow so much as to ruin the tale. It feels very much like the beginning of a bigger story, and since it is apparently the first of what is to be a trilogy that's no surprise. Hopefully the next book brings about more answers for Merrin and the rest of the crew. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

#TheIsleOfGold #NetGalley

The Isle of Gold tells the tale of Merrin Smith: orphan and adventure seeker. She was brought to Isla Perla as a young child and raised in brothel where she harboured dreams of the sea. Following her dreams, she signs on as crew of the "Riptide" and begins a journey to the mythical island Bracile in order to save the love of her Captain Winters..but fate has other plans for our young heroine.

One part seafarer tale, one part mythology and plenty of magic, this young adult adventure was without a doubt one of the best books I'd read in 2018. Seven Jane is an extremely talented writer with beautiful prose and a knack for descriptions that make the world of The Isle of Gold shine.

It took awhile for this novel to really capture my attention since it started slow. The Isle of Gold initially felt like a retelling of "Treasure Island" before transforming into a "Pirates of the Caribbean" inspired romp (but without a terrible final movie thus far since this is an ongoing series).

I loved how well researched the sailing portions of this novel were and Seven Jane paid just as much attention to the world as the character building which is so incredibly important, but often ignored by YA writers. Often, writers develop either plot or world-building and neglect the other, but Seven Jane incorporates research, emotion and prose to create something altogether special.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers who love sea mythology, sailing adventures and YA romance as this book excels at each of these things. I'd also suggest it to readers who love pirate tales and movies since there's plenty for a landlubber to enjoy since Merrin ends up on a pirate ship headed for what is effectively a mythological island to take back some pirate treasure.

Received via Seven Jane and NetGalley in exchange for an completely unbiased review.

gods above, this was dire.

the first half of the book was such tell-not-show - at one point merrin goes "most of the crew liked me" and i'm like okay, why? "except from this one man" WHY? "i loved tom" WHYYYYYYYYY??? it's just a dispassionate recounting of what happened, without actually showing us any interactions.

merrin's reason for setting off to find evangeline was weak as hell. of course, there was an Ex Machina that made everything make sense, and oh, merrin's special, what a fucking surprise, didn't see that coming.

dull, hackneyed, poor writing. a big bag of nope

The Isle of Gold is a good fantasy and adventure story. The tale of Merrin Smith draws you in, as she sets sail in discover of her past. I pretty much always enjoy a pirate story, and this book was no exception. The descriptions and story was intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat for most of the time. Sometimes the story was a little predictable and boring, but not overall. If you are a fan of pirates I would recommend this read for sure.

Seven Jane's The Isle Of Gold is a truly magical novel that will transport you far away, and long ago, to the Golden Age of Piracy. Disguised as a man, orphan Merrin Smith joins the pirate crew of the Riptide. Captained by Erik Winters, the Riptide is setting sail for the mystical island of Bracile in hopes of finding Winters' love, Evangeline Dahl who disappeared two years ago. Merrin wants to help find Evangeline, but more than that, she's convinced that answers to her own life lay there. Though at first the established crew are hostile or indifferent towards Merrin, they eventually warm to her. She finds particular friendship with Tom Birch, Brandon Dunn, Jomo the cook, and even Winters himself.

As Riptide sails, she avoids all other ships, taking neither prizes nor treasure. It is a focused mission for sure, and in this way, didn't feel like a pirate tale to me at all. Not to say they didn't find treasure. They found what could be argued the greatest of treasures. Family and friendship. Love. Experiences otherworldly and unheard of. They face legends and myths and lived to tell the tale (mostly). As such, there are times where the story seems surreal, and yet it is written well enough to allow for thorough imagination. I found it easy to picture the story in my mind.

My favourite characters were Jomo, with his fierce appearance and love of trinkets, especially red ones, and quartermaster Dunn, with his wealth of legend and lore. I was so sad to learn the truth about Dunn and glad things worked out for him in the end. It's hard to lose an essential part of yourself. Thankfully, he wasn't a bitter person over it. I'd love to know the story behind how he ended up on Isla Perla, and sailing with Winters. This was also a different take than any I've seen before on a popular sea myth. Saying more would be telling, but I loved how that ended. Much happier than I'd expect.

