Member Reviews
Julie M, Educator
We start with the story of the Sun Peoples who were stolen by the Chainmakers…stolen from their world, their culture and their people. The Chainmakers tried to break them, body and soul, by enslaving them an ocean away in the new world. But the gods sent a great storm that allowed some of the captured Sun People to rise up and break free of their chains. These Chainbreakers became the Reapers of Souls and the Chainmakers were cursed to become dangerous ghost-shark human hybrids . For generations these original Reapers and their ancestors rescued the souls of their enslaved black and brown brothers and sisters and took them to one of the five heavens created under the waves of the seas where they will live in eternal peace. But the do-good pirates always had to beware of the cursed Children of Shark, or Pointers .
Next we meet Violet Moon whose father is captain of The Mooney, a Reaper ship. But there is a dark element competing for the souls of the lost and they have kidnapped the good capitan. Now it is up to young Violet and her new crew to rescue her father, the lost souls and disappeared crew members from other Reaper ships from the dark ocean depths and time is running out.
The Chainbrakers offers plenty of swashbuckling excitement and treasure hunting to keep middle grade readers turning pages. Author Julian Randall is an expert at building worlds that defy imagination while at the same time, giving us a historical perspective of the evils of the Atlantic slave trade.
Kathryn M, Reviewer
I was hooked from the cover and thought everything worked together with the adventure fantasy element. I was engaged with the story being told and how everything flowed together in strong way. I enjoyed the scifi pirate element going on and was there with the adventure element perfectly. I enjoyed the overall feel of the characters and how they worked in this world. I hope there is more in this world and can’t wait to read more from Julian Randall.
