Book Review: The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar (Blog Tour by The Write Reads)

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The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar is a fantasy book which has recently released. Not only that it is a fantasy inhabited by an all female pirate crew and that is what makes it all the more thrilling and fun, an adventure to be on! Before anything else on the book, here is a big thank you to the author, publishers at Puffin Books and my blog host Dave of The Write Reads for my eARC. 

As usual let us begin with the cover. I am in love with these bright colours that and the image of the ship visible from a window as if in a distant dream. And that is almost exactly how we plunge into the Aleja's story.


Aleja's heart thirsts for adventure but the only thing that is proving to be a hurdle in her setting off on a journey at high seas is the fact that she is a girl. Aleja is an interesting character who steals away at night to visit the library or just climb and jump across the walls of her city located near the Spanish harbour. But when the fabled vessel called The Ship of Shadows docks at the city's harbour and she gets a chance to board it, Aleja is in for an adventure of a lifetime. 

It will take all her knowledge, skills and determination to make friends with the crew on this pirate ship and win their trust, which is manned by women pirates who are all looking for something. 

The characters are all extremely well etched out. From our heroine Aleja to second in command Malika, to the captain of the ship Captain Quint and her pet owl. Everyone seems to be a fleshed out person who does not feel like just a far-fetcehd idea from the writer's head. The writing flows and you almost feel like leaving behind your mundane existence, more so in these pandemic-y times, and hit the seas in search of your own Ship. 

This brilliant, brave set of women travel together and that was another high point for me in the book. Full of descriptions of the places, from Spain to Morocco, that the crew visits and historical tid-bits are strewn across the entire book, making it a very delightful read for someone looking beyond adventure. Kuzniar's writing promises you to take into a world where magic rule, where danger lurks at every step (or wave) but a trusty sword, or map or a friend is also at an arm's length, ready to save you from imminent danger.

Aimed at middle grade, The Ship of Shadows is an adventure that I highly recommend to everyone, whether or not you are a middle grader or a female. 

Comments

Sabrina said…
I agree with everything! 😀
5:44 PM
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