Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller | Re:View

A surprising tale of strength, beauty, and deception. Daughter of the Pirate King will entertain and delight readers with witty banter, sword fights, and treasure. 

*** 

I requested this book on a whim. I mean...I like stories about pirates and the cover intrigued me so I went for it. I honestly don't think I even read the description (as you all know I like to do). And I was pleasantly surprised. I definitely want to get my hands on a hardback version!

From the beginning, I knew I was going to love Tricia Levenseller's voice and her complex character Alosa. I found myself pulled in and flipping pages as quickly as I could. Many nights I was up past my bedtime just to get in "one more page" which turned into chapters when all was said and done.

I really enjoyed following Alosa's story. As is a danger to most writers when writing in first person, a reader can become bogged down by the characters thoughts and desires but here I found hers to be helpful, informative, and easy to relate to. Alosa is a cunning and complex character and a whole lot of fun. As there is a romantic element, I'll also mention that Riden's character was intriguing to me. I won't say much more on this so you can make your own opinions, but I liked his character.

As for the plot and plot elements, I am a fan! At times, due to the circumstances that Alosa finds herself in, there is some repetition, but I honestly wasn't bothered by it. I felt as if Levenseller did a great job progressing the story so that, at a time where I would expect to get bored, something else would happen and pull me through. Thumbs up for that!

There were only a few things I wasn't a huge fan of. After the start of the book, I felt as if there was a lot of telling vs. showing. It's complicated by the situation Alosa finds herself in so I understand why it's that way, but sometimes it felt like she was thinking things to explain a situation, giving more information because we needed to know details in order for it all to make sense. I don't know if I have a great way around that fact because of the plot so, personally, I let this slide and just took the information for what it was. I also wasn't a huge fan of the violence because this is labeled as YA. Now, I've read much more violent books, but they weren't marketed as a fun YA read. Yes, I understand the reality of pirate life is messy and at times violent, but I think there were creative ways around the violence that Levenseller chose to ignore. Eh, just a personal opinion.

So, my recommendation: If you enjoy a good pirate tale that includes romance (because this certainly does) and some light-hearted elements of danger, then I really think you'll like this. It's entertaining, surprising, and an overall easy read. It's definitely not a 'dark' book and I found myself laughing quite frequently. If you aren't a huge fan of romance threads or are looking for a more gritty pirate tale, then this may not be for you.

*A note for my clean readers: Though this is still considered YA I would rate it more at a 17+ for violence and romantic elements.

My rating: 4.5*
Purchase: Daughter of the Pirate King

Book Description
(from Amazon)

There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map―the key to a legendary treasure trove―seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.

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I received this book for free but was under no obligation to post a review. I do so under my own motivation and the opinions I have expressed in this review are honest and entirely my own.