Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"He could not expect the seat to grant him freedom when he would never allow himself to have it."
I really didn’t expect to enjoy this that much. It was nominated as a Buddy Read in the Reading Rainbow discord group and there was a wait for it at the library so I just watched everyone read it. They liked it but I didn’t think I would. I was very wrong.
This was such a fun and well-paced seafaring adventure story! I kept joking that I was getting a lot of Black Sails vibes but honestly, yeah that’s exactly it. If you liked that show you’ll like this book.
I don’t know a lot about naval history or ship stuff, but my dad does, so I also go to ask him about the parts of ships and the culture of 18th/19th century naval officers, and that was a fun aspect of it! I can’t wait for the sequel to come out, I will definitely be picking that up.
I really didn’t expect to enjoy this that much. It was nominated as a Buddy Read in the Reading Rainbow discord group and there was a wait for it at the library so I just watched everyone read it. They liked it but I didn’t think I would. I was very wrong.
This was such a fun and well-paced seafaring adventure story! I kept joking that I was getting a lot of Black Sails vibes but honestly, yeah that’s exactly it. If you liked that show you’ll like this book.
I don’t know a lot about naval history or ship stuff, but my dad does, so I also go to ask him about the parts of ships and the culture of 18th/19th century naval officers, and that was a fun aspect of it! I can’t wait for the sequel to come out, I will definitely be picking that up.
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was so refreshing to read a book of this type by a female author! And it was excellent, I really enjoyed it and the historical detail seemed spot on. The description and cover blurbs imply a lot more romance in this book than there actually is, but again I loved this as it felt authentic to unfortunately how LGBT+ people had to live in the past. And I really appreciated the aro-ace rep in this book.
Boring, didn't care about anyone
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Colonisation
content warnings for violence (warfare, rape, flogging, murder, etc) and homophobia--this is one of the novels for when you have emotional space to read something heavy.
What I liked most about this novel is how character-driven it is. A character dealing with (repressing) his grief, and his trauma, and the ebb and flow of his desires, as he juggles between being a good captain and a decently functional human being is quite compelling, to say the least. This is also a character that's plagued not only by trauma-induced flashbacks and nightmares of his crewmates' and beloved's deaths, but also by the toxic expectations of his own father (which he does his best to be emancipated from).
Note that I'm not the best target audience for boats nor warfare nor boats and warfare in my fiction, yet I liked reading this one because of how it was handled. I don't think it sways me towards seeking more novels in this genre, although to have someone like me finish at least one of these at this point in time is already a feat in and of itself imo. (Also usually I wouldn't nitpick on syntax especially in longform fiction, but there are just certain words used here where theyre not exactly merited. The word "kiss" for example: if I'd been doing a drinking game in which I'd have to take a shot for each time the intimacy of the word was thrown around in a scene where no intimacy is featured, I'd be on the brink of alcohol poisoning by now. I'm exaggerating for the sake of the argument but the point stands. Some odd syntactical choices notwithstanding, I still liked this book.)
The slow-burn romance is a part of the journey, but not its focal point. Depending on what you're looking for in a novel, this could either be a letdown or a pull. For me, it's the latter. I enjoy love stories of course but even moreso when they're simply stories about characters undergoing growth for better or worse. In the beginning of this review I mentioned how the main character is used to repressing his emotions; over the course of the novel we see him strive to take off his well-wrought mask and finally find better ways to face his feelings head-on than keeping them all under lock and key.
What I liked most about this novel is how character-driven it is. A character dealing with (repressing) his grief, and his trauma, and the ebb and flow of his desires, as he juggles between being a good captain and a decently functional human being is quite compelling, to say the least. This is also a character that's plagued not only by trauma-induced flashbacks and nightmares of his crewmates' and beloved's deaths, but also by the toxic expectations of his own father (which he does his best to be emancipated from).
