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A review by lolasreviews
Pirate Nemesis by Carysa Locke
5.0
I received a copy in exchange for an honest review
My second 5 star read this year, gah I am so happy! This book was everything I hoped for and more, it was exactly the type of read I was in the mood for and when I started reading I just knew it was going to be a good one. It was brilliant and I loved every second of it. It sucked me in and I didn't want to stop reading. I really like almost all the characters we meet in this book and now I just wish the next book was already out.
Pirate Nemesis is a character focused book and that's what I loved most about it. All the characters come to life and feel so real. It really is amazing how developed all the characters are. Although it sure helped that I read Pirate Bound first as I already knew some fo the characters due to that and it made it less overwhelming when starting this book. And fun to meet the characters I already knew again and see them from Mercy her point of view now. I love the world these authors build here and we learn a lot more background and history about it here. Why the pirates became pirates, hints of what else it out there and we meet the crew and get to know them.
The story seems almost straightforward and I would almost says it's a slow paced book, but that sounds so negative and it isn't. But it's more that the characters take center stage, what they feel, what they go through, how they adapt to this new situation. There is a lot going on, just not in the action packed sense other books have. It was very character driven with the focus on the characters, their connections, their feelings and thoughts, their telepathic powers. And I think that's why it was easy for me to love this book as from the fist chapters I liked Mercy and Reaper and we really get to know them in this book. Yes there is a story and it even gets to a suspenseful level at the end, but it's about so much more and the characters really make this book shine.
There is a prologue which I felt was very valuable. It showed Mercy when she was younger and it explains part of her past and her life without having to get all the details. Mercy is such a great character. She's so real and honest. She never wanted to have power and now that she has she isn't sure what to do with it. She learned not to trust family and it will be hard for her to do and she doesn't change overnight, but slowly. I felt like we really get to know Mercy and what she feels, her love for Atrea and Wolf, her confusion and distrust when their situation changes and her connection with Reaper and how she trusts him while she doesn't trust the rest of the pirates yet. And then we slowly see her change and adapt to this new environment and slowly find her place. But she isn't there yet and I am so glad there will be two more books about her and Reaper as I want to read more about them.
Reaper is such an intriguing character, he is a bit like Dem from the prequel, with how he's a cold killer. But there's so much more to him. He cares about the pirates and his talent helps him protect them. He isn't used to being vulnerable or feeling emotions, but Mercy unlocks those emotions and he isn't quite sure what to do with them. He's always so honest and even a bit blunt with Mercy and she trust him because of that. He could easily kill her if he wanted to, but he doesn't and Mercy appreciates his honesty. And it's just wonderful to see the connection between these two and see their feelings evolve.
Their romance was one of my favorite parts of this book as well. It's so character driven that you really feel the emotion of these two characters and their connection. And it was a slow building romance in that it took some time before they eventually got there. No drama or miscommunication. Just two people who care about each other and try and figure things out. It was wonderful and I loved every second of it, seeing these two interact and grow closer. Their romance made me feel all happy and their conversations and interactions just made me want to see them together. I liked how they were there for each other and their romance felt so genuine and real.
And the side characters are just as real and complicated as the main ones. We have Atrea who is Mercy her best friend and while we don't see as much of her it's obvious the role she plays in Mercy her life. And Wolf who is almost like a father to Mercy. We see Dem and Sanah who we got to know in the prequel and Tama and Rasa who I met in the novella in Romancing the Stars. Tama was such a great character and I can't wait to see more of her in the rest of the series. I also felt that I could understand Treon a lot more due to the prequel, I don't think I would've liked him quite as much if I hadn't read that. And he's an interesting character as well. We see less of Cannon as in the prequel, which surprised me a bit, but still enough. And then there is the grumpy doctor who has horrible bed side manners and reminded me a bit of The Doctor from Star Trek Voyager. Only this doctor speaks Japanese when he's angry, it was a fun touch. And Nayla plays a role here as well, although we don't see as much in depth about her as in the prequel. And Vashti (I think that's how it was spelled) was an interesting character too and I liked what we saw of her. And I just want to see more of all these characters.
I feel like I am just rambling on and on, but this book was just wonderful and I am so glad I read a 5 star book again, it's the best feeling. The world and the characters really come alive. And I like how we get to see a bit more of the world here as well, although most of the story does take place aboard the ship it feels like I better understood the talented and the pirates and why they live this way. Only thing I wasn't quite happy about is Mercy her talent, it just seems a bit too much. But it did make sense with the explanation, she just felt a bit too special at times. And I had hoped we would get to see more of what her talent involved and could do, but on the other hand that wouldn't have fit the book as she slowly discovers it all herself, so I just have to be patient. The concept of telepathic space pirates is so much fun and it's really thought through.
To summarize: I loved every moment of this book. The prologue made me curious and I enjoyed getting to know Mercy, reaper and the whole pirate crew. It's a very character driven book, with lots of focus on the characters. The characters really come alive and everyone seems to have it's own personality, they all feel so real. And I enjoyed getting to know all of them. The story would almost feel slow, but there is enough going on. It's just all very character focused plot lines, which I loved. Mercy and Reaper are both really likeable characters and I loved seeing them slowly grow closer. The romance was really well done too and I enjoyed the slow paced and meaningful way the romance developed. I would recommend this book for everyone who enjoys a good character driven book! And I know I can't wait to read the next books in this series!
