The Good Ship

Date reviewed/posted: January 14, 2021
Publication date: out - September 19, 2019

When life for the entire galaxy and planet has turned on its end, you are continuing to #maskup and #lockdown to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us, AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night,  superspeed readers like me can read 250+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today.

I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

In the middle of the Atlantic, a doorway opens. Through this doorway is an island only explored by those still trapped here.

Thirteen-year-old Annabelle Cross can't explain where the island came from. She does know it’s the only haven after her boat is destroyed. She isn’t alone here. Imprisoned children show her how to overcome the island's unusual trials and the sinister creatures determined at capturing them. 

Nothing here is what it seems. There are mysterious lights at the bottom of the lake and a dark palace deep in the woods. A pirate-like green ship guards the island’s borders, allowing no one to escape. And shadows with teeth stalk the children by night, taking them to places unknown. It’s only the beginning of the incredible strangeness the island offers. 

Annabelle finds a promise of returning home when she’s shown what the children have hidden deep in the island. It’s a project built on hope and the only plan to set them free. But when a spy reveals their secret, the moment arrives to escape, only to face the island's controlling force, wickedness as old as time. 

A doorway opens, and a fantastic journey awaits inside for those daring enough to walk through…

Admission: I chose this book to review as it looked like Dominque Apria's "Entre les Trous de la Memoire" painting (you can see it on my reviews where I am allowed to co-post a photo) ... it was enticing and lyrical. This book has been out since 2019 but this was my first reading of it as I don't read a lot of YA or fantasy literature. I think that adults, as well as YA/teens/tweens, would enjoy this book as it was very enticing and ended up being a great read. Great characterizations, a nicely written plot and a non-offensive narrative (aka it is not "dirty") will make it enjoyable to many - I will recommend it ar and wide now that I have read it


As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube  Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc. " on Instagram and Twitter... Get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🏝 🏝 🏝 🏝

absolutely loved taking an adventure through this book. such a great story. action scenes were amazing. such a great story and a great escape which we all need right now

this book is a very entertaining read. i enjoyed the way the action scenes were written and paced. the worldbuilding and lore of the island itself was also fascinating and well done.

Have you ever picked up a book and it's so beautifully played out in your head like a movie? Well this is exactly how this book made me feel. Can't wait to read this to my daughter when she's old enough

This story seemed like a dream or a fairytale I wanted to stay in.
It held my interest from start to end and I'm delighted to see a mix of evil forces and their prortrayal with the children.
I cannot recommend this book enough.

This was a sweet tale reminiscent of older books where the protagonist is swept into another world entirely to end up having the adventure of their life.

Set in the middle of the Atlantic, Annabelle and her family are drawn through a doorway of light only to be attacked by an pirate ship. Annabelle wakes up on an island of children and has to adapt to a new way of life having lost her father and brother to the evil Jade Army.

The story was great. I love fish out of water stories and this was like a modern day knock-off CS Lewis. I think it truly harked back to the real fish out of water fantasy for children which is what really got me into reading. If you love that kind of thing then I'd really recommend this.

I loved the characters, good and bad. As it was a children's book I felt like the romance was a bit forced considering the fact that they were only thirteen. The writing was very visual and cinematic and it painted pictures in my head of a world totally different from the real world.

Overall, a joy to read. Interesting story, plenty of characters, wonderful world. Highly recommend to all children of an appropriate age or if you just love children's fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The story starts in the middle of the Atlantic, where Annabelle Cross, her dad and her brother are sailing. Suddenly, they are pulled through a doorway. Annabelle wakes up on an island while her father and brother have disappeared. Fortunately, she isn’t alone and soon discovers that other lost children and fantastical creatures habit the islands. Annabelle soon discovers that nothing on this island is what it seems.

Reading this book reminded me of books such as Narnia and Peter Pan. It is a fun and cute tale. The Good Ship has a lot of mystery, and Jeremy Wright does a great job making the reader intrigued. The writing style is very accessible, and the pacing is excellent. We also learn about the different creatures on the island and how time works which were interesting to read. I appreciate that Jeremy Wright has a whole chapter on the aftermath, where we learn about what happened to many of the characters. The cover is beautiful as well! 

Although I enjoyed this book, I think that some of the romance felt quite forced. Furthermore, I would have wanted the characters to be more fleshed out. Annabelle was a great character, with some depth, but I did not feel that the side-characters were memorable. 

At the beginning of the book, Annabelle goes through a very traumatic experience, where she loses her father and brother and is stranded on a remote island. Although Jeremy Wright does focus a bit on her mental health, I don’t think there was nearly enough emphasis on this trauma.
 
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to any young reader. 

Rating: 3.75 / 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First impression was this unique and beautiful cover. I wanted to read it based on its shelf appeal. Getting into the story, it had such whimsy and adventure. I appreciate how well paced the book is. Following Annabelle as she loses her brother and father and ends up on this island of lost children was captivating. This book is very plot driven. I do wish we had a little more depth to characters so we could really feel that connection with them even deeper. I loved all the magical creatures in this book as well. I just wanted to be transported to the island to see these wonders myself. I love that we were also able to read about what happened to some of those lost children as well.

An intriguing fantasy adventure for older children with echoes of classics of the genre. It creates a world well worth exploring.

Thank you NetGalley and Booksgosocial for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

What a marvellous adventure that was. In the beginning, I was unsure where the story was going to go especially when you considered the fact that the characters are mainly children.

I enjoyed every minute of this book and I read it in one sitting.