Note that I'm not the best target audience for boats nor warfare nor boats and warfare in my fiction, yet I liked reading this one because of how it was handled. I don't think it sways me towards seeking more novels in this genre, although to have someone like me finish at least one of these at this point in time is already a feat in and of itself imo. (Also usually I wouldn't nitpick on syntax especially in longform fiction, but there are just certain words used here where theyre not exactly merited. The word "kiss" for example: if I'd been doing a drinking game in which I'd have to take a shot for each time the intimacy of the word was thrown around in a scene where no intimacy is featured, I'd be on the brink of alcohol poisoning by now. I'm exaggerating for the sake of the argument but the point stands. Some odd syntactical choices notwithstanding, I still liked this book.)
The slow-burn romance is a part of the journey, but not its focal point. Depending on what you're looking for in a novel, this could either be a letdown or a pull. For me, it's the latter. I enjoy love stories of course but even moreso when they're simply stories about characters undergoing growth for better or worse. In the beginning of this review I mentioned how the main character is used to repressing his emotions; over the course of the novel we see him strive to take off his well-wrought mask and finally find better ways to face his feelings head-on than keeping them all under lock and key.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
I was drawn to this book because the premise checked a lot of my favourite boxes: a captain in the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars pursuing mutineers across the Atlantic. As I read, I discovered many other lovely bonuses, like political intrigue, disability and mental health rep, and a queer slow-burn romance.
The main characters are well developed, Captain Nightingale has such an interesting and tragic backstory that it makes you root for him from the first page. His relationships (with his family, superiors, and most importantly, his crew), play an important part in how he takes on this new assignment and how he deals with the losses he has suffered in battle and the resulting trauma. His journey of redemption and self-discovery is quite touching.
The plot itself is exciting, as the stakes are high and everything that could happen to a ship happens to the Scylla, Nightingale's command. The descriptions of storms, battles, even the becalming fog are flawlessly executed. While the constant use of first names between the officers threw me off, I have no other complaints about the writing. I was immediately immersed in the time period, and I can appreciate the amount of research the author must have undertaken to ensure that the technical aspects of sailing were accurately depicted. As an aside, I have read many books set on ships and each time it takes me a while to recall the terms, but it never detracts from my understanding and enjoyment of the story.
The romance in this book is extremely slow-burn, as the focus of the main characters is elsewhere and so it feels right for this story. It was nevertheless very satisfying to read, and I expect to see the relationship develop more in the planned sequels (which I was pleasantly surprised to discover reading the author's note).
All in all, I would thoroughly recommend this book. It is a sound, enjoyable read.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Katie Daysh for the chance to read and review this book.
The main characters are well developed, Captain Nightingale has such an interesting and tragic backstory that it makes you root for him from the first page. His relationships (with his family, superiors, and most importantly, his crew), play an important part in how he takes on this new assignment and how he deals with the losses he has suffered in battle and the resulting trauma. His journey of redemption and self-discovery is quite touching.
The plot itself is exciting, as the stakes are high and everything that could happen to a ship happens to the Scylla, Nightingale's command. The descriptions of storms, battles, even the becalming fog are flawlessly executed. While the constant use of first names between the officers threw me off, I have no other complaints about the writing. I was immediately immersed in the time period, and I can appreciate the amount of research the author must have undertaken to ensure that the technical aspects of sailing were accurately depicted. As an aside, I have read many books set on ships and each time it takes me a while to recall the terms, but it never detracts from my understanding and enjoyment of the story.
The romance in this book is extremely slow-burn, as the focus of the main characters is elsewhere and so it feels right for this story. It was nevertheless very satisfying to read, and I expect to see the relationship develop more in the planned sequels (which I was pleasantly surprised to discover reading the author's note).
All in all, I would thoroughly recommend this book. It is a sound, enjoyable read.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Katie Daysh for the chance to read and review this book.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I do love sad gay men on boats.
This is a lot of fun with enough depth to keep me interested. There's two more books planned, and I'll be picking them up.
This is a lot of fun with enough depth to keep me interested. There's two more books planned, and I'll be picking them up.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia