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A review by rbritt515
The Navigator's Touch by Julia Ember
4.0
The sequel to The Seafarer’s Kiss is a fun, quick read. The story picks up with Ragna on the ship she commandeered after defeating the man who ransacked her village, losing her hand in the process. Now she and the mermaid Ersel, blessed by Loki with a changing form, set off to retake her home. But Ragna’s anger and thirst for vengeance do not endear her to the crew, who she distrusts and resents, nor to Ersel who she begins to take for granted. Running low on supplies, Ragna is forced to postpone her plans for revenge to resupply at a nearby village and ask their leader for help in retaking her home. But if she’s to have any hope, she’s going to have to find some way to gain her crew’s trust (and learn to trust them in return) and possibly make a deal with Loki in the process—the one thing Ersel made her swear to never do.
I enjoyed this book—not quite as much as The Seafarer’s Kiss, but still a fun, quick, and imaginative read. It was fun to see many of the gaps in Ragna’s story filled in and see things from her perspective. Especially since she had a lot of growing to do in this book. I also liked the high seas adventure aspect of this book and the even deeper exploration of Norse Mythology. And as always, these covers are just to die for.
I was a bit disappointed that the story didn’t seem to track more with the Captain Hook / Peter Pan legend until the very end. I really enjoyed the aspect of fairy tale retelling mixed with Norse mythology in the first book because it was just so unusual and interesting. This book still had the Norse mythology—which was great—but only very tenuous connections to fairy tales / retellings until the end, save for Ragna’s hook and her captaincy. I would’ve loved to see that aspect more fully woven throughout the story. Of course, the book left us on a bit of a cliff hanger so it’s entirely possible (and, frankly, likely I think) that there is going to be another book that delves more deeply into the Peter Pan / Captain Hook myth.
Overall a good, light read. Not as much a retelling as The Seafarer’s Kiss, but still a fun, Norse-inspired, LGBTQ adventure story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
I enjoyed this book—not quite as much as The Seafarer’s Kiss, but still a fun, quick, and imaginative read. It was fun to see many of the gaps in Ragna’s story filled in and see things from her perspective. Especially since she had a lot of growing to do in this book. I also liked the high seas adventure aspect of this book and the even deeper exploration of Norse Mythology. And as always, these covers are just to die for.
I was a bit disappointed that the story didn’t seem to track more with the Captain Hook / Peter Pan legend until the very end. I really enjoyed the aspect of fairy tale retelling mixed with Norse mythology in the first book because it was just so unusual and interesting. This book still had the Norse mythology—which was great—but only very tenuous connections to fairy tales / retellings until the end, save for Ragna’s hook and her captaincy. I would’ve loved to see that aspect more fully woven throughout the story. Of course, the book left us on a bit of a cliff hanger so it’s entirely possible (and, frankly, likely I think) that there is going to be another book that delves more deeply into the Peter Pan / Captain Hook myth.
Overall a good, light read. Not as much a retelling as The Seafarer’s Kiss, but still a fun, Norse-inspired, LGBTQ adventure story. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4
**Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**