Loved this book. So beautifully written and well done. Loved the characters and enjoyed how well it all came to an end.

This was a good follow up, although I felt as though it did spend far too much time slowing down the start by going into the specifics of what Ragna had gone through prior to meeting Ersel. Additionally, although this book was toted as being inspired by Peter Pan, apart from the hook that Ragna wore after the loss of her hand (in a way that wasn't even related to a crocodile!) I didn't really feel that inspiration was fully realised.

Once again, I think my favourite parts of this novel were the parts after Ersel had to go back to the ocean because, despite Loki's magics, she is still a mermaid and can't be too far from it. I absolutely adored the relationship changes that went on between Ragna and the crew she had at first hated and despised, but kept for necessity. If their coming around to respecting her as their captain seemed a little bit easily won, at least Ragna's genuine regret for her past actions felt like forgiveness was worth it.

Getting to know the various backstories of the crew, the budding alliance between Ragna and Jarl Honor, even the fight sequences leading up to Ragna taking back her home town, all of these were arresting and rewarding.

For all that I loved the world building, however, I feel as though the romance between Ragna and Ersel was really what let this book down.

The Navigator's Touch is the sequel to The Seafarer's Kiss and frankly, it's a weird book to rate and to review. The problem being that it's... mediocre. It's neither very good nor very bad. It's not boring, but it's not exactly super interesting either. More than that, one has to wonder if this sequel, or companion novel, or whatever else we want to call it, was even necessary in the first place? Does it actually contribute to the story as a whole? Because it mostly doesn't feel like that.

In a word, it's disappointing.

I adored The Seafarer's Kiss (book 1 in the duology) and was so excited to read book 2. With shield-maidens, an f/f romance, and all sorts of mythological sea creatures, this is one of the most unique spins on The Little Mermaid I've read. Book 2 also extends into a little bit of Peter Pan retelling as well.

The Navigator's Touch resumes where book 1 left off but with Ragna as the central character this time. She is out to get revenge on the people who killed her family, and Ersel is there to help. We meet several new characters as Ragna tries to form a crew to help her in her mission. What I enjoyed most was Ragna's drive and dedication. It's a bit of a double edged sword (something Ersel especially learns) but her motivation is clear. She holds so much grief and anger in her, and it will take a lot for her to feel any peace.

Julia Ember is so skilled at crafting queer, fantastical stories, and this duology is the perfect example of that.

This is a fantasy with an LGBTQ MC with inspiration from Old Norse legends.

Ragna's family has been murdered and her town on a hidden island ransacked by invaders, and she's sworn vengeance. As a teen girl, even one imbued with a gift from the gods, she needs help from many quarters, and she must pledge her fealty to secure the allies who could deliver her island from occupation. Ragna is a Shield-Maiden, a valiant fighter, battle-tested and trained but struggling with the loss of her hand, and the need to see her tormentor and former boss, Haakon, dead.

The Old Norse legends are constantly reinforced in the use of language and terms that harken directly from the Old Norse. Ragna is a compelling heroine, negotiating with her intellect and her magical gifts, and striking bargains with Loki and a female chief of the area, to gather the supplies and troops who could help her to free those few survivors of the attack. Ragna grieves the loss of her young brother, her mother and father, but hopes against hope that her cousin may have survived--among a fraction of others.

Ragna has a female companion, Ersel, a shapeshifting mermaid who's been cursed by Loki. Striking a bargain with the wily god is an affront to Ersel, but it's one of only few paths that Ragna has to vengeance. It's a tough experiences, scheming and struggling to save her land and not allow Loki to wreak further harm on Ersel. I loved Ragna's fierce heart and determination. Her mission to get back her land is worth sacrificing everything, including her own freedom, so to speak, turning herself into a mercenary to a degree. It's a companion story to The Seafarer's Kiss, but focusing on Ragna's story and how she recovers her peace of heart after Haakon destroyed her world. It's not a lovestory, though there is a bit of love expressed between Ragna and Ersel. I expect we might see some more of Ragna, especially, as she scours the globe for what Loki has required as a condition of their cooperation.

Plenty of LGBTQ characters here, with little fanfare; these persons are just ordinary people of this world, which was good to see and especially affirming. I think if you are a fan of stories that celebrate and re-consider mythology, as well as strong females, will likely enjoy this one. Make no mistake that this story contains dangerous adventures, murder and killing: the bad guys get their just desserts.

I think I'm done trying to read Julia Ember's books. There's nothing wrong with them. I've just come to the realization they don't work for me.

I was so excited to dive into this one after finishing The Seafarer's Kiss, which was an awesome fresh take on mermaid mythos. The Navigator's Touch functions are more of a companion book instead of a sequel as I first anticipated and focuses on Ragna, a shield maiden who previously rescued Ersel in the first book. I absolutely loved this take on Norse mythology and Ragna was a really badass, vengeful, ruthless heroine who I loved reading about through all of her pirate-y adventures. There was quite a lot of violence so I would definitely recommend this one for older YA readers, but would absolutely recommend it nonetheless.

