Monday, May 15, 2017

Review: Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller


Title: Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King, #1)

Author: Tricia Levenseller

Rating: 4 Stars

I didn't ever expect to enjoy a novel whose title began with the words, "Daughter of the...". Those of you who have been reading YA for long enough know that these titles had their phase and I truly believe that ship had sailed. But, Levenseller's debut, despite its title hearkening to previous YA literature, is wholly unique. Daughter of the Pirate King introduces many tropes we're familiar with, from a beautiful and headstrong protagonist to a cocky, utterly charming love interest but Levenseller spins it into a tale I just couldn't put down.

Alosa, our titular heroine whose red hair gives her away, allows herself to be captured by her enemy ship and sent to their prisons. There are three pirate lords who rule the sea, but only one Pirate King, and he is determined to put together pieces of a map each of the pirate lords own and hunt down a fabled treasure that will make him rich beyond measure. Naturally, he sends his daughter to infiltrate the enemy ship and Alosa's mission is clear: find and steal the missing piece of the map, without alerting the enemy of her plan. But, the first mate Riden makes her job increasingly difficult. If only he would stop pestering her with questions, showing her unexpected kindnesses, or flashing that handsome smile of his...

This story is just pure fun and I read it in a single sitting. Alosa is fiery and smart, a combination I love, and her banter/love-hate relationship with Riden is at the core of this novel. The plot is fast-paced, swiftly making us support Alosa in all her endeavors, from making Riden believe she wants to escape the ship to her stubborn refusal to help the crew, to her ingenious plans to escape her cell. But, the heart of the story lies in her evolving relationship with Riden. Their friendship reveals so much about their pasts and the plot twists are a pleasant surprise. I, especially, love that their romance is drama-free and constantly keeps the reader on their toes.

Of course, this story isn't without its flaws--too many "special redhead" mentions, far too few female secondary characters who take the limelight in this, a strong case of Missing Parent Syndrome--but I suspect a lot of these minor flaws are about to be dealt with in the sequel. This is the first, not of a trilogy but of a duet, and the characters and their journeys are just too much fun to miss out on. The fantasy and lore in this, combined with the world-building, all make me eager to return for more. Believe me, Levenseller is an author I'll be looking out for in the future, off-putting titles be damned! ;)

11 comments:

  1. This sounds wonderful, Keertana! I would've never looked twice at the book if not for your review. I'll have to check and see when the second book comes out. Lovely review! :)

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  2. I wish I had liked this more. I found Alosa quite annoying - she was just too cocky - and the romance felt very forced to me. I won't read the sequel but I hope you enjoy it, Keertana!

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  3. I guess you should never judge a book by its cover

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  4. I think I can deal with those niggles. I've been curious about this one but I do think I will have to make sure the library carries this one. Brilly review!!

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  5. I heard nice things about this one so I'm happy to see you had a nice time with it

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  6. I adored this book! Honestly I thought it was MG so I almost skipped it - so glad Macmillan sent it and I picked it up one evening. Riden and Alosa! Faves! I hope there are many more scenes featuring the two of them, in book two. Book two is entirely too far away!

    Great review, Keertana! Have a wonderful week. =)

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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  7. So many people have either loved this or hated it. I think I would really like it. I definitely need to add it to my ever growing TBR pile.

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  8. Wonderful review. I only picked it up because it saw it everywhere. And it was definitely enjoyable. Not amazing, but I will read the next one as I'm curious. I had to keep reminding myself that it was for YA, and middle aged YA at that, and not written for adults. Hence why the story was simple sometimes. But I still had a fun time reading it.

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  9. I do agree that the plotline was fairly simple but at the same time dang near impossible to sit down!

    In my review I stated how I loved Alosa's character the most and the hate to love with Ridden is very sweet.

    If you want to see what else I thought of this book please check out my review for it On Lynn's Tidbits I'd love to compare our thoughts :)
    http://lynnstidbits.blogspot.com/

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