***Many thanks to Netgalley & Black Spot Books for providing an ecopy in exchange for a fair and honest review. Reviewed for JBN Tours.

Unfortunately, I didn't get around to reading it before the publication date. I'm sorry! Please ignore the rating as I have not read the book.

This was a fast-paced fun pirate story! It’s filled with adventure, magic, and strong heroines! I highly recommend this for those who love Pirates, Daughter of the Pirate King, and A Touch of Gold!

I've struggled with this story and its not held my interest to want to finish it. I enjoy a pirates of the Caribbean film franchise & Black Sails so hoped I could get into this, but alas it wasn't for me in the end.

Pirates, mermaids, and myths, oh my! I don't think I've read a book about pirates since Treasure Island but I had heard some great things about The Isle of Gold and the cover is GORGEOUS, so I decided to give it a shot. I was not disappointed! Merrin Smith is a bit of a badass even though she is scared for most of the book. There are a ton of different twists and turns that it definitely shocked me a few times. But before I tell you everything about the book here, let's get to the review!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The year is 1716—the Golden Age of Pirates. An orphan who sleeps in the dusty kitchens of a quayside brothel, Merrin Smith is desperate to unravel the secrets of her past and find the truth about the events that brought her to the Caribbean island of Isla Perla as a child. Disguised as a sailor, and with the help of her longtime friend Claudette, Merrin joins the crew of the pirate ship Riptide, helmed by the notorious Captain Erik Winters. Tenacious and rumored a madman, Winters is known as much for his ruthlessness as for his connection to the enigmatic and beautiful proprietress of the Goodnight Mermaid, Evangeline Dahl, who vanished from Isla Perla two summers before.

At sunset the Riptide sails for the mythical island of Bracile, a place hidden between air and sea and that exists only for a moment every two years, and which has never returned any man who has sailed for its shores. The journey will be perilous and long, and it will take Merrin far away from the only home she’s ever known. Because she can read, Merrin will serve as the Captain’s apprentice, deciphering old texts for clues to the island’s whereabouts as the ship sails through haunted, frozen waters and into the very heart of the ocean. As she struggles to navigate the rough, seafaring life aboard a pirate ship, Merrin must keep her identity hidden from the scrupulous gaze of not only Captain Winters, but also Mister Brandon Dunn, the ship’s surly, legend-spouting quartermaster, and Tom Birch, the charming boatswain Merrin can’t help but feel drawn to.

As the Riptide makes its way to Bracile, Merrin begins to suspect that the men she has worked so hard to deceive may in fact be more connected to her than she would have imagined, and that perhaps her own past might have more to do with the Dunn’s legends and myths than she ever could have guessed.

Merrin Smith has lived and worked in a brothel for most of her life. She cleaned for the women while they saw customers but the sea has been calling to her for longer than she can remember. And when Captain Winters takes off to go look for his lost love, Evangeline Dahl, Merrin decides she is going to get herself on his ship. How does she do this when most of the sailors are suspicious of having a woman on board? She disguises herself as a man of course!

But once she gets on the ship, life becomes harder than she could have expected. The ship's quartermaster, Brandon Dunn, is a mystery and she can't figure out why he pays so much attention to her. But there is also Tom Birch, the handsome boatswain, that Merrin wouldn't mind if he paid her more attention (get it, girl!!). And don't get her started on Captain Winters. At times, he can be lovely and teach her things she could have never imagined, but then there are times when he kills one of the men on the ship for simply insulting Evangeline. But as his assistant, Merrin is just trying to keep her life and not get in his way.

As they make their way to the land that apparently no one has ever returned from (isn't that always the case?), Merrin's secret comes out, but not the one you might be expecting. Yes, they figure out she is a girl (some of the crew knew from the beginning), but the secret of her parentage and her family is also revealed. #nospoilers

I enjoyed reading The Isle of Gold. I loved Merrin's eventual camaraderie with the crew and I loved her willingness to learn even while she was kind of scared shitless a lot of the time. I absolutely LOVE when a character is scared but does what they need to do anyway. It is my favorite character trait in any book and am so glad that was one of Merrin's most prominent qualities.

