This book started to slow and took me so long to get interested in any of the characters they are supposed to be pirates they are where sort of whiny and overly emotional instead of sure of themselves and ruthless. I'm not sure how old they are supposed to be but they felt to be 16 so maybe that's why everyone was emotionally immature.

I received this book as an ARC from netgalley

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting with this book, but I love a good pirate adventure as much as the next adventurous reader. I feel ultimately that it didn't feel much like pirates and that it was at least in my case, a bit too simple for my tastes. I feel like I got my hopes too high. That being said I think the book itself was decent. 3/5 stars.

The book is a quick and interesting read about pirates competing for the Crown to become king or queen of the pirates. It's has a good backstory involving Gods and magic. There's also a great adventure, almost like a scavenger hunt.

It's told in 3 POV and each person has a stake in the Trials, whether by winning or by blood. I liked all of the main characters, they are each different with their own agendas and personality, and are certainly not without flaws, which makes them human and relatable. Even if they are pirates they are quite likable.

What drew me to the book is the cover and the synopsis. The pirate genre has died out and I'm glad to see it come back. This book has a unique plot and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do wish the book is longer to get more in depth character development and a deeper plot, that's really my only wish. Great pirate read.

This is one of the books that people talk about. The characters are compelling and the plot is one that can keep the attention of those who love the pirate adventure stories.

I don’t know what took me so long to get to this gem. So. Good. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book. I loved the characters, the pirate world, the gods and goddesses were super cool… 5 stars.

Dnf 20-30%

I put this down for a little to try and give it a chance as I was struggling to get into it, but after returning and rereading what I got to it is just not for me.

Felt too ya and I like ya.
Plot, writing style, setting and set up didn't live up to what I expected or enjoy.

This tale was a unique read for me. The main characters were strong females with intricate motivations. I loved the seafairing/pirate plot. I would have liked to have our main character make better romantic decisions. Our male love interests at times were quite aggressive in their motivations. Overall it was action packed and fun. I recommend this rwad for more mature teens and this genre is always nice to see!

I wanted to love this book. Pirates? I am here for it. But the execution fell flat for me. I don't think I care enough about the character development or wold building to read the second.

Crossbones by Kimberly Vale

376 Pages
Publisher: Wattpad Books
Release Date: October 5, 2021

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teens, Young Adult, Pirates

Csilla, the Captain of the Scarlet Maidens is about to be hung. Her crime: being a pirate. Flynn, the Captain of the Anaphine betrayed her. Lorelei a young woman living with her mother on a farm watches the activities. Before you know it, the floor is dropped and Csilla disappears in a cloud of smoke. Kane is known as a brawler and inherited his ship, the Iron Jewels, upon his father’s death. Things are about to change for the pirates when the Blood Bell rings signifying the death of the Bone King. He has no heir, although there are rumors about a long-lost daughter. For the crown to pass without an heir, the Trials must begin. Each captain must pick a first mate, collect all the keys and find the Skull cave to be crowned.

The book has a fast pace with a lot of action and adventure. The characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Each character has their definitive personality complete with flaws. This book reminds me of the Hunger Games but with a pirate twist. If you like pirates with a lot of competition, you will enjoy this book.

I love a good pirate adventure. You already get points for that. And I found the connections between the characters to be endearing, even if they were supposed to be on the rougher side. Where this one lacked for me was the simplistic nature of it all. The world didn't feel tangible to me. It wasn't built on a strong enough foundation. The writing style, also, was a bit lacking for my particular taste. It felt very young and armature, along the lines of what I would expect to find on most wattpad writings.

I love pirates and pirate books so i was really hopeful about this one. Unfortunately the plot was just okay and it didn't hold my attention well.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I actually didn't like this book, I think it was fun and very flirty but it read kind of incoherent to me. The plot gets a bit lost with all the romance and characters but I think teens would definitely enjoy this more than I did so I'd still recommend it. It wasn't bad just wasn't for me.

**3.5 Stars**

Told from three different points of view, we have Kane and Csilla, pirates who both want nothing more than to become the next Pirate King, and then there's Lorelei, who knows nothing about who she really is but longs for vengeance. When these three cross paths, nothing will be the same and only one can come out on top as the next ruler of the pirates.

I struggled a little with the pacing of the book, it seemed to drag on a little for me and I had a hard time engaging in the story. The last 30% of the book was super interesting and so much happened, it was almost a different book. I get why the story was slower at the start since we needed so much backstory to really understand this pirate world and the characters. I can only guess the sequel will be instant action with how intense everything was when the story ended.

If you enjoy anything to do with pirates, then be sure to check out Kimberly Vale's 'Crossbones'. With a plot that is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats and characters throughout the story to adore, 'Crossbones' is definitely an exciting debut. It would have benefitted from some more world-building, but aside from that, it's a truly fun book.

3.5/5

I love books with pirates and I enjoyed this one. Took a while to read because there was so many other books I kept gravitating towards, but I still enjoyed this. I love the cover, the characters and the writing.

This was a really fun adventure-filled story. It was a bit slow initially but once it got going, it was absolutely delightful. There was great world building and a lot of interesting characters. Definitely check this one out AND I think there is a sequel coming?

This book got archived before I had the time to read this book. I would have as I heard great things about this one and knew I would have enjoyed it.

Stars: 4.5/5!
Overview:
Never trust a pirate.

The Blood Bell tolls, marking the death of the pirate king and the start of the Trials—a heart-stopping competition where the reward is the Bone Crown. Only one contender can claim the coveted island throne; each will gamble life and limb to win.

Captain. Sister. Maiden.
Csilla Abado yearns to prove her strength to the seasoned pirates who balk at her youth and to her elder sister who has always craved Csilla’s captainship. She will risk everything to become the first pirate queen, no matter the cost.

Dealer. Son. Legacy.
Kane Blackwater wants to leave behind the dirty gold and shady trades he’s made to keep his father’s ship, the Iron Jewel, alive. The Trials represent a new beginning—yet rumors of a secret heir are swirling, threatening his hopes of becoming the pirate king.

Stowaway. Daughter. Storm.
Lorelei Penny longs for nothing more than to avenge her mother’s death. Stowing away on the Iron Jewel was supposed to get her closer to the killer, but instead she finds herself caught up in the deadly battle where loyalty and desire collide.

Csilla. Kane. Lorelei. Each on a mission. The sea, however, has other plans. Dark tides are rising, and if they aren’t careful, they’ll surely drown.
(copied from Goodreads profile!)

Review:
I have to admit I really liked this one once I got about halfway through, the beginning was a little slow and hard to jump into with the multiple povs. I also had that issue with Six of Crows, though, and it is one of my favorite series to date. It is my understanding that this is the first book in a trilogy, so bear in mind that there is a fair amount of setup. This is a spoiler-free review, so I'm not going to talk about the ending, but I PROMISE it's good and will definitely set up the next book with an interesting twist!

The writing was really good, in my opinion, not overly descriptive, so I was able to get through this one pretty fast, which I always enjoy with a book. The plot and characters are both interesting and worth rooting for but definitely not super complex. I enjoyed the romantic subplot soooooo much, especially since we get to see both sides of it! If I were to describe this, I would call it a mix of Fable and Six of Crows, hands down! I highly recommend giving this one a look yourself! Go grab a copy! For more reviews and bookish content, follow me @3am_bookmarks on Instagram!

** I received a free advanced copy from the publisher and have chosen to leave a review**