I really enjoyed this Pirates of the Caribbean-esque adventure! I love books set at sea whether they are about sirens, mermaids or pirates so I was very excited about this one as I have enjoyed other books from this author.

The good:

I had SO much fun reading this book and honestly that is what reading is about!

The plot was fast-paced and really kept you on the edge of your seat throughout, even with a few patchy moments.

The characters were very well written. Each of them, including side characters, were well rounded and felt real enough that it was easy to keep track of them, even though there were many to remember. they all lead independent lives and had individual personalities and priorities.

The world was absolutely stunning. It was deep and lush and dark and gritty and vivid and daunting and I think that's enough adjectives.

There are pirates, sea monsters, a ghost ship and monsters

The bad:
The romance – I just couldn’t be excited about Arn and Emme as a couple. For one thing, I felt as though Arn treated Emme less like a person and more like an object for at least half of the book. He was incredibly controlling and manipulative and while I am sure it stemmed from his previous trauma, it still felt wrong to want them to be together. I also didn't like how when Arn was upset about working with someone who had caused certain trauma in his past, Emme completely dismissed his feelings which felt like a bad example to set as it upholds the narrative that boys aren't allowed to have those kinds of negative feelings and that they should just 'get over it'. As this book is aimed towards teens, I believe it could have been a chance to correct the overwhelming narrative that boys aren't allowed to voice their emotions.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one.