I also enjoyed the big personalities of Dunn, Winters, and Birch. They were fun to see through Merrin's eyes but also just brilliant characters on their own. Seeing Winters without Evangeline and then with her was an interesting window into why he pushes so hard to get to this magical island.

Overall, The Isle of Gold was exactly the kind of fun, adventure, pirate book I wanted. I did feel like the story began to lag a bit at the end, especially with what happens to Tom Birch (#nospoilers) but other than that, this was such an entertaining read. I am giving The Isle of Gold 3.5 out of 5 stars. Definitely give this one a try!

The Isle of Gold by Seven Jane (show me a cooler author name! I dare you!) came out October 9, 2018.

Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Who doesn't love a good pirate story, and to watch as a young girl sets sail from the Caribbean to find answers makes it even more fun.

~~I was provided an ARC copy by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review~~

This book took me forever to finish. Not because the story was long, but because it took me forever to get invested. I cared more about some of the secondary and tertiary characters than I actually did about the protagonist. The concept of the story was interesting but the narration and the character development made it difficult for me to care about Merrin. For continuity's sake I followed the story through but I feel like the reveals weren't particularly shocking and the ending didn't bring any desire to continue reading the series. IT was a promising start, but really struggled with the follow through.

Isle of Gold was a great and fresh read, very different from the books I'm used to read - which is a good thing, it took me from my confort zone and put me in a adventure I didn't really expected, and I really enjoyed it.
It was a interesting take on the pirate story, and my favorite thing was Merrin, but I really liked how well written the characters were, I truly felt I knew them and it made me even more interested in the story, it made me invest a lot in it.
The narrative was great, too, the fast paced rithym makes hard to close the book without finishing it, and it was also a very fun read, with vivid details and a strong plot.
I really do recomend the book. If anything felt short was the romance, I didn't invest so much in it as I did with the characters alone. It wasn't bad, but also didn't made me fangirl about it. But in no way disrupted the reading.
It's the kind of read that you really want to make.

Took a bit for me to get into this story, but then I couldn’t stop! A little disappointed in the ending, but overall it was a good read!

Merton Smith is the heroine in this book, Evangeline is mentioned but doesn’t have a big role as the description says. All characters were well presented/described.
Liked the “fantasy” but too, more like pirate tales to be honest. Would recommend this read.

I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

[Review to be published October 22]

Seven Jane’s novel The Isle of Gold draws on oceanic mythology, folklore, and mystery. Original pirate stories are hard to find but this book manages to bring an original take. Brilliantly researched and crafted, The Isle of Gold brings the pirates and era to life.

Pirate stories have always been favourites of mine because of the action, adventure, and swoon-worthy romance, and this book did not disappoint.

The Isle of Gold is about an orphan girl named Merrin Smith, who was brought to the Caribbean island Isla Perla as a small child. Ever since then, she’s been living in the local brothel, but now she’s ready to find answers about her past. She disguises herself as a boy in order to try and gain passage on the most ruthless pirate ship in the seas, under Captain Erik Winters. His ship is headed for the mythical island Ogygia which is said to appear only once every two years. They are in search of Evangeline Dahl, a woman who had disappeared from La Perla two years before.

Merrin is an incredibly strong female character, although she has to keep her identity hidden from the Captain and his crew because being a woman on a pirate ship is punishable by pain of death. Merrin also begins to suspect that her own past has to do with the legends and myths told to her which could compromise her life and place on the ship. Merrin, as well as the other characters, felt fully fleshed out and real.

Seven Jane’s debut pulls the reader in and doesn’t let them go until it’s over. Her writing is very visual and immerses you completely in the world and story. Although, the novel isn’t long, Seven Jane manages to capture the reader’s attention easily.

The Isle of Gold is a historical fantasy novel that centers around pirates in their golden age. If you like the Pirates of the Caribbean movies or Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller, you are sure to enjoy Seven Jane’s debut novel.

