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A review by malglories
Magic of Blood and Sea by Cassandra Rose Clarke
4.0
Magic of Blood and Sea combines two books, The Assassin's Curse and The Pirate's Wish, which came out separately a few years ago. I never read them before, and I can't imagine them separated; the arcs of each book just aren't enough to justify it.
However! This was a cool ass book. It's about Ananna, the daughter of pirates, who flees a marriage to another pirate clan and in doing so, incurs their wrath, which they show by sending an assassin after her. During her encounter with the assassin, she inadvertently saves his life and triggers a curse which binds them together. Off they go, then, to try to break this curse, encountering sea-witches and creepy floating islands and loving if savage manticores, lesbian female pirate captains and underwater cities and blood magic.
The world itself was so rich. Most of it seemed to be in a setting much like the Caribbean, and most characters are people of color. The story had little to do with the grand politic schemes of the world, but they were still included - the Mists, the Empire, the Free Islands, the pirate Confederation. So much was conveyed in so little, and it really wove the tapestry well.
I loved Ananna, the main character. Her voice is so original - difficult for some to get used to, I think, since it's in a dialect - but it was as if she were sitting next to me, telling me the story over a cup of steaming coffee. I loved her fierceness, her impulsiveness, her prickliness: she is never a perfect person, which was fantastic. But she loves with her whole heart while guarding her independence (!!!), she wants to be a pirate captain (!!!!!), and she's just a general badass (!!!!!!!!).
The story moved too quickly in some places, especially the beginning, and I think so many aspects could have been explored in more depth. At times it seemed Ananna was pulled into the plot just because of Naji, and many things were too easy and formulaic. Their love story as well seemed a bit unexplored and rushed, as much as I love Naji and the ending they both have (an important one, I think). I would have appreciated a bit of a different handling on the situation, a bit more nuance.
But all in all, Magic of Blood and Sea is an exhilarating and original sea-stained book, perfect for hot summer days.
However! This was a cool ass book. It's about Ananna, the daughter of pirates, who flees a marriage to another pirate clan and in doing so, incurs their wrath, which they show by sending an assassin after her. During her encounter with the assassin, she inadvertently saves his life and triggers a curse which binds them together. Off they go, then, to try to break this curse, encountering sea-witches and creepy floating islands and loving if savage manticores, lesbian female pirate captains and underwater cities and blood magic.
The world itself was so rich. Most of it seemed to be in a setting much like the Caribbean, and most characters are people of color. The story had little to do with the grand politic schemes of the world, but they were still included - the Mists, the Empire, the Free Islands, the pirate Confederation. So much was conveyed in so little, and it really wove the tapestry well.
I loved Ananna, the main character. Her voice is so original - difficult for some to get used to, I think, since it's in a dialect - but it was as if she were sitting next to me, telling me the story over a cup of steaming coffee. I loved her fierceness, her impulsiveness, her prickliness: she is never a perfect person, which was fantastic. But she loves with her whole heart while guarding her independence (!!!), she wants to be a pirate captain (!!!!!), and she's just a general badass (!!!!!!!!).
The story moved too quickly in some places, especially the beginning, and I think so many aspects could have been explored in more depth. At times it seemed Ananna was pulled into the plot just because of Naji, and many things were too easy and formulaic. Their love story as well seemed a bit unexplored and rushed, as much as I love Naji and the ending they both have (an important one, I think). I would have appreciated a bit of a different handling on the situation, a bit more nuance.
But all in all, Magic of Blood and Sea is an exhilarating and original sea-stained book, perfect for hot summer days.