Enemy of the Empire

by Marshall J. Moore

Join Captain Redbeard and his crew on their next adventure!

Genres: Fantasy

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2024

About the author

Marshall J. Moore is a writer, filmmaker, and martial artist who was born and raised on Kwajalein, a tiny Pacific island. He has trained a professional mercenary in unarmed combat, once sold a thousand dollars' worth of teapots to Jackie Chan, and on one occasion was tracked down by a bounty hunter for owing $300 in overdue fees to the Los Angeles Public Library.

He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Megan and their two cats.

Reviews

[Chelsea Reining · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks so much to Marshall J. Moore for the ARC!

I think I can say this is my favorite of the Son of a Sailor Books so far...and I've loved them all! I absolutely love how the cast of characters focuses not only on those we know and love, but a lot of new faces as well. There has been so much development in individual characters and in their relationships since book 1 and all that work really shone through in this one.

It had all the charm and fun you expect of cozy fantasy, with an amazing amount of real emotion and healthy trauma processing that showcased how good of an author Marshall really is. It's a lot of fun, but you'll come away with warmth in your heart and some processing in your soul, tool.

Plus, pirates and mermaids and sea creatures too! What more can you ask for???

Can't recommend this series enough!

[Ben Huffstetler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The next installment in Moore's cozy pirate series is arguably the best entry, with the established and new characters really shining through in another fun adventure. This book benefits greatly from expanding the cast of characters and pivoting considerable focus onto a few characters who had not seen as much attention in previous entries. The plot is full of twists which makes the book read very quickly.

A real strength of this book is the expansion of Ophelia's character. Three books following a few characters runs the risk of getting repetitive, but Moore allows the growth from past books to be re-examined and refined as the story advances. This allows the characters to never feel stagnant, but rather lively and human. Ophelia in particular exemplifies this.

Overall, this entry into the series is every bit as fun as the last two entries while still offering something new. Cozy pirate novels could easily become copy/paste as more books are written, but that is not Moore's approach. Rather, these characters and this world feels like something Moore genuinely wants to spend more time with. I am not sure if this is the last entry in the series or not, but the beauty of this book is that it would satisfy me if it were while also not leaving me feeling betrayed if more entries follow later on. Either way, I am always game to spend time with Captain Redbeard and company.

[Li Lacombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not the best at reviews anymore since I hit my head, but I had the immense pleasure of reading this book early. Listen, I had zero interest in pirates before this series, and now this is one of my favorite books. Marshall J. Moore is a master at endings. Every arc and emotional beat comes to fruition in such a satisfying way, and it was such a pleasure to read. I thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s POV, especially Ophelia’s. This book was fun, silly, cute, sweet, and very important. The Empire can easily be likened to America, especially with the Empire wanting to destroy land that belongs to a rare species. This book is a perfect device for discussing the negative impact empires can have, for everyone, including the people who believed in it like Vanessa. Just such a perfect read. I’m struggling to get all my thoughts into words, but this was absolutely fantastic. I also loved the action scenes at the end; incredible well-written! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to grab a rum sunrise and see if Quint wants any.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow what an end to the trilogy!! Marshall really delivered with this series, giving us a swashbuckling pirate adventure with diverse characters and a focus on family and community. That lent itself nicely to a cozy but with some stakes to keep it interesting. The way the characters cared about each other and lifted each other up was just beautiful. I also really liked the dialogue, with each persons speech being fitting for their character, and many lines making me laugh out loud. Each book had a distinct plot but still kept things interconnected so you would have to read in order but get a satisfying ending each time

[James Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect ending to the perfect cozy fantasy trilogy. Filled with adventure, fun, action and most importantly... heart.

All three of the books in this series is perfect. If you're looking for a cozy fantasy you can devour, this is the one.

5/5 for the book, 5/5 for the series. NO NOTES.