I have always been fascinated by stories of pirates. I literally took an entire college course on piracy in the Atlantic while completing my undergraduate degree. So, it’s hardly surprising that Seven Jane’s new novel, The Isle of Gold, captured my interest immediately. Relying heavily on sea myths to support the swashbuckling plot, it should have been right up my alley… but despite having so much to recommend it on paper, The Isle of Gold failed to dazzle—more fool’s gold than genuine treasure.

Merrin Smith is determined to pass herself off as a boy and join the crew of the Riptide, captained by the infamous and feared Erik Winters, who is searching for his lost lady love, Evangeline Dahl. Rumored to have been kidnapped a few years before by the sea herself, Evangeline has always held a surprising and inexplicable fascination for Merrin—as has the lure of a life at sea. Though she is successful in her ruse and finds a place among the crew, maintaining her disguise is trickier than Merrin originally anticipated, especially as she begins to develop feelings for one of her fellow crew members. But she’s more terrified of what Captain Winters and his quartermaster, Mister Dunn, will do to her if they discover the truth of her identity.

The Isle of Gold is one of those perfect examples of the difference between showing and telling in writing. The characters should be strong, the plot is enjoyable, and the blend of mythology with the golden age of piracy setting should work. But too much of the writing is hollow and informed rather than organic. The reader is told about the relationships between various characters—Captain Winters and Mistress Dahl, Merrin and Evangeline, Merrin and her friend Claudette from Isla Perla, etc. There is very little of these relationships that the reader sees in action, and that makes it really difficult to connect to the characters or invest in any of the relationships, which might not be a problem except that so much of what drives the plot’s action is supposed to be those relationships.

A big chunk of where and why the novel winds up telling more than showing is the way it’s told. Limited to Merrin’s point of view, it’s surprising how much of her own story and the legends she’s aware of that are kept from the reader until they become relevant. A few are sprinkled in earlier, but I think too much is held back to make things more shocking than is truly necessary, especially when the action taking place at those moments is factored into the equation. It proves distracting rather than supportive, to have those key bits of information revealed at times when the reader’s attention is on following the basics of what exactly is taking place.

I believe the pacing of the whole novel could have been better if more time was taken throughout and if more perspectives were included. Merrin doesn’t know her true and full identity through much of the book but there are others who do and seeing them watch her and how she handles herself would round out her character more too. The novel really wasn’t very long for what happens (and for a plot that is, in the end, so straightforward and predictable as to be almost boring) and including more points of view and more time with various relationships would make the novel feel less forced, less one sided and flat. The plot and its ultimate resolution would feel more thrilling and natural, less anti-climactic.

The Isle of Gold is available as of October 9, 2018.

“An orphan left behind like waste on an island. Who cares that I am not a man when the ship is about to be swallowed by the ocean?”

1716, Isla Perla in the Caribbean is a bustling place for merchants, traders, seafarers & explorers. It is the place where myths and tales of those born at sea are told, spread and learned to be feared. One of those is the legend born of the rumors of a love affair between Mistress Evangeline Dahl and Captain Winter. Her disappearance swept the shores of Isla Perla two summers before, as Winter ransacked every inch of the island in search of her. Consumed by his need to find her, he is determined to sail to the heart of the ocean to bring her back, as some old texts told of the fabled Ogygia, the surreptitious Isle of Gold, where Calypso had held Odysseus prisoner and it is believed that that is where Evangeline might be held.

Merrin Smith, orphaned, makes a home in a scratchy hammock of a seaside brothel kitchen. She has her eye set on the Riptide in the harbor being readied to set sail soon. Disguised as the male sailor ‘Westley Rivers’ she is planning to find employment on that ship, navigated by the notorious Captain Erik Winter.

“Not everythin’ be pretty fish and songs, lad. There be evil things that live in the deep.”

Westley lands a job to assist Winter in his quarters to read documents and maps, since he is the only other person on board versed in reading. If there were things Merrin was afraid of at sea, she certainly wasn’t most comfortable around Winters all day and night, considering the rumors she’s heard.

