Pirates, Magic, and a Nerdy Protagonist? I'm in!
Buc and Eld are too much fun as protagonists. Buc is an old 17: smart, skilled, and brave. Eld is an even older 19: polite, strong, and mysterious. Together, they are a dynamic duo of pirate fighting geniuses. The back of the book describes Buc as a young, female Sherlock, and she certainly has some of his qualities, but Eld is much more like Watson than she is Sherlock.
However, I am in love with the setup of this series. There are pirates, mages, and Gods. It left me wanting more without feeling disappointing.
Buc and Eld are hired for a mission: figure out who is cutting of The Company’s sugar supply. If they can figure it out, they will get a seat on The Company’s board. They take the first hunch that they are given and chase down the deadly pirate Widowmaker. She is not what they anticipated, and there is much more to the lack of sugar than anyone at The Company knew.
Buc is our POV character, but sometimes it drops into third person so we can see somethings from other perspectives. I wish we had more of that. We get one chapter from Eld early on that seems like it will be a regular thing, but it isn’t. It is nice to sometimes get a break from Buc because she is an over explainer and a sassafras. But I still really liked her. Yes, she liked to remind us she was from the streets and explain to us her normal battle moves in the middle of a fight scene, but if you gloss over those parts, she isn’t annoying. I like her because she thinks she knows everything and is the master of all, but she isn’t and the reader gets to see her flaws and growth. I see a lot more room for her to grow as the series continues.
Eld is a mystery. For some reason, Buc is obsessed with how old he is, but he is only nineteen! He’s a baby! But apparently, he has been through a lot, but Buc doesn’t know what (she doesn’t even learn his real name till the end). I really like the mystery of his backstory because the reader doesn’t know what motivates him except that he cares deeply for Buc.
The pirates are awesome. The adventures at sea are awesome. As the book went on, I got more and more attached. The world is really cool. The islands they land on are fun. I really want to talk about more, but I want you to experience it for yourself. This is the kind of fantasy book that I like. Not too forced, some tropes, some subversions, and a romantic subplot. Let me know when you read it, and we can chat about the ending.
However, I am in love with the setup of this series. There are pirates, mages, and Gods. It left me wanting more without feeling disappointing.
Buc and Eld are hired for a mission: figure out who is cutting of The Company’s sugar supply. If they can figure it out, they will get a seat on The Company’s board. They take the first hunch that they are given and chase down the deadly pirate Widowmaker. She is not what they anticipated, and there is much more to the lack of sugar than anyone at The Company knew.
Buc is our POV character, but sometimes it drops into third person so we can see somethings from other perspectives. I wish we had more of that. We get one chapter from Eld early on that seems like it will be a regular thing, but it isn’t. It is nice to sometimes get a break from Buc because she is an over explainer and a sassafras. But I still really liked her. Yes, she liked to remind us she was from the streets and explain to us her normal battle moves in the middle of a fight scene, but if you gloss over those parts, she isn’t annoying. I like her because she thinks she knows everything and is the master of all, but she isn’t and the reader gets to see her flaws and growth. I see a lot more room for her to grow as the series continues.
Eld is a mystery. For some reason, Buc is obsessed with how old he is, but he is only nineteen! He’s a baby! But apparently, he has been through a lot, but Buc doesn’t know what (she doesn’t even learn his real name till the end). I really like the mystery of his backstory because the reader doesn’t know what motivates him except that he cares deeply for Buc.
The pirates are awesome. The adventures at sea are awesome. As the book went on, I got more and more attached. The world is really cool. The islands they land on are fun. I really want to talk about more, but I want you to experience it for yourself. This is the kind of fantasy book that I like. Not too forced, some tropes, some subversions, and a romantic subplot. Let me know when you read it, and we can chat about the ending.