My second 5 star read this year, gah I am so happy! This book was everything I hoped for and more, it was exactly the type of read I was in the mood for and when I started reading I just knew it was going to be a good one. It was brilliant and I loved every second of it. It sucked me in and I didn't want to stop reading. I really like almost all the characters we meet in this book and now I just wish the next book was already out.
Pirate Nemesis is a character focused book and that's what I loved most about it. All the characters come to life and feel so real. It really is amazing how developed all the characters are. Although it sure helped that I read Pirate Bound first as I already knew some fo the characters due to that and it made it less overwhelming when starting this book. And fun to meet the characters I already knew again and see them from Mercy her point of view now. I love the world these authors build here and we learn a lot more background and history about it here. Why the pirates became pirates, hints of what else it out there and we meet the crew and get to know them.
The story seems almost straightforward and I would almost says it's a slow paced book, but that sounds so negative and it isn't. But it's more that the characters take center stage, what they feel, what they go through, how they adapt to this new situation. There is a lot going on, just not in the action packed sense other books have. It was very character driven with the focus on the characters, their connections, their feelings and thoughts, their telepathic powers. And I think that's why it was easy for me to love this book as from the fist chapters I liked Mercy and Reaper and we really get to know them in this book. Yes there is a story and it even gets to a suspenseful level at the end, but it's about so much more and the characters really make this book shine.
There is a prologue which I felt was very valuable. It showed Mercy when she was younger and it explains part of her past and her life without having to get all the details. Mercy is such a great character. She's so real and honest. She never wanted to have power and now that she has she isn't sure what to do with it. She learned not to trust family and it will be hard for her to do and she doesn't change overnight, but slowly. I felt like we really get to know Mercy and what she feels, her love for Atrea and Wolf, her confusion and distrust when their situation changes and her connection with Reaper and how she trusts him while she doesn't trust the rest of the pirates yet. And then we slowly see her change and adapt to this new environment and slowly find her place. But she isn't there yet and I am so glad there will be two more books about her and Reaper as I want to read more about them.
Reaper is such an intriguing character, he is a bit like Dem from the prequel, with how he's a cold killer. But there's so much more to him. He cares about the pirates and his talent helps him protect them. He isn't used to being vulnerable or feeling emotions, but Mercy unlocks those emotions and he isn't quite sure what to do with them. He's always so honest and even a bit blunt with Mercy and she trust him because of that. He could easily kill her if he wanted to, but he doesn't and Mercy appreciates his honesty. And it's just wonderful to see the connection between these two and see their feelings evolve.
Their romance was one of my favorite parts of this book as well. It's so character driven that you really feel the emotion of these two characters and their connection. And it was a slow building romance in that it took some time before they eventually got there. No drama or miscommunication. Just two people who care about each other and try and figure things out. It was wonderful and I loved every second of it, seeing these two interact and grow closer. Their romance made me feel all happy and their conversations and interactions just made me want to see them together. I liked how they were there for each other and their romance felt so genuine and real.
And the side characters are just as real and complicated as the main ones. We have Atrea who is Mercy her best friend and while we don't see as much of her it's obvious the role she plays in Mercy her life. And Wolf who is almost like a father to Mercy. We see Dem and Sanah who we got to know in the prequel and Tama and Rasa who I met in the novella in Romancing the Stars. Tama was such a great character and I can't wait to see more of her in the rest of the series. I also felt that I could understand Treon a lot more due to the prequel, I don't think I would've liked him quite as much if I hadn't read that. And he's an interesting character as well. We see less of Cannon as in the prequel, which surprised me a bit, but still enough. And then there is the grumpy doctor who has horrible bed side manners and reminded me a bit of The Doctor from Star Trek Voyager. Only this doctor speaks Japanese when he's angry, it was a fun touch. And Nayla plays a role here as well, although we don't see as much in depth about her as in the prequel. And Vashti (I think that's how it was spelled) was an interesting character too and I liked what we saw of her. And I just want to see more of all these characters.
I feel like I am just rambling on and on, but this book was just wonderful and I am so glad I read a 5 star book again, it's the best feeling. The world and the characters really come alive. And I like how we get to see a bit more of the world here as well, although most of the story does take place aboard the ship it feels like I better understood the talented and the pirates and why they live this way. Only thing I wasn't quite happy about is Mercy her talent, it just seems a bit too much. But it did make sense with the explanation, she just felt a bit too special at times. And I had hoped we would get to see more of what her talent involved and could do, but on the other hand that wouldn't have fit the book as she slowly discovers it all herself, so I just have to be patient. The concept of telepathic space pirates is so much fun and it's really thought through.
To summarize: I loved every moment of this book. The prologue made me curious and I enjoyed getting to know Mercy, reaper and the whole pirate crew. It's a very character driven book, with lots of focus on the characters. The characters really come alive and everyone seems to have it's own personality, they all feel so real. And I enjoyed getting to know all of them. The story would almost feel slow, but there is enough going on. It's just all very character focused plot lines, which I loved. Mercy and Reaper are both really likeable characters and I loved seeing them slowly grow closer. The romance was really well done too and I enjoyed the slow paced and meaningful way the romance developed. I would recommend this book for everyone who enjoys a good character driven book! And I know I can't wait to read the next books in this series!