“Mind ye keep your wits about, Mister Rivers,” the older man counseled in a softer voice. He rested one hand upon my shoulder in a fatherly manner and pushed a thin woolen blanket inside my arm with the other. “In here ye be safe from the likes of them outside, but don’t let that fool you. The one you should really be afraid of is the one you’re locked in here with.”

The Riptide heads out to sea and Merrin as Rivers learns her way around. These sailors were made for the sea and they all had their ways about them. There is Jomo the cook, rescued from a slave traders ship, she learns to come to an agreement to exchange food for beads or little treasures. There is the handsome boatswain Tom Birch with piercing green eyes that Merrin is undeniably drawn to and Mister Brandon Dunn, the ships surely, her closest ally.

As the Riptied embarks through the perilous waters towards the hidden place between air and sea, Merrin will not only find out of more legends of the Deep to fear, but also her own connection to them and her powers to ultimately reunite those perished from reality.

How will this all unfold without anyone ever finding out the truth about her disguise? After all, the articles of the Pirate code strictly forbade woman from sailing aboard pirate’s ships with penalty of death! This, you will have to find out for yourself and read the novel.

***

I really, really liked this novel. It is filled with legends & myths and hunky, cranky, fearless, terrifying and sully pirate sailors! An adult novel to make you feel like a kid again.

The plot never lost its shroud of mysteriousness, while the characters gain in persona and the disasters of the perilious journey unfolds. The characters become likeable in their own way and I found myself rooting for all of them.

I absolutely recommend this book. It’s under 300 pages long and easy to read. I only wished there was a sequel to the story!
Enjoy :)

1716, Merrin Smith is an orphan desperate to unravel the secrets of her past. Disguised as a sailor, she joins the crew of a pirate ship helmed by the tenacious (and rumored a madman) Captain Erik Winters. They will sail for the island of Bracile, a place hidden between air and sea that exists only for a moment every two years, and which has never returned any man who has sailed for its shores. Since Merrin can read, she becomes the Captain’s apprentice, looking for clues to the island’s location as the ship sails to the heart of the ocean. She will have to keep her identity hidden from the Captain, as well as the ship's quartermaster who speaks of legends of the sea, and boatswain that Merrin feels drawn to. During the journey, she begins to suspect that her own past might have more to do with Dunn’s legends and myths than she ever could have guessed.

I lucked out when I was approved for Seven Jane's debut historical fantasy novel entitled The Isle of Gold. The genre is quickly becoming one of my favorites, especially when pirates are involved. Anyway, this adventure quickly pulled me in and didn't let go. The author's writing is incredibly visual and it's incredibly easy to see the characters, the world they inhabit, and the stuff of legends that they encounter. It's just under 250 pages long, but Jane truly excels at world-building and character development. I mean, I could just about feel the ship beneath my feet and the sea spray in my face. Plus, each character, not just Merrin, felt fully fleshed out and completely. Unfortunately, it isn't all that original or unique, but I can say now that it's over I wish the story hadn't concluded so quickly. I wouldn't say no to seeing more from this world in the future.

Overall, The Isle of Gold by Seven Jane is a marvelous debut historical fantasy novel set during the Golden Age of Piracy. If you like Pirates of the Caribbean, The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig, and Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller, I have a feeling you would also enjoy diving into the world of The Isle of Gold. I'm looking forward to seeing more from this author in the future.

Orphan Merrin Smith was brought to the Carribean island Isla Perla as a small child.  She's slept in the local brothel and been raised by its occupants since that time but now she's ready to set sail for answers to her past.

Disguised as a man, she visits the Goodnight Mermaid Tavern and joins the crew of the pirate ship Riptide.  Led by the legendary Captain Erik Winters, the ship is headed to the mythical island Bracile (also called Ogygia and said to appear only once every two years) to search for Evangeline Dahl, a beautiful woman who disappeared from La Perla two years prior.