This was just an okay read for me. While I liked a lot of aspects, I just didn't feel strongly enough, overall, about the book to really warrant adding an in-depth review to the blog.

I missed the warnings for this book and sadly once I reached animal death I couldn't read on therefore I did not finish this book.

I did not love the first book, so I was apprehensive to read this book. It starts out right where we left off in the aforementioned book. The characters were still pretty bland and did not alight the fire that I hoped for in a book about badass female pirates.

This is the sequel to The Seafarer’s Kiss, although you could definitely get away with reading it on its own. I definitely enjoyed this follow up quite a lot – the Norse inspiration really speaks to me, and there is so much good gender and sexuality rep (at least from a CIS woman’s point of view, please seek out own voices reviews to double check!), and there were also imperfect characters getting themselves checked and learning and growing as individuals, and that was refreshing. If you’re interested in some queer Norse shenanigans, check both of these books out. 3.5 stars

I loved this book so much. It was a fantastic continuation of the series and I really enjoyed the characters and the setting.

Norse mythology with strong, badass women? Yes please! This is the companion to The Seafarers Kiss. She takes the Umberland approach and each book is a "retelling" of a different story. The last one being The Little Mermaid inspired.

I was really disappointed in this one. I didn’t like Ragna at all, really. Her indecisiveness annoyed me to no end and she was utterly selfish the entire book. There was little to no romance and I was shipping them hard from the first book. It was a really short book page wise, but I felt like it would never end. The ending was extremely unsatisfactory.

Stick with the first one.

The Navigator's Touch is a companion novel to The Seafarer's Kiss rather than a direct sequel, those who have already read the first book will be familiar with some of the characters but you could start with this book without getting lost. Ragna was the shield-maiden who rescued Ersel in the first book but this instalment is really her story, it starts before The Seafarer's Kiss then there is a small amount of crossover before it continues on past events we've already read about. We get to find out more about her childhood, what happened when her village was attacked, how she lost her hand and see if she manages to get revenge on the people who wronged her.

I love the way Julia Ember has used Norse Mythology for the base of this series, then the first book is her take on The Little Mermaid story while this one is more of an origin story for Captain Hook from Peter Pan, with a female Hook which just makes it even better! Ragna is a brilliant character, all her life she dreamed of becoming a warrior so it's something she trained hard for but when her village is attacked and she is captured by her enemy she has to use those skills to make her escape. She is absolutely consumed by her need for revenge which makes her come across as quite a hard character in the beginning, she is utterly ruthless and even when she manages to get her own ship she doesn't trust her men because they are all mercenaries.

What I really enjoyed was seeing how much Ragna changed and grew throughout the story as she slowly learned how to be a better leader, one who inspired loyalty through her actions rather than by fear. Ragna does treat Ersel quite badly in the beginning but she comes to realise how she affects the people around her and she does try to make amends for her bad behaviour.

Once again this story has a diverse cast of characters, there is an FF relationship and gender neutral characters who are just normal members of the group and not treated like they're there as part of a box ticking exercise. We are introduced to all kinds of creatures from Norse legends too which I really enjoyed.

The Navigator's Touch was everything I had hoped it would be and a wonderful companion to The Seafarer's Kiss, I already mentioned that you can read these books in any order and I'm very happy to recommend both to fans of mythology and retellings.

The start of the book was a bit of a slog to get through but once it got going I really enjoyed this! I am really hoping for a second book as the characters budding relationships and the upcoming quest sound just as interesting as the first book.

If you're looking for a book with queer relationships that doesn't explicitly focus on relationships then this is also a good book to grab!

The covers of Julia Ember's books in this series are amazing. I can't really say the same about the insides. I didn't dislike the two books in the series and if there is a third I would probably read it. That said I had some issues. Ragna just isn't likeable and I doubt that she is supposed to be, but you don't get, from the first book in the series, that she's supposed to be in over her head and inexperienced and selfish. Ok maybe the selfish you should see coming. But from Seafarer's Kiss I would have assumed that she was older than she was (older teenager) and that she had had combat experience. Instead she's naive and selfish and constantly acting out of low self-esteem and it just got so old. I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow up already. I probably wouldn't have felt so strongly about it if I hadn't come into Navigator's Touch with preconceived notions about her character from the first book.

I enjoyed this story well enough. It's full of myth and magic, with a healthy dose of bloody politics to go along with it. The romance is bitter sweet, and it just irks me that it is more open ended at the end.

I enjoyed Ragna's learning to be a leader. It helps that we do get to see some of those leadership qualities that magically appear when needed for most protagonists are a struggle for Ragna to master. She's too paranoid, too rash, and in so many cases, too cruel to those she wants to lead. Ragna showed potential through the first half of the book, yet her youth and inexperience often caused her to alienate her from those she cared about the most.

And that brings me to the romance of the book. It isn't really the central relationship in the book as Ragna is often looking towards the Jarl for guidance. I know we're to believe that Ersel can act as Ragna's moral compass - Ersel is mature when Ragna isn't, kind when necessary, and often is the one to ground her. The problem is that Ragna increasingly forgets about Ersel's personhood - and sees her as a tool to be used. Which makes for such a frustrating dynamic and Ragna unlikable at times.