"The very gods of the seas, Winters insisted, had stolen Evangeline away, and he would sail to the heart of the ocean to bring her back." *

With little skill for ship work, Merrin is given the job of Captain's apprentice after the quartermaster learns she can read.  Together, the two search old texts full of myths and legends for clues to Bracile's exact location.
The Greek myths and stories of fabled Captain Davy Jones captivate her and as they sail ever closer to their mysterious destination, Merrin wonders how much truth resides in the tales and how she may be connected to them as well as the crew of the Riptide.

"I had wanted more than anything to find that mystical island, to find Mistress Dahl and myself in the process, but that was before I'd learned of Dunn's legends and had seen the secrets of the oceans made real with my own eyes.  Perhaps the mysteries of my beginnings were too dangerous to ever be known, or perhaps I was not as brave as I had wanted to believe." *

Through perilous waters, the Riptide sails through storms, lost souls, angry sea goddesses, and ghost ships to rescue Evangeline, while Merrin learns the secrets of her past and why it has led her to the Riptide and its crew on the epic journey in search of Evangeline Dahl.

The Isle of Gold is an entertaining adventure tale of the high seas with bold female characters connected to Greek myths and pirate legends.  I enjoyed the magical/fantasy aspects Jane included in this novel but the plot relies heavily on the well known myths and legends we've read (classic: The Odyssey) and watched (modern: Pirates of the Caribbean).  Still, Jane has done a fine job of weaving her characters and their motivations into the story.

The epilogue disappointed me because what should've been (in my opinion) the climax of the tale is completely glossed over: 
"What happened between Merrin Jones and the depths of the sea is a story that has not yet been told." *

I'm so confused because I feel like the whole point of this story was supposed to be what happened between Merrin and the sea, explaining how she saved her crew and Evangeline (and other characters that I haven't mentioned to prevent spoilers).  Instead, we're told that that part of the story hasn't yet been told, though it had to be pretty epic based on what we learned up to that anti-climax.
So while the ending has a resolution, we don't actually get to be a part of that adventure for whatever reason.  

Thanks to Black Spot Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.  The Isle of Gold is scheduled for release on October 9, 2018.

*Quotes included are from an advance readers copy and are subject to change upon final publication.

The first aspect of this book that stood out to me was the prose. Isle of Gold has a beautifully rich and descriptive prose that gives both the setting and tone of the book so much life. We get lush descriptions of appearances and settings, especially of the ship and her crew through for the majority of the story. Through the writing, we get a very good sense of how Merrin feels at all times, especially because this is a very introspective novel.

Due to that, however, I found the pacing a little slow for my tastes. The story itself is rather short and simple, but pages and pages are filled simply with descriptions of how the boat was run and what each character was doing. For a large portion of the book after Merrin joins the crew and the Riptide sets sail, the story becomes a simple slice-of-life story about life on a pirate ship. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, I did wish that for a book about pirates, there would be a little more action going on. For a time, I thought Merrin's identity would play a factor into this, but the crew seemed to accept her pretty readily and there wasn't much conflict there. In general, until the last 40%, there wasn't a lot of action.

I thought the characters in this book were incredibly fleshed out and realistic. While we don't always get a lot of backstory to each character, we learn a lot about their personalities and behavior. Merrin is an orphan who's ended up where she, with no idea of her past, and inexplicably pulled toward the sea. The two men she befriends, Dunn and Tom, are interesting people who both clearly have fascinating backstories that they're not quite willing to share. I loved the relationship between Evangeline Dahl and Captain Winters have. They this push and pull relationship that I couldn't quite describe as romance but more a dance between two people accustomed to wielding power and not quite willing to relinquish it. Merrin describes them in such a way that keeps me fascinated with them and I wish they had more screentime.

Finally, while I don't read many books about sailing nor know much about sailing, the way running a pirate ship was described in this book was incredibly in-depth and, though I can't say for certain, the author seems to have done her research. I learned about the quality of the food eaten would get worse and worse as the trip goes longer, when and how you should mop a deck and more. In general, I felt like after reading this, I could confidently work on a ship and not get yelled at.

Overall, I rate this book a 4/5. I found this book enjoyable, if slow in pacing and plot. If you're interested in pirates, heavy prose, and books with realistic descriptions of sailing, this book is definitely for you.

Review posted on my blog on 21 September 2018