The pacing was excellent, and allowed the tension to build up so very well. There was that one inexplicable flash back that told the story of Ragna' and Ersel meeting from Ragna's point of view. It didn't make much sense to me, other than to introduce some of the key players later in the book. It just felt too sudden.

This is a pretty solid series, and I love a good fantasy, especially ones that revolve around Norse myths. I just couldn't get past Ragna as a lead character for this book. Usually, I love those characters that fall in those gray areas, but Ragna just simply angered me more often than not. I'd still give it a recommend because I know this just isn't in my wheelhouse in terms of the characters.

I also have to add that the cover art for both books of the series is amazing, and just adds that little extra magic to a decent fantasy series.

Ragna is a skilled warrior and is on a quest for revenge and to save her home. She was dragged away in the middle of the night, her family murdered, her village destroyed. Now she is back, ready to reclaim her home and free the children who are held captive. However, she only has a mermaid and a disloyal crew to aid her in her mission. She crosses the Northsea in hope of aid from a Jarl in Skjordal. However, the Jarl only sees an inexperienced leader, not quite yet worthy of aid. In order to gain her help, she must gain the respect of the Jarl and also of her own crew.

I read The Seafarer’s Kiss just the other week, and you can read my review here, and I liked it but didn’t love it. But, The Navigator’s Touch is a little bit of an improvement for me. The Navigator’s Touch has a different character as the protagonist than The Seafarer’s Kiss. It follows Ragna, our Viking shieldmaiden, rather than Ersel, our mermaid/human/Kraken.

While The Seafarer’s Kiss was a retelling of The Little Mermaid, The Navigator’s Touch takes inspiration from Peter Pan. Most obviously, Captain Hook as Ragna loses her hand in battle with the man who was responsible for the destruction of her village and her kidnapping and she then replaces it with a Hook and then captains her own ship.

The romance was between Ragna and Ersel was healthier than it was in The Seafarer’s Kiss, and Ragna became aware of how she was treating Ersel as just a weapon to keep her crew in line and to gain favour with other people rather than treating her as a person. The romance wasn’t really much of a focus in The Navigator’s Touch as the story focused more on Ragna and her quest for revenge. The Navigator’s Touch also featured another non-binary character aside from Loki, they are called Aslaug and is the Jarl’s right-hand warrior.

My favourite part of The Navigator’s Touch was both the world-building, as it was very atmospheric, and I also really loved the Norse mythology and how Julia Ember weaved the mythology into the character’s worldview. Ragna was also a fierce and formidable protagonist. What really let me down a bit was the plot and pacing as it went over a lot of what I already knew from the Seafarer’s Kiss and actually repeated some of the stuff that had happened. Because of this, The Navigator’s Touch actually probably could be read on its own if you haven’t yet read The Seafarer’s Kiss.

But other than that, The Navigator’s Touch was a relatively fun read full of mermaids, mythology, and Vikings!

What I Liked

While I really enjoyed the first book in this companion series, The Seafarer’s Kiss, I found this retelling to be just as imaginative and interesting. This time around Julia Ember pulled from Norse mythology to aid in creating a retelling of Peterpan in a way. I find that Ember does a wonderful job in keeping to the characters she is has drawn inspiration from, but also makes them something new and her own. I know that sounds contradictory, but it is true.

I also really liked about this novel was the fact that it has flawed characters. For me when I see a flawed characters, even with a bit of magic and mythology surrounding them, it makes them more real, more tangible. Throughout the book Ragna is making mistakes, unreliable, and can just be rude. But, this makes her seem more human. I also did enjoy the sense of tension between her and her crew. I though it was an interesting way to go with their relationship since she rely on them and they rely so much on her as a leader. It also makes some of the issues “internal” in a sense and not just us against others.

Another thing I really liked was the fact that this novel the focus was not on romance. While I really enjoyed the previous book, I was glad to see more than just a romance. It allowed the world to become bigger, more vibrant, and the characters to shine on their own a bit more. Also, can I just say the mixture of mythology and elements from Peter Pan made such an interesting world and story. This combination was unique and I have not read anything similar to it.

What I Didn’t Like

One thing I was not overly thrilled with was the fact that were are times of violence that was pushing my limits at times. I do not think the violence in any way was prolonged, but it is there. Now, this is personal and I do want to point out that I am pretty sure Interlude, the publishing house that oversees Duet Books does post warning about their books. I did not look at these before hand. If this is something you think will bother you I highly suggest you look up the warning. But, I will be honest I would have read it anyway because I enjoyed Ember’s previous book and I enjoyed this one as well even though it had moments of violence.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I thought this was a unique book. The combination of Embers world building, characters, and tension create a very good read. I also think that this is something that can be read on its own or the books can be easily read out of order and the reader wont miss out on anything. If you are looking for an interesting retelling I highly suggest this